The ladies wore black: All the best-dressed women from the unforgettable 2018 Golden Globes

As anyone who lived through the past few months might guess, the 2018 Golden Globes were anything but business as usual. Conversations that began in late 2017 surrounding the culture of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry continue to echo through the culture at large. We seem to be living through a moment of real change, and the red carpet of the 75th annual Golden Globes capitalized on that.

The overwhelming majority of women at the Globes wore black in support of the Time’s Up movement and in solidarity with victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. Men played a role, too, with many sporting Time’s Up pins — but Sunday night was about the women, both in substance and style.

Besides the obvious monochrome color palette, a closer read of the red carpet revealed some of the night’s trends:

Silver screen sirens

Gold was reserved for the awards, as silver details were seen on stars like Saoirse Ronan in Atelier Versace or Mary J. Blige in Alberta Ferretti.

Crushing on velvet

The luxe texture added interest in the streams of black fabric. Among the many stars in velvet were Natalie Portman in Dior Haute Couture, Dove Cameron in Monique Lhuillier and Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent.

Sheer bliss

Another way to break up the black was to show a little skin, whether through a cutout or a nude illusion. Stars like Ashley Judd in Elie Saab, Jessica Biel in Christian Dior Couture and Halle Berry in Zuhair Murad shared some sheer.

The biggest trend of all: Bringing a date who has something to say

Rather than bringing their significant others, several stars brought other women who are actually significant: activists who have been doing the work, who are doing the work and who are showing others the way forward.

As the stars stepped aside in red carpet interviews, these women had the chance to speak about their work to millions of viewers who might otherwise not have known their names or their causes. Hearing Tarana Burke speak to Ryan Seacrest about the work she’s been doing for years was a welcome change from the “mani cam” moments of years past. Here’s hoping that’s more than just a 2018 red-carpet trend.

Here’s a selection of some of our favorite looks:

Tracee Ellis Ross in Marc Jacobs

Ava DuVernay in Armani Privé

Alison Brie in Vassilis Zoulias

Kerry Washington in Prabal Gurung

Oprah Winfrey in Atelier Versace

Issa Rae in Prabal Gurung

Nicole Kidman in Givenchy Haute Couture

Saoirse Ronan in Atelier Versace

Angelina Jolie in Atelier Versace

Mariah Carey in Dolce & Gabbana

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Zuhair Murad

Reese Witherspoon in Zac Posen and Eva Longoria in Genny

Jessica Chastain in Armani Privé

Jamie Chung in Ermanno Scervino

Margot Robbie in Gucci

Naomi Campbell in Jean Paul Gaultier

Jessica Biel in Dior Haute Couture

Halle Berry in Zuhair Murad

Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent

Viola Davis in Brandon Maxwell

Hong Chau in Stella McCartney

Katherine Langford in Prada

Susan Kelechi Watson in Monsoori