Carey Mulligan has changed red carpet fashion.

I say this on the day after the Golden Globes not because she wowed me last night–she wasn’t even there. It’s because ever since Mulligan wore that Prada dress to last year’s Oscars, the red carpet has gotten a bit more interesting.

Of course there were risk takers before she the pulled it off: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, Michelle Williams, and Sofia Coppola have looked pulled together and cool over the past decade. But here’s why Carey’s different: She’s not cool. She’s pretty and smart and admirable, but she’s not particularly slick or hip. She’s made not wearing a nude, sparkly dress okay for non-hipsters. She’s even made it necessary.

Last night, there were more than ten dresses which I thought, even if they weren’t perfect, were good. And interesting. Usually, I’d say the number is more like three.

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