According to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the dress code for the Golden Globes is a strictly black-tie event. That means “men must wear tuxedoes or suits, and women in evening attire.” The women seems to be more than willing to follow that dress code–even if they are unaccustomed to long dresses, but some men are slacking off.

In previous years, I hadn’t really been paying attention to what the male journalists wore, but this year I noticed men wearing casual shoes like black slip-on Van’s, Converse high-tops (black as well as brick red), black hiking boots and even white Adidas sneakers. Casual shoes or boots are considered a fashion faux pas by the Emily Post Institute. Black tie means a dark suit or a tuxedo.

For women, it means long evening dresses, or dressy cocktail wear with gloves and hats optional. I didn’t see any of the women wearing sneakers or hiking boots. Most had on high heels which are never comfortable at the end of a long evening. This year, long dresses with hemlines that floated along the floor was a trend. None of the dresses were as cumbersome as Lady Gaga’s choice for the evening. When Lady Gaga came backstage, her fellow honorees for the song “Shallow,” were willing to help.

Backstage, few women had an entourage to hold their train and they seemed to be aware of how to control their hemline as they took on stairs and went through crowds.

One should always gather one’s skirt, particularly since in 2019, one is not concerned about scandalizing society by showing one’s ankles. Otherwise, the person behind you on the stairs or on level ground might accidentally trod on the dragging hemline. A footprint on your hem is not an elegant look. Care should also be taken when turning. People wearing a train should consider a train loop or a bustle. You can see such things in the movies when women of a certain era are dancing elegantly with a partner.

Then there are flamenco dancers and their trains.

I enjoy dressing up for the Golden Globes and even if you don’t enjoy dressing to the nines, men should try harder because everyone–male or female, should have one dark suit and matching formal shoes from high school on.