With the stars mainly at home or in hotel rooms for Sunday's Golden Globes due to pandemic restrictions, what is usually one of Hollywood's biggest red carpet nights was certainly deprived of some of its glamor.

But the A-listers nevertheless created fashion buzz, donning their designer gowns and suits for their Zoom close-ups -- and for a few carefully staged publicity photos that spread quickly on social media.

"We won't have the roaring crowds, we won't have thousands of flash bulbs," Brad Goreski, who dressed nominee Kaley Cuoco ("The Flight Attendant"), told a pre-gala round table organized by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

But there is a silver lining: for Goreski, "there are definitely things that we can put our clients in" that they normally would not wear on a long evening involving car rides, standing around, eating a meal and doing media appearances.

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"We can kind of be a little bit more imaginative this year."

Avo Yermagyan, who works with actor Leslie Odom Jr, a nominee for his performance in Regina King's "One Night in Miami," said it was "important to be mindful of the tone of what we're putting on there and be conscious of the fact that people are facing real struggles."

But Yermagyan noted that being sensitive did not imply being casual.

"This year, the stakes are much higher -- there's been sort of a vacuum with no carpets really happening, so there's going to be a lot of eyes on these carpets," he said.

Nominee Carey Mulligan -- a favorite to take home a Globe for best actress in a drama film for her searing work in revenge thriller "Promising Young Woman" -- went for subdued chic in a flowing formal pink gown and casually tousled hair.

"This is my first virtual red carpet. This is the first time that I've worn heels in a good 18 months, I think," Mulligan told E! television.

Fellow nominee Elle Fanning, who starred as Catherine the Great in television series "The Great," also went for an ethereal look in a pale blue-green Gucci goddess gown with bejeweled straps, her hair wrapped in a simple bun.

And Amanda Seyfried, who stars in "Mank," offered an homage to the film's subject "Citizen Kane" by wearing an off-the-shoulder coral Oscar de la Renta gown adorned with a spray of rosebuds, and long, wavy Old Hollywood hair.

'Able to cheat'

Stylist Sophie Lopez, who works with nominated actress Kate Hudson ("Music"), revealed a bit of behind-the-scenes magic for pandemic-era red carpets: "We are able to cheat in ways that we couldn't if it was an in-person event."

Fitting gowns via Zoom is not the easiest. Not perfect? No problem -- the webcam only shows so much, and the vast majority of stars are not actually walking anywhere.

"If the fit's not quite right, we can cheat it from the back. We can safety pin things," Lopez revealed. "We don't have to worry about people tripping over their hemlines."

Of course, the fit is often perfect.

King, one of three women nominated for best director, stunned in a sculptural, asymmetrical black and silver Louis Vuitton gown and sleek hair.

"I feel good repping for the ladies," she told NBC.

Of course, not everyone went for black-tie glamor.

Nominee Jared Leto posted one Globes look on Instagram -- a cozy navy blue cable-knit turtleneck sweater, and his long locks flowing. He later beamed in from the mountains of Nevada, in a tan shirt and jacket with a giant flower pin.

Ilaria Urbinati, stylist to double nominee Sacha Baron Cohen, said his ensemble would be "less 'out there'" than usual because "he is sitting in his living room" under quarantine in Australia.

Baron Cohen, who wore a bright blue suit to last year's Globes, was more subdued on Sunday in a three-piece blue-gray ensemble, with no tie -- seen on his actress wife Isla Fisher's Instagram feed.