We always want the prize for best awards season coverage

Awards season is one of the most exciting times of the year for a lifestyle journalist. And that’s saying something for a desk that covers Fashion Week, the Met Gala and the women’s marches (we have a lot of great moments to write about).

While the January blues suck all the festive joy out of the air with strict diets and the guilt of an already-failing exercise regimen, the promise of red carpets and couture gowns sparks a frisson that harks back to our pre-Christmas outlook.

As The Independent’s lifestyle editor, it’s my job to decide how we cover the mood surrounding awards season. And that makes for an enjoyable challenge. Film critics respond to the awards with lightning fast reports, but we lifestyle journalists stay up all night tapping away at our computers for other reasons.

We observe the pageantry of the gowns, celebrate funny viral moments and question how women were represented by the evening. These are the moments that remain in our minds forever. Who can forget, after all, a streaker taking to the stage in 1974, Jennifer Lawrence tripping on the steps en route to accepting the Best Actress Oscar in 2013, or Ellen DeGeneres’s now infamous Oscar’s selfie of 2014?

The dresses worn to the Academy Awards, in particular, make history. Bjork’s 2001 swan dress, Gwyneth Paltrow’s 1999 pink Ralph Lauren gown in which she wept while accepting the award for her role in Shakespeare in Love, and Cher’s wild sequin Bob Mackie number from 1986. The first thing I used to do as a teenager following the Oscars was run to the local corner shop and buy every magazine to gawp at the dresses. Of course, back then we used to get our kicks from shaming women who didn’t look the part. Now we celebrate all choices.

The Golden Globes are always a taster of what’s to come for the rest of the season and if this year’s are anything to go by, it looks like we’re in for an exhilarating ride.

From feminist speeches to Time’s Up bracelets, the impact of the #MeToo movement (while sadly not yet penetrating the male domination of the industry) raged on at this week’s broadcast, as women took full advantage of the spotlight. And each awards show promises new opportunities for growth. So, as we gear up to cover the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Grammys and the Oscars, rest assured we will be taking note of how things change – and enjoying all the frocks along the way.

Yours,

Harriet Hall

Lifestyle editor