Often pegged as the opening night of Awards Season, The Emmys provides the best of television talent with the perfect excuse to get all dressed up.
With shows like Glee, Mad Men and 30 Rock often garnering more press than new releases at the multiplex, many stars like Glee’s Lea Michele and Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks are fast becoming style icons in their own right, and there’s nothing small-time about that. In addition to the press coverage, they’ve got the clout that goes with it. Ten years ago, it would be virtually unheard-of for a TV star to be given gowns by designers like Zac Posen and Donna Karan, far less have access to the best of haute couture, but now it’s not only commonplace, it’s expected.
Bearing in mind the scrutiny that now routinely accompanies these events, it’s interesting to see just how the stars of the small screen measure up against their million-dollar counterparts. Some, when faced with the glare of the media spotlight, quake and buckle under pressure, and others accept the glare as another step in their game-plan. Looking the part of a movie star goes a long way to being one: do it well, and a juicy script with your name on it could soon follow.
You’re not just seeing a fashion parade with the Emmys; you’re seeing faces that will become the future Clooneys and Anistons of the next 10 years. Cross-over from television into film is a tricky move, but stars like Katherine Heigl have proved that it can still be done.
The Emmys offer these stars a glimpse of what can life can be like when your name readily equates to box office success. The red-carpet has long since stopped being about scoring style points (although they don’t hurt): to these women, it’s a serious business.
With all that to consider, getting it right on the red-carpet takes on a whole new degree of urgency. Do you go all-out with a risky new design, or go with something tried and true? It was not that much a surprise when many arrived having put their trust in the old fashion faithful, the little black dress.
One of the clear headliners of the night was the ubiquitous black dress. An instant plug-in for glamour and sophistication, the red-carpet version of the LBD was worn by everyone from Lea Michele to Eva Longoria Parker. Fitted at the bodice and flowing out into either a fishtail or flamenco skirt, the RBD (red-carpet black dress) has become a fixture of these events and always scores highly.
Some put a new spin on an old story by switching it up to navy. Traditionally conservative, it’s a risky colour choice for red-carpet as it tends to photograph as black. There’s a time and place for nuance, and the red-carpet isn’t always it.
Those who wore it best wore their heart on their sleeve. The romantic trend is continuing into winter, whilst taking on a suitably Gothic slant, but many on the Emmys carpet stuck with photo-friendly pastels.
One of the stand-outs was Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks. Wearing lilac Zac Posen, Christina’s softly-ruffled dress was the dreamy sister to January Jones’ sci-fi couture. With a scooping neckline and feather detail on the shoulders and hem, this dress was ultra-feminine and ultra-romantic. Accentuating Hendricks’ figure, this was a master-class in how to do the romantic trend if you’re not a size 8. It was a fittingly bold choice for an actress who gets to play one of the most recognisable women on television.
The romantic trend was also signposted by Dianna Agron and Emily Blunt. Agron, a red-carpet newbie, broke in her heels with a Carolina Herrera gown. Dewy-pink and overlaid with antique lace, it was just the right balance of sweetness. A hair either way, or this dress could’ve made Agron look like she was wearing period costume. Keeping the hair and make-up muted but modern, Agron kept the look pitch-perfect.
Looking modern wasn’t a problem for Mad Men’s January Jones who caught many by surprise by opting for an Atelier Versace gown.
Considering her character Betty Draper is the chief inspiration for the lady-like trend going great guns in editorials and on the high-street, January seemed determined to distance herself from her Sixties alter-ego, for one night at least.
The couture gown was a potent electric blue, with a scooped-out front hem and heavily beaded from top to toe. With an entirely different view from the back, this dress was two looks for the price of one.
At every event, there is one dress that divides opinion and this was it. This was absolute fashion marmite: you either loved it or hated it. The gown was a testament to construction and took us onto the next logical stage after Armani Prive’s ultra-sculptural gowns worn by Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Seyfried at the Oscars.
But with all that detail in one dress, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that this was a case of too many ideas in one gown. The ideas – structure, bold colour, and asymmetry – are all great for pushing our buttons and getting red-carpet fashion moving forward, but put together, something just didn’t add up.
One of the big stories of the night was just how many stars dialled into the nude trend. Various shades of caramel and blush made for some of the best fashion picks of the evening. Claire Danes opted for shimmering Armani Prive, doing detail to create maximum impact. The objective was straightforward: keep the silhouette simple and go to town on the finish. It is something that Armani does particularly well: understated glamour is notoriously hard to balance, but get it right and the results speak for themselves. Clare Danes shone – in every sense of the word – and won serious fashion points by foregoing the jewellery and making the hair and make-up clean, fresh and polished.
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) also scored a home run with a Grecian-goddess gown by Donna Karan. Cast somewhere between blush and pale champagne, it was the epitome of sophistication with a bold asymmetric shoulder and strategic drapery. Womanly and grown-up sexy, this look was textbook Donna Karan, and a personal sartorial best for Moss.
Two of the best looks of the night (Moss and Danes) were from designers who were clearly sticking to what they do best. That seemed to be the theme of the night: those who vied for Best Dressed honours were taking no chances and reached for their red-carpet security blanket.
Lea Michele went for Oscar de la Renta for the second year running; Christina Hendricks went for the va-va-voom vote and Eva Longoria Parker channelled senorita-chic in a gown that played to the crowds as well as the fashion folk taking notes.
But where the Emmys threw us a curve ball was where the stars took risks. Normally risk-taking is a necessary part of the red-carpet experience (and often the most fun). Red-carpet is always a couple of steps behind what’s happening on the runways and that’s no bad thing. Time gives you distance and distance gives you perspective. Knowing what to go for and what to leave on the catwalk is crucial when making a red-carpet choice and the importance of editing was never clearer than at the 2010 Emmys.
What should have been the standouts of the night ended up being outshined by those who went for the tried-and-tested fashion formulas. The sheath dress, the flamenco hem and acres of black should by rights be mothballed for the time being, but they keep returning, and keep making actresses look good, because they have earned their dues as red-carpet fare. It takes a heck of a dress to outdo Armani at the top of his game.
Usually a shoo-in for Best Dressed, January Jones hit a surprising low note with her gown from Atelier Versace. The multi-angular dress was couture at its purest, and maybe too much for the red-carpet. With so much to look at, it was hard to decipher the overall look Jones was going for. From the front, it was architectural modernity. From the back, the flowing train and intricate bodice work was reminiscent of 19th century couturier Charles Worth. A dress of two halves, it had much to say about where fashion’s going, as well as where it’s been, but for January, for the Emmys, it was a case of the message getting lost in translation.
The Emmys was an unusual night for fashion, where romance and softness won over the best of 21st century design. At a time where stars are under pressure to wear and wow in the next up-and-coming trend, this red-carpet served as a reminder of how fashion does classic, feminine design and does it well.
This red-carpet was an intake of breath and a pause for thought as Awards Season begins in earnest next year. Whatever 2011 brings, it’s a safe bet that whatever choices win out, we will be dazzled and charmed in equal measure.