Emmy women look red hot, for the most part

BY KIM BROWN World Scene Writer
Monday, September 19, 2011
9/19/11 at 9:39 AM

It's hard not to come up with a cliche for "seeing red" after Sundays' fashion scene at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.

I love a good red dress, who doesn't? But I have to say, the red seemed a little old school.

Yet so many reds were done right, and that's all that matters.

Stunning in "look-at-me" red gowns, were "Glee" star Lea Michele, who stole the carpet early; up-and-comer Nina Dobrev from "The Vampire Diaries" in Donna Karan; funny women Angela Kinsey from "The Office," and comedian Kathy Griffin, in a shiny Oscar de la Renta. Later, Kerry Washington also looked stunning in a red, beaded gown, and then came the much-awaited arrival of Kate Winslet in, you guessed it, red Elie Saab.

These red looks are making my first awards fashion column easy - well, let's not count our sequins just yet.

Hello, gorgeous

Other stars made some surprising choices - including a subtle and sophisticated Emmy host, Jane Lynch.

I was so happy to hear on my pre-pre-Emmy shows, that Lynch chose David Meister to create all four of her Emmy looks. She was red-carpet radiant in an eggplant, or shall we say aubergine? It's the Emmys, after all, and Lynch stepped it up a huge notch. In past years, the "Glee" star has looked a bit off the rack, meaning she didn't put much effort into fittings.

Her colleague Lea Michele, however, stole the show in her ridiculously chic red ensemble from Marchesa.

In the past, her choices have been ultra-feminine and glamorous. But she came into her own Sunday wearing a sexy and modern gown, which was something of a risk for Michele. She's officially into fashion, and fashion's into her. The red rosette sleeves and low swooping back together with a perfect fit were red hot. She managed to stand out in a sea of red.

Red carpet

Other beauties that topped the night for me - shock, shock - were also in red, or orangey-red. Kate Winslet was gorgeous in a simple but sexy Elie Saab. Flattering to her figure and so elegant, Winslet brought her movie star power to television's biggest night.

"Modern Family" star Sofia Vergara, who I usually think is a little too vampy, also rocked the carpet in a bold color. She wore a stunning, body-hugging orange-red Vera Wang with huge Colombian emerald earrings. She looked more sophisticated, while still looking sexy. Spot on, Sofia.

This is where the red stops, though, because I'm moving on to platinum.

"Prime Suspect" star Maria Bello was splendid in a silvery, platinum beaded gown that had some great sizzle and shape. By designer Kaufman Franco, the gown had great Art Deco patterns, and her head-to-toe look was fabulous.

Also sparkling was "Mad Men's" Christina Hendricks, who usually winds up on the "worst-dressed" lists for her not-quite-together looks. Rather on Sunday, she knocked everyone out with a true nod to her kindred spirit, Marilyn Monroe, in a beaded silvery dress by Johanna Johnson. She was tasteful and sexy at once, and finally, her knock-out body is properly flattered.

Risky business

That said, there were several fashion disasters Sunday. But before I get "Mean Girls" on these poor, famous actresses (oh, boo hoo), I need to point out some fashion risk-takers.

These are the women who wear true fashion on the red carpet, rather than a pretty, elegant gown that will nab the cover of a magazine. While they are pretty polarizing, they are worthy of mention. "The Good Wife's" Julianna Margulies wore a white gown by Armani Privé that looked great on her skin tone, but I'm sure will wind up on several "worst" lists because of the clear bubble detailing on the bodice.

Gwyneth Paltrow was her black-beaded counterpart in a two-piece look from Pucci. The girl can wear anything, including showing her bare midriff, apparently. Still, both get "A's" for Emmy fashion effort. Way to take a risk.

That leaves us with the bad and the ugly. My worst-dressed of the night was an actress I thought would be up on my best or my Fashion Risk Taker list, Zooey Deschanel. Wearing a Pepto-Bismol-pink ball gown from what looked like a too-retro prom, Deschanel was quirky in a bad way. A little too "Pretty in Pink" for the Emmys. Also falling short was Heidi Klum, wearing a poodle-equse gown by "Project Runway" alum Christian Siriano. She also loves to take risks, but this one was a giant poofball that would have actually worked on Deschanel.

Best dressed women

Lea Michele
Kate Winslet
Sofia Vergara
Maria Bello
Christina Hendricks

Worst dressed women

Zooey Deschanel
Heidi Klum
Connie Britton

Fashion risk takers

Julianna Margulies
Gwyneth Paltrow
Dianna Agron

Best and worst dressed men

Jon Hamm (best)
Jimmy Fallon (best)
Joel McHale (worst)
Seal (worst)

Original Print Headline: Red hot Emmy women

Kim Brown 918-581-8474
kim.brown@tulsaworld.com

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