Emmy Fashion Rundown

Alright, boys and girls, let's rock and roll. After the Oscars and Emmys I like to go over all the fashions that caught my eye - for better or for worse on the red carpet. And while the actual Emmys last night were a total snoozefest, there were some interesting looks on which I will report. So away we go!

First stop, Kate Walsh.

She didn't make my "no" list for looking bad... in fact, I think generally she looks good. But everything together - the heavy fussy dress, the dark sleek hairdo, the sharp makeup - is just coming off a little costumey and also a little serious. Like she's going to a fancy benefit for a solemn occassion. Maybe if there had been more dark dresses or "evening" looks it wouldn't have stood out, but amongst the happy colors and bright sunshine, it seemed a little off.


Next up, Olivia Wilde from one of my favorite shows, House.

Last year Jennifer Morrison, the other young pretty one from House, was my top pick from the Emmy red carpet, and it looks like she passed the glamour baton to Olivia this season. I am coveting this dress and those lovely unique cap sleeves. Her make up and hair are so soft and really compliment her whole look. She looks classy but still young and I just love it.

Our favorite funny lady looking foxy... Tina Fey!

Her wins and acceptance speeches were a highlight for the evening, and I was happy she got to do it all while looking great! The color is subdued but the purple was a nice change from her typical black, and I like that she had a dress that was sexy but still seemed like her. Kudos, Tina!

I love you, Jenna Fischer, but...

...but I do not love this look. Let's start with the bad and we'll wind back about to the good. Something is just not quite right about the cut here... maybe it is the natural waist? Jenna is obviously a skinny-minny but the way the dress is hitting her isn't as flattering as it could be. I can't figure out what is contributing to the boxy effect - the folds in the fabric? The placement of the colors and the center detail? I just think I'd be feeling completely differently if it was an empire waist, or even a dropped waist. Hmm... anyway, the good news is the colors are really beautiful and almost mermaid-like on her and it is hard to see in this picture but she has on a really awesome gold cuff that I like.

Mariska Hargitay shows us how to do yellow.

Bam! She looks AMAZING. One of my favorites from the night. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for yellow, so I might be biased. But it is the absolute right shade and looks fierce with her skin and her hair and her purple nails. And maybe most importantly, the style is so age appropriate and sophisticated. You'll see later (coughTeriHatchercough) a less-successful yellow dress, so just remember why Mariska's works - the shade, the cut, her styling. A+.

Heidi Klum, outfit #1 of 800 for the evening... Heidi's hosting skills left a bit to be desired, so let's just cut to the fashion, eh?

Her red-carpet look was something only Heidi could pull off, and she looked great, of course. But for once, let's focus on Heidi from the neck up, shall we? Her make up looks great and I'm especially liking her hair. What really caught my eye - and how could they not - are those INCREDIBLE earrings. It makes me want to march right to the mall, into Claire's, and demand to have my right ear pierced. Just the one that closed up, the left one is fine. I don't understand how they aren't so heavy as to pull her ears off her head, but I don't even care. I WANT.

Okay, and now Cynthia Nixon will demonstrate an important word in fashion fitting, and that is... HOIST. As in, "Alright Cynthia, now I'm about to pin this in place before we sew it, so just go ahead and HOIST those girls up there so we get them in the right place. Perfect." Apparently Cynthia's tailor didn't remember that step and thus we have a loooooooong way to go from Cynthia's chin til we get to the Calvin Klein dress, which is actually quite pretty. I even think the color is a cool choice for her skin tone, but man I just want to get her a good bustier already.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss also looked great in, what else, Narciso Rodriguez:

Not much to say here - she looks great, the color is nice, fits her like a glove. I'm not wild about the little peek-a-boo tummy but, you go girl. However, aside from the color, this is kind of the same dress she keeps wearing, over and over again. And while I understand that when you find something that works for you its easy to go back there (like me and chicken fingers), I'm getting a little bored. As in, "oh I wonder what Renee Zelweger will wear to the Oscars oh what a strapless Carolina Herrera dress zzzzzzzzzzzzz" bored.

Moving on to Ugly Betty's obviously so-NOT-ugly America Ferrera:

America is lovely and as I've said before I think it is great that she is marginally more normal sized than other of television's leading ladies. Having said that, something about this look is just a little weird to me. It's kinda fussy... so much dress, but then the length is weird. And then there is a lot of hair, a lot of makeup, a lot of necklace, even a fancy lookin' shoe. Each piece, I like. All together, it's a whole lot of... lot. But I still think she's great!

Mary Louise Parker will be forever a favorite of mine for her role in Fried Green Tomatoes. And now she is on Weeds, which is a show I have never seen.

But surely she could've done better than what looks like a prom dress any high school girl could pick off the rack from Macy's. Yeah, I said it. I think it is the jeweled straps that are ruining it for me. On the plus side, I really like the color of her lipstick!

Brooke Shields was there presumably to promote her show, Sex & the City Lite aka Lipstick Jungle.

I actually really like this dress and it isn't just because I like pink. Brooke is 43 and she looks ah-maz-ing. I think she was wise to leave her hair down so as not to be too shoulder-riffic. I love the style of the dress and how it is sophisticated enough to still look mature. Also it is pink.

Teri Hatcher also wore a yellow dress.

And yet, I do not think it works as well as Mariska's, and the main reason is the style. Like Brooke, Teri is also 43. I just think the style of the dress is too youthful. Teri looks pretty - her hair is soft and natural which works well for her. She is looking toned and tan. The dress itself is very pretty and the color is a nice bold happy one. But the strapless frilly frock is just more along the lines of something for the thirty-and-under set.

Like Evangeline Lilly could totally be rocking that yellow dress. But her choice was more a study in how to wear a lovely neutral shade:

This isn't the best dress I've ever seen in my life - it's a little brocade-y for my tastes - but she looks perfect and somehow keeps this dress looking young and sexy but tasteful. The lack of jewelry and the hair and makeup are a win-win-win. I think her coloring is a good example of why brunettes sometimes have an easier time wearing colors in the creamy/beige/champagne category.

Well, that wraps it up for my thoughts. Who were your best dressed and in-need-of-assistance looks for this year? Who just can't wait for all our favorite shows to start again? Like The Office, this Thursday, hip hip hooray!