WHO ROCKED THE TWIRL?
Priyanka Chopra had THE most fun on the carpet at the Microsoft Theater, twirling there and again onstage as a presenter with Tom Hiddleston.
The Quantico star wore a one-shoulder custom Jason Wu in red with a Chanel red lip colour that was a winning match.
The dress separated into two sections at the shoulder, had one cutout on the same side and was belted at the waist. It included a long, full train.
Her dark hair was parted on the side and was fastened into a sleek, low ponytail.
Chopra kept her jewels to a minimum, but they came with a hefty price tag: a $1 million (Dh3.7 million) worth from Neil Lane, to be exact. They included 10-carat diamond-and-platinum drop earrings and a 10-carat diamond-and-platinum emerald cut ring.
“It just popped on the red carpet,” Joseph Katz, a Beverly Hills stylist, said. “She did a great twirl. That’s what the carpet is about, showing the flow and the movement. She just nailed it.”
Added Rickie De Sole, fashion market director for W magazine: “She had a very bright red lip that just made the whole thing pop. With all the black dresses on the red carpet, you can’t miss the girl in red.”
WHO ROCKED THE BUMP?
Washington, deep into her second pregnancy, has been tight-lipped about her due date but the end is clearly near. She dressed for two in a custom, daring black Brandon Maxwell strapless gown with cutouts above the waist and a long train.
“She got the proportions just right,” said De Sole.
“It was sexy but not overtly sexy. That’s why she’s so successful on the red carpet. It was unexpected and fun.”
Washington, often forced to hide her pregnancies with big coats and big bags on Scandal, wore her hair big, loose and curly, further enhancing the look.
Katz also loved it.
“What a chic look. I love what she did with her hair. It was just so cool.”
WHO ROCKED THE GREEN?
Sarah Paulson did, in an emerald long-sleeve, plunging-neckline Prada so heavily encrusted she looked otherworldy.
“It also felt very unexpected,” De Sole said. “Very red carpet but modern in its silhouette.”
It was a huge statement as she walked Sunday’s carpet in Los Angeles with the real-life Marcia Clark, the character she played on FX’s People vs O.J. Simpson.
She paired her short straight locks with a modular pair of long earrings with jewel earrings that matched her yellow locks.
The dress, Katz said, was a perfect match for her fair skin.
“It went with her colouring perfectly,” he said.
Paulson was nominated in two categories, winning actress in a limited series or movie.
WHO JUST ROCKED
Olivia Culpo, whose biggest claims are being crowned Miss USA in 2012 and once dating Nick Jonas, was in purple eye makeup and the perfect little dress from Zac Posen. It suited her frame and fit her beautifully, hitting above the ankle.
It was embellished with varying shapes of white, sewn-on sequins against a neutral tone that went to sheer at the hem. And it was strapless, offering a sexy lift in the chest with ample cleavage.
The look hugged until just above the waist, opening a tad to a skirt that still flattered but allowed for movement.
Her hair was tight and back, lending a starry, starry night quality overall.
GUYS WHO ROCKED
Rami, Rami, Rami. Malek, Malek, Malek!
On a good day, you’re merely cute. In your Dior Homme white linen and wool blend two-button white dinner jacket, you were the most, with your cousin as your date.
The jacket was paired with a black bow tie, black wool tuxedo trousers and a white cotton wing-tip collar shirt, leaving your big Elliot Alderson Mr Robot deep blue eyes to do the rest.
“He looked amazing,” De Sole said. “Clearly he’s really into fashion.”
Added Katz: “He looked really cute in the white dinner jacket. For guys, it’s all about fit and proportion. It fit him really, really well. Wearing a white jacket like that takes some guts to step out there and he did it. Very cool.”
Malek won an Emmy on his first nomination, for outstanding lead actor in a drama.
Another gutsy dude: Terrence Howard, in a Lucious Lyon-worthy, black-and-white plaid dinner jacket with a black lapel and TV test-pattern bow tie.
Howard was nominated for his over-the-top Empire role but didn’t win.
LADIES IN RED
On the red carpet, red is always a standout — and a statement.
Tatiana Maslany, a surprise winner for best actress in a drama for her demanding turn as multiple clones on sci-fi cult favourite Orphan Black, sizzled in a sleek red Alexander Wang column dress, a hint of midriff visible through the cut-outs.
And Kate McKinnon, who took home the statuette for best supporting actress in a comedy for her many roles on sketch show Saturday Night Live, was striking in a simple crimson gown with a V-neckline.
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS GOLD (OR YELLOW)
Beyonce may have been nominated for her album-film Lemonade, but the stars embraced the drink’s bright yellow hue — not always easy to wear — for Emmys night.
Angela Bassett, who has starred in multiple seasons of the fright-show anthology American Horror Story on FX, earned instant praise in the Twitterverse for her Christian Siriano yellow kimono dress with a plunging neckline.
Best drama actress nominee Taraji P. Henson, who plays the fierce Cookie Lyon on Fox’s hip-hop drama Empire, smouldered in a body-hugging canary Vera Wang gown with spaghetti straps.
Ellie Kemper, the nominated star of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, rocked a belted yellow Jenny Packham column dress, her red hair cut into a simple bob.
And British actress Minnie Driver, who will star in new ABC show Speechless this season, stunned in a yellow Versace gown with daring shoulder and waist cutouts — and a deep slit up the side.
BACK IN BLACK
When in doubt, black is a winner.
Game of Thrones is now the show with the most Emmy wins ever for a narrative series with its best drama victory, and star Sophie Turner sizzled on the carpet in a lacy black Valentino slip dress.
Turner, who plays Sansa Stark, teased that the upcoming season seven would be “unbelievable” and would leave fans “really satisfied.”
Maura Tierney, a nominee for best supporting actress in a drama for her heart-wrenching turn as a woman wronged on Showtime’s The Affair, wore a strapless gown with a leaf pattern along the neckline and skirt from Siriano.
PLUNGING NECKLINES
Deep necklines were all the rage on a day when temperatures reached 29 Celsius.
Kirsten Dunst, a nominee for her work on Fargo, turned heads in a low-cut embellished sleeveless black Givenchy gown with a sheer skirt.
And Kristen Bell, the voice of Anna in animated classic Frozen and the star of new NBC comedy The Good Place, chose a floral Zuhair Murad gown that plunged open to her waist.
