Monday, September 20, 2021

Fashion Review: Emmys 2021

The Emmys were shockingly fun — the Golden Globes did one thing worth stealing and it was round table seating with ample liquid courage for the winners — and the red carpet seemed to swing wildly between extremely out-of-the-box and extremely ho-hum fashion. One thing I can say definitively is that over the probably 25-ish years I've paid attention to red carpets, they have become so much more interesting and adventurous. Outfits I would have easily considered "worst" I now admire for their gutsiness, and the biggest sin is playing it safe. 

Let's dig in, shall we?

BEST DRESSED


Anya Taylor-Joy feels not of this planet, with her extraordinary lithe body, anime eyes and ballerina neck. Basically, almost anything looks good on her, and this butter yellow dress feels like a Gwyneth Paltrow throwback moment. Just when the Dior Haute Couture outfit and formal updo are leaning a little too late-90s prom, the artfully draped canary wrap saves the ensemble from being too precious. 


I think Michaela Coel is so striking and chameleonlike, and I hope I get to see her on many red carpets to come. On a night of highlighter looks, I especially loved this column by Christopher John Rogers with absolutely divine accessories. Her modern freshwater pearl earrings were the perfect contrast.


Kaley Cuoco also wore neon yellow and it was just different and fun enough to not feel like a face-off with Michaela's look. I like the fluffy sleeves and it's just revealing enough without feeling like too much. 


Unsurprisingly, this "New Look"-style gown by Dior was one of my favorite looks of the night, and maybe ever on Yara Shahidi. She's usually very edgy, and the traditional ladylike vibe was edgy for her because it was so unexpected. I would love a leopard shoe, however; a tan pump feels jarring and not in a daring way. 


No one dresses all sizes like Christian Siriano. I love the more is more of this glorious fluffy sheer purple gown on Nicole Byer. She worked it up and down the red carpet and clearly felt like a queen, as she very well should. 


It is such a beautiful thing to see someone get their due for decades of absolute masterful work, and if you're Jean Smart and you've led three incredible HBO shows in 2 years, you deserve to look this good when they give you your roses. She looks divine in this sheer, sexy Ralph Lauren with absolutely fabulous earrings. 


Let's be honest; I love the daredevils, but I can't resist the occasional classic, elegant princess look and this petal pink cap-sleeve Markarian gown on Sophia Bush is probably what I'd pick to wear in real life. I loved the contrast with a bold red lip and her hair tucked behind her ears.


Taraji's face seems to be saying, "Yes, it should be illegal to look this good and also appear to be utterly comfortable." I like the almost paint-splatter effect of the beading on this Elie Saab, and her top-knot kept it modern. 


Sarah Paulson always has so much fun with fashion, and this Carolina Herrera manages to look adventurous, classic, revealing, covered-up and comfortable all at the same time. It's like a go-anywhere, do-anything dress that will do the work, whatever the work might be. Sorta like Sarah!


This aquamarine vintage Versace Atelier masterpiece on MJ Rodriguez is simply delicious, and is so beautifully contrasted with her terracotta cheeks and lips. I love the color, the drape and the confidence.


Speaking of drape, the swoop of this Azzi & Osta collar on Allison Janney is so elegant. It feels like something Bette Davis would toss over her shoulder in a dramatic exit, and I love the choice of statement earrings to bring the whole look together. 


I love Bowen Yang for wearing these shoes and I love him even more for making it part of his bit as a presenter. I especially love the choice of brooch to connect the two accessories visually.


One of the greatest sartorial blessings has been watching men embrace having fun with fashion and not sweat whether they're dressed in a traditional way. I love this sparkly white suit on Leslie Odom with matching shimmery boots; the fit is great and it's flashy and modern in all the best ways.


I did audibly swoon when I saw this blue velvet Tom Ford suit on Jason Sudeikis; I can't help it, I'm almost middle-aged and this is what I'm into.

BEST WORST


Emma Corrin, best known for playing Diana on the latest season of "The Crown," has been gradually upping the ante with her daring fashion and here we have landed, with what might be a sexy take by Miu Miu on Handmade's Tale underwear; a goth Band-Aid; or a spooky swim outfit. It's so nuts that she actually looks great and I appreciate her ability to have half of us scratching our heads and half of us applauding.


Seth Rogen....looked sexy....dressed as the various options available from an ice cream truck. This creamsicle/Brown Cow ensemble by Briotti shouldn't work and I don't know if it does, but he looked hot? Maybe it's all in the stance.


On one hand, Dan Levy is wearing Fashion, and it's very modern, very vibrant. It also is absolutely a dad wearing a robe over his pajamas to grab the paper from the driveway and wave to the neighbor. 

GOOD


Mandy Moore brought old Hollywood glamour in this red wiggle dress by Carolina Herrera fit for a fifties debutante, but made modern by her loose face-framing waves and ability to resist overaccessorizing the way I would. 


I am very torn on how to feel about the comically large (like, with a big wink) belt buckle because if anyone would literally wink about this belt, it's Kathryn Hahn and the Lanvin look is so overall good, I think this might be working? She's great and looks great.


This is one of my favorite looks on Catherine O'Hara over the past couple years of red carpet appearances. I love this color on her, I love the drama of this Cong Tri pantsuit and she looks confident and comfortable. 


I feel like we've seen this specific type of pleating and silhouette from Dior many, many times and although it didn't feel particularly fresh, it did look especially lovely on Jurnee Smollett.


It's Jennifer Coolidge's world, and we're just lucky to live in it. She was serving up Veronica Lake sultry-ness in her black Christian Siriano with a perfect little cape. It's simple but potent.


We have to thank Ryan Murphy for casting Billy Porter in "Pose," and gifting us with the past few years of his consistent raising of the bar for fashion. This was actually a semi-muted look from Billy, but no less fabulous or dramatic. He's giving us a one-man Follies in this showgirl-at-the-office outfit. 


Elizabeth Olson wore a very simple and elegant white gown that is, frankly, a little snoozy but is made more sweet knowing it was designed by her sisters for The Row. She looks lovely, and I like her bob. 


Issa Rae is hot, and that is a fact, and it is well proven by this sparkler by Aliette. I wouldn't say it's super memorable, but she looks great.


I love this shade of pink on Kenan, and he looks so proud of himself for wearing it! A good choice to pop in the crowd.

MEH


On one hand, Gillian Anderson's avant-garde Chloe ensemble is certainly interesting, and feels like modern art, with little metal geometric beads dangling from the fringe. On the other hand, it feels a little Dune couture, a little Bene Gesserit chic and a teensy wee bit like Indigenous appropriation? I honestly don't know if I like or hate this.


Emerald Fennell also took a big swing in a fun Valentino with hearts and lime chiffon and a matching lime ostrich purse that all feel swiped from an elegant granny's closet. I genuinely think this would work for me much better with a different hairstyle. 


This Greta Constantine gown on Angela Bassett feels a wee bit underdesigned to me; like there was one big idea — RUFFLE — and they tacked one on and said, "That's it, we won't do better than that." I do kind of like that it follows the curve of the body but I bet it looks very awkward from the side.


Full disclosure: I LOVE this disco pleated shirtdress by Brandon Maxwell on Beanie Feldstein, but I found it a little underwhelming for the occasion. It feels to me like something to wear on a talk show or to a premiere or an after-party, but not the main event.


Meh is truly the only word to describe this silver corseted Etro gown on Kerry Washington. I've seen better dresses on her, I've seen better versions of this motif and it just wasn't memorable.


This Carolina Herrera dress on Mindy Kaling is very nice; the fit is nice, the bow is fun, black always works, she looked great. But ultimately — kinda boring.


Ellen Pompeo really stepped outside her comfort zone in an Elie Saab jumpsuit fit for David Bowie and I want to give her credit for trying. I don't really love it, but I want to give her points for effort.


Can't you just picture Mare of Easttown grabbing this dress from Rent the Runway (or more likely, a thrift store) to go to a wedding with the Guy Pearce professor guy and being like, "See I can clean up! Let's go to WaWa for shortis after." I'm just saying, it feels like it might take Kate a minute to get Mare out of her system and this dress, while lovely, is about as basic as it gets.

WORST


It wouldn't be my worst-dressed list without a swing and a miss from my beloved Amy Poehler. I truly believe no one in her circle understands proportion. I totally get the idea of a mix of menswear and traditional womens' wear, showing a little cleavage, but still feeling appropriate. I get it. It just was not executed well. The jacket proportions feel all wrong and the overall look has a stumpifying effect. The belt isn't particularly stylish; it looks like something the limo driver might have loaned her in a pinch. Maybe that's exactly what happened here, and what we're seeing is the solution to a wardrobe malfunction that occurred en route. I'm going to go with that story, and I'm now shipping this imaginary limo driver and Amy. 


Honestly, major kudos to the sartorial adventures of the cast of The Crown, who really put me through my feelings trying to decide what I think about their fashions. I like the unexpected color combo of peach and navy, but I'm afraid the general shapelessness of this Roksanda cape-dress hybrid removes any joy I may have derived from that pop of color. Olivia Colman's lucite-heel shoes can definitely stay, though. 


I LOVE sweet Aidy Bryant, but this twee Simone Rocha look is borderline Hansel and Gretel cosplay. It just looks like exactly what I want to wear to an Oktoberfest party next month. A little too cutesy, in my opinion, for this event.


I could kiss Carl Clemons-Hopkins for their adventurous spirit, especially as a mostly unknown to the TV world, but I could not look at this ensemble and unsee an Esmerelda from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame costume. The Christian Siriano look is inspired by the nonbinary flag, which I love, but I just feel like a better design was hiding in there.