Fashion Review: Emmy's 2023...in 2024

Awards season is in full swing and, as a busy working mom, I am going to need them to slow down a bit! I conspicuously skipped Golden Globes fashion because I genuinely didn't realize they were broadcasting on television again until the show was starting. I didn't realize it was Emmy's time because they were delayed due to the WGA and SAG strikes. Thankfully, I managed to prepare enough to offer some commentary on what was a somewhat blah red carpet. Not much elicited a gasp or an "ooooh" from me, but a few looks felt close to great. Let's dig into it.

BEST DRESSED

Ayo Edebiri of The Bear has been knocking every carpet appearance out of the park this awards season, and this 3D-molded leather Louis Vuitton was the perfect mix of edgy and sweet. I love the demure diamond necklace, the edgy bob and how it matches her energy.

We should all have a moment to wear full glam feathers like Cher and I toast Issa Rae for going for it in Pamela Rolland. She clearly knew how to work it up and down the carpet, thank goodness.

Claire Danes has been an awards show fashion MVP for nearly 30 years and she still comes out swinging every time. I love the chic and deceptively simple cut of this bubblegum pink gown by Balmain. 

Rachel Brosnihan said she felt like a "purple warrior princess" in her custom Versace and I do think that's the perfect description for this plum corseted gown. It's a beautiful color, with great details, at a moment when '90s corsetry is everywhere.

God bless The White Lotus's Simona Tabasco for wearing this daring floral wonder by Marni that manages to bring a collage to life. It was a necessary shot in the arm of a night that felt safe or trying too hard to be edgy; it feels so very Italian and that's just what I want to see from her.

Juliette Lewis looked one shoulder roll away from starring in a Liza Minelli variety special in this slinky, shimmery, beaded red gown with a disco-perfect tie neck by Moschino. I think this is one of the best dresses she's ever worn, and fits like a glove.

Meghann Fahy, of The White Lotus, looks like a valentine in red velvet trimmed in roses by Armani Prive, continuing the velvet trend that's been absolutely everywhere this season. It's giving a little bit of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

Many men opted for a daring side-button jacket, but I think Tyler James Williams' Eddie Murphy-inspired leather suit by Dolce & Gabbana was the best and most successful. He looks damn proud of himself!

GOOD

Christina Ricci knows exactly who she is, which is a spooky silent film-era star transported to our times, and I am always so appreciative of her ability to deliver that vibe. I love this simple deep-V velvet gown by Saint Laurent that serves as a vehicle to show off a fabulous emerald tassel necklace. 

This reads a little bit Cinderella, a little bit Disney on Ice, but I appreciate a pretty, pretty princess moment for Dominique Fishback. It's tempered by a goth makeup look, which is a smart contrast.

Hannah Waddingham is fitted within an inch of her life in this frothy seafoam Marchesa. It feels like something I've seen many many times before, but it is absolutely fabulous on her statuesque frame. 

Jenna Ortega could have easily shown up in some kind of Wednesday Addams glam but she smartly gave us a twist with a sweet caged Christian Dior gown dripping with wisteria blooms. It's a classic ingenue move to wear the tea length frou frou nude or pink gown, and this is a great entry into the canon.

Jennifer Coolidge seemed to pay tribute to her Italian adventure in The White Lotus with her pleated, long-sleeved romantic gown fit for a marchesa strolling the piazza. 

Keri Russell wore a classic black gown with a fluffy satin cape-train-type-thing by Alexander Vaulthier that is very elegant. The look, overall, is not her most memorable but it is lovely. It feels like it would have been absolutely perfect for opening night at the ballet.

Lizzy Caplan looked extremely graceful and elegant in her black gown by Yohji Yamamoto. She was attending for "Fleishman is in Trouble" and likely knew she wouldn't be appearing on stage, so this is the exact appropriate amount of glam.

Natasha Lyonne wore a silver, sleeved gown with built-in breast plates and I am HERE FOR IT. She looks like a disco Joan of Arc, and if you know anything about the surreal house of Schiaparelli, you know it's a perfect spiritual match for her irreverent brand of chic.

This red Vivienne Westwood gown is a career best for Sarah Snook, who took home an Emmy for her work on "Succession." The cascading petals of fabric and corseted bodice are classic Westwood, and extremely flattering.

I like this piecey Oscar de la Renta on Selena Gomez even if I don't know that it entirely works. I think a train would go a long way to balancing out the visual lines; you can almost be fooled into thinking it's pants based on the way the bottom hangs. I love that she accessorized with a matching necklace and dark lip. 

It's a testament to Taraji P. Henson's regular success on awards show carpets that this perfectly lovely purple gown feels kind of blah to me. It's great! Just kind of been-there, done-that. She even seems kind of bored with it.

BEST WORST

You have to hand it to Aubrey Plaza — it takes serious cojones to turn up in an incomplete gown secured with a giant pin by Loewe that does basically nothing for her but will get us all talking. It took almost zero time for someone to joke on Twitter that it looks like the famous Sex and the City break-up post-it: "I'm sorry. I can't. Don't hate me." I do rather like the idea of sauntering around with a giant weapon front and center, right where the male gaze would land.

I know many people probably loved this and I do give super kudos to Suki Waterhouse for wearing exactly what she wanted to wear to show off her bump, but I look at it and I just see a Lexus Christmas ad. It's remarkable in that she looks great and sexy and sultry, but the dress itself looks, to me, like an uncomfortable wrinkly mish-mash. I do like the idea of dressing her bump like a gift, though. 

On one hand, Donald Glover looks so comfy in his Asian-inspired velvet embroidered jams, but I also am so thrown off by his — are they flats? Are they jazz shoes? Are they the Day Glove by Everlane? I feel like this was the moment for a very good boot.

Meh

I can't really muster any emotions for this Louis Vuitton gown on Ali Wong that combines a floral with sequins and sheer tulle. It's fine! It's not totally boring, but not totally gasp-worthy. I'm wondering if a different earring or different hairstyle would make it pop more?

Camilla Morrone is HOT and she knows it and we know it, and the fit of this red dress is impeccable. However, it's doing all the work by itself; I'd love to see some fun jewels or a red lip or an inspired hairdo or something more to take this from a dress to a look.

I don't know how but this acid green, silver-tinged Gucci on Jessica Chastain feels a little boring to me. Only on her, only for this event. It's a testament to her recent fashions that this feels ho-hum when on anyone else it would be a standout!

Juno Temple's silver mesh bodice has some distracting construction/fit issues when you look really up close, and I don't know if I am sold on pairing it with a similar choker. I'd love to see her in something more eye-catching (eye-demanding even!) to befit her rising star. 

Riley Keough's Chanel feels like a lot of ideas, none of them particularly inspiring. I would have liked to see her channel her nominated performance as Daisy Jones with some kind of Stevie Nicks fabulosity, or even the dress Juliette Lewis wore. 

WORST

A tea-length gown is either your best friend or your worst enemy and it all comes down to stature. Unfortunately this Dior on Quinta Brunson has the effect of shortening her by several inches, and is an (intentionally) wrinkly mess. Pairing it with a nude pump makes it feel especially like a hasty off-the-rack purchase at Macy's. She looks like she's on her way to a Girl Scouts father-daughter dance, not to accept an Emmy.

Kathryn Hahn's Christian Dior look is like a greatest-hits gone wrong. The sheer blouse with a really distracting "CD" logo at her rib cage and frilly front is already plenty of look, but then it's topped off with a messy tulle tie and a skirt that resembles a beaded lampshade. In theory, all of these elements should work, but it adds up to a mess. 

Charlie Puth wore, essentially, pleated Hammer pants with a built-in cummerbund waistline topped with a coat that I'm sure a first lady has worn to an inauguration. It manages to be not only unflattering but appear unfinished.

Actress Sophie Thatcher, of Yellowjackets, wore this impressively shapeless, dour olive sleeping bag by YSL. It is so hard to imagine pulling on this dress, which has all the design of a pillowcase, and thinking it was the one.

Emma Brooks McAllister is a complete who to me, but I won't soon forget her nude illusion gown. It's like the very best costume at a toga party, or if Mystique from X-Men had a wedding.