The Emmys 2014: Hits and misses on the red carpet

The Emmys are eagerly awaited — and not just for the gongs. The stakes are even higher when it comes to style, says Paula Burns.

THE award season is always a mixed bag of hits and misses on the red carpet. What is supposed to be the moment where Hollywood’s elite can show off their flawless sense of style can end up being a complete runway crash. There will always be that shinning starlet whose home should be the red carpet and then there are those who will forever be on the receiving end of a Joan Rivers joke.

The character of Olivia Pope in HBO’s Scandal is the seamless emulation of the actress herself, Kerry Washington. While Pope is fixing the world according to Washington DC, she is immaculately dressed in the power suits that the home of the US President is accustomed to. White seems to be a preferred choice of Popes with her inaugural white coat being a firm favourite from the first season.

At last year’s Emmy Awards, Washington brought white to the red carpet with a striking Marchesa gown. It was the ideal combination of pretty and sexy, just what would be expected of a woman in DC. Washington hasn’t had a bad red carpet yet, her impeccable taste is always a given.

Cersei Lannister is one of TV’s strongest female characters. She fears no one and knows exactly what she wants. Lena Headey who plays the Game of Thrones ice queen mirrored this on the Emmy’s red carpet last year with a black lace dress by Alessandra Rich. The full length gown was matched with a messy up do giving an edgy rock chick vibe to the entire look. The lace dress was covered in all the right places exposing just the right amount of flesh to make this look über cool and sexy.

Modern Family’s Sofia Vergara is the modern day, real life equivalent to Jessica Rabbit. The red Vera Wang gown she wore to last year’s Emmy’s was one of the sexiest dresses on the red carpet. The Colombian bombshell knows how to accentuate the best parts of her body while still leaving a bit to the imagination. Vergara’s curves are to be celebrated.

Unfortunately her co-star Julie Bowen didn’t quite get it right. There was way too much going on with the Zac Posen dress she chose for last year’s Emmy’s, that it’s difficult to decide where to focus on. It had detailing at the lapels, ruching at the waist and finished off with an over embellished ruffling of a mermaid style kick. How she actually walked the red carpet in this is a mystery. With a few misses it looks like she may let the Modern Family side down again.

Zooey Deschanel was most likely one of those girls in school who had a unique sense of style that girls tried to copy but they could never quite manage to get it right. This easy style comes to only a lucky few. Lena Dunham tries so desperately to have this different, quirky sense of style but she just can’t pull it off like Deschanel can. Zooey knows when to push the quirky boundaries or when to pull back like at last year’s Emmys. Deschanel stunned in a beautiful silvery gown by J Mendal.

Speaking of Lena Dunham the red carpet dissection would not be complete without mentioning the ladies of the HBO show Girls. How almost an entire cast can get it so wrong is hard to believe. These girls are either doing the styling themselves or put their pocket money together to pay for somebody acting as a stylist. In either case whoever is deciding what these girls wear on the red carpet needs to be sacked.

Dunham is a repeat offender of red carpet disasters. She needs to learn that making her look so far out of the box is not cool and different but instead is totally unflattering. While the print on this Prada gown is pretty, the fit is all wrong and it looks as though she is wearing a hot air balloon.

Then to the other extreme is Allison Williams who plays Marni on the show. Her red carpet style depicts her character’s boring personality perfectly. The blue Ralph Lauren dress was pretty but very plain, a kind of prom type dress which your mum would pick out for you. While Zosia Mamet who plays Shoshanna appeared as a 12-year-old girl in a flowery dress with an indescribable black strip going across the chest.

The Veep’s Julia Louis-Dreyfus, has her Washington style perfected. The bodycon high necked dresses she wears on the show are the perfect amount of sexy mixed with power. The Monique Lhuillier column gown she stepped out in last year was brighter, a bit sexier but as always showed off her flawless figure.

For the androgynous look Glee’s Jane Lynch always hits it on the mark. She puts the sexy into the trouser suit, perfectly accessorising with a long gold chain and matching monochrome with gold edging clutch, adding femininity to the suit which Ellen could take a tip from.