Westfield Group
With this in mind I approach the Emmy's as an object lesson in getting evening wear right-on if not just right. Those that hit the mark can teach us much about risk (swimming pool blue is the new black!) and rocking a ruffle as well.
WHAT'S NOT
OK, it is a blood sport. Tearing stars apart on the red carpet after they have dieted and fake tanned so hard to get there. It's cruel but it is fun, and deeply educational.
Let's start with hair. It's a big NOT to wear beach bunny hair with a 19th century style ruched ball gown. Sorry Nicolette Sheridan but you needed a chignon. Badly. It is also odd to brand yourself with the colour of a rival show in order to steal their thunder. Witness Brooke Shields in hot pink, the signature shade of Sex and the City, and not her best look to date. I was thinking lipstick Barbie. Also if one has to wear wavy ruffles on the skirt do show up with matching hair. Brooke looked like the great curling iron in the sky came down and kept twisting. A tsunami of Tafetta on girls with curves like America Ferrera look like the frock is eating itself.
And too much shine: hair, diamonds, teeth, body glitter, gigantic diamonte bow, gleaming fringe, polished tanned legs and satin shoes made Eva Longoria look like someone should put her back on top of the Christmas tree. Tinkerbelle tendencies are rife on the red carpet but so are random acts of fashion weirdness. Heidi Klum in shorts made her look like she was about to tap dance. But this is Hollywood so perhaps she was.
Subtlety works but don't let that lead you into the garden of bland tones: Marcia Cross looked like the ghost of a debutant dipped in dusty talcum powder in her tulle prom dress and a lot of other stars just looked like bridesmaids in 80s movies…
To get a grip on just how different LA is to New York take any one of the EMMY gowns and imagine them at the Met Gala, Anna Wintours annual feast of chic. IMPOSSIBLY DULL. Or picture half these women in tuxedos instead of gowns or Sass and Bide instead of Badgley Mishka. A top hat on one star would be enough to turn this conservative cavalcade on it's head. But because these girls work for ratings and not risk they won't EVER do it, so I'll leave that challenge to you. Just where is Bjork when we need her?
WHAT'S HOT
Pale women in really bright frocks with really red lipstick are white hot. Dig Mary Louise Parker in a Roberto Cavalli dress that could only be described as chlorine blue. The look was almost like a costume from GREASE or a photo shoot by Ellen Von Unwerth. Just this side of trashy but sleek and hip as hell. This dress made it onto several worst look lists but I am happy to say I think it was one of the best. A ferocious bright is the best first investment for the spring, worn in the day with bright ankle socks and high heeled sandals and at night to shock everyone out of winter black.
For evening simplicity works. Witness Lauren Conrad in a dark strapless (self designed!) dress that simply framed her face and shoulders and then contrast this with Tamara Mellon in a Halston strapless dress slit mid thigh, savagely contrasted bya zebra clutch and yellow shoes. The rules for daywear to really work a zany mismatch work against you at night when everyone needs to focus simply on the beauty and not the big concept.
