Emmys 2011: Simply Best Dressed

Another red carpet under our bejewelled belts, my dears. More frou and froth, more nude numbers and lips (!) and alas, many more prom dresses.

But amidst the crumpets, I heard trumpets.

Hark, are those ladies I see approaching?

Indeed.

Ladies that need not wait for their shining moment (or knight in shining Armani).

It takes the most confident of women to stand apart – in the simplest of dresses.

The key? Fit – and fit. It should fit your body like it was stitched on you and it should fit your personality (such a rarity on any red carpet these days).

These were simply my favourite dresses of the evening.

Anyone know who the dress is by? My guess is Rochas, when it was designed by Theyskens. It has a similar cut to the Rochas black bird dress that Kirsten Dunst wore to the Oscars in 2007, no? It also reminds me of the things I loved about Edith Bowman’s dress from the BAFTAs. [Update Sept 22: Lena Headey’s gown is by Alessandra Rich FW11 – thanks to one of my readers, Artie for identifying it.]

From gothentic to authentic…Kate always exemplifies that for me. She is always true to herself – and her curves. Hats off to cap sleeves, too – they were all over the carpet this year.

The diamond drops were a lovely length and her pixie cut is growing out nicely. I like the softer waves.

You know how I feel about a nude lip – there was such a glorious opportunity to do a red lip, here. At least there is a hint of colour, unlike the foundation lips on most others, tonight.

Christine Baranski’s Zac Posen gown had a similar flavour. The cap sleeves here echo Roland Mouret’s Galaxy dress and the column is enhanced with a slight flare. It was both age appropriate, and perfect for her figure. And Ms. Baranski, thank you for wearing red lipstick.

I also applauded Laura Linney for rocking a thigh-high Celine dress with sky-high strappy sandals. Bravo for those who take a chance! The group photos don’t do it justice, really, but it moved so well – and she looked like – sigh – herself!  Award-worthy.

I also loved this scene with all the nominees for the Best Actress in a Comedy Series presentation.

I’ll have lots more of my observations tomorrow. For now, some beauty sleep.

See all 2011 Emmys posts.

Photo Credits: 1, 7-9. Photos by Kevin Winter/Getty Images; 2-4. Courtesy of JustJared; 5-6. Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images;