Best and worst dressed stars on the Emmys gold carpet

Officially back in full force, the 74th Emmy Awards held in Los Angeles, California was a treat for any fashion lover, as the stars turned up in full glamour to match.

On television’s biggest night, the gold carpet was awash with shades of blue and sequins, while sleek, form-fitting gowns seemed to be the ladies’ silhouette of choice.

Some opted for Old Hollywood glamour, including Euphoria star and fan favourite Zendaya, who was effortlessly stunning in a strapless black full-skirted Valentino ball gown and eventually nabbed the Best Drama Actress prize.

The men played it cool in simple, classic three-piece suits – with actors Andrew Garfield, Nicholas Braun and Seth Rogen, wearing Zegna, Dior Men and Brunello Cucinelli respectively, in an unexpected dapper showdown of all-white suits.

Here are some of the best and worst looks of the evening.

Best

Jung Ho-yeon

Keeping it fun but classy, the Squid Game star celebrated her first Emmy nomination (for best supporting actress in a drama series) in a pastel Louis Vuitton sequin dress that showed off her gams.

Sydney Sweeney

The rising star was the picture of femininity in a custom Oscar de la Renta gown with intricate silver embroidery and a voluminous train. A look to remember for the first-time double Emmy nominee (best supporting actress in a drama series for Euphoria and limited series for The White Lotus) – who also happened to turn 25 on Emmy night (Sept 12).

Amanda Seyfried

Worlds apart from Elizabeth Holmes, the frazzled, black turtlenecked Theranos founder she portrayed on The Dropout, Seyfried was shining, shimmering and splendid in figure-hugging Armani Prive Couture.

Lily James

The Pam & Tommy star has fully assimilated into her bombshell role as Pamela Anderson. Hugging in all the right places, this glittery Atelier Versace chainmail gown looks like it was poured onto the British actress as liquid bronze, then solidified to perfectly sculpt her svelte physique.

Elle Fanning

Instead of couture, the first-time nominee (best lead actress in a comedy series for The Great) rocked up to the awards show in a black and pink gown designed by The Great’s costume designer Sharon Long and handcrafted by the show’s seamstress Katherine Shaw.

Fanning - who plays the titular Empress Catherine II – gave her creative team a shoutout on the red carpet, and said the Old Hollywood ensemble is a nod to how costume designers used to design actresses’ gowns in the 1950s. Royal behaviour indeed.

Worst

Julia Garner

Up for two lead actress awards for her roles in Ozark and Inventing Anna, Garner left us speechless with an oddly-placed diamond cutout in an otherwise elegant Gucci dress. There is something hypnotising about that patch of off-centre, exposed white flesh – almost like a portal beckoning you into another dimension.

Perhaps she should have taken a leaf out of fraudster Anna Delvey’s book and asked herself, “What are you wearing? You look poor.”

Sandra Oh

Oh, Sandra. The purple was a bold choice, but the deep V, full sequins and poor fit of this Rodarte power suit cuts a little too close to washed-up Elvis.

Laura Linney

The veteran started off strong with radiant make-up and a simple updo – but it all goes downhill from there. A Twitter user described her Christian Siriano dress as a “rather austere tiered wedding cake”, and we could not agree more.

Megan Stalter

There is body positivity and there is downright tacky. Comedian Megan Stalter stumbled into the latter in a shapeless sheer red lace dress and high-waisted shapewear that left nothing to the imagination. Talk about a bloody mess.

Sarah Paulson

Something about this Louis Vuitton ensemble makes Paulson look like an intergalactic warrior off to fight misbehaving alien children. Is it the bib top and boxy shoulder cut? The severe hair? The pleated peplum accented with a cheap-looking spotted belt? It’s probably all of it.