Skin was in on the fashionable red carpet of the 2003 Primetime Emmy Awards–and lucky for TV’s top leading ladies, considering the soaring, sweltering temperatures at the Shrine Auditorium. Despite the heat, the stars stayed cool and managed to outshine even the sun on Emmy day, displaying the latest trends in sensational celebrity couture. Read on for pics and pans from Emmy night! (And remember, you can click on the photo to see a larger image.)
Marg Helgenberger
Along with the ominpresent Jimmy Choo stilettos and the wildly popular chandelier and cascading earrings, top among the trends was a U-turn away from basic black, with a predominance of pale pinks and lavenders, lots of bright or creamy whites and the occasional burst of vivid colors, emboldened with just the right choice of jewelry. Among the most perfect fashion models on red carpet runway was CSI star Marg Helgenberger, who said she “just wanted to be cool,” and was just that in a lavendar ice gown with a daring plunging neckline by Donna Karan, adorned with dazzling Lorraine Schwartz jewelry pinned strategically at the bustline.
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Sarah Jessica Parker took the pale preponderance to an adorable extreme in her pale pink tulle and white lace Chanel gown, which reportedly took 250 hours to construct. “A pretty dress is a pretty dress is a pretty dress,” Sarah told Hollywood.com, “and it’s always good to wear one.” Parker also led a pack of actresses with her hair in a pretty, pulled-back bun. Special props have to go out to her sartorially splendid gent as well. Matthew Broderick went the extra mile with a pink tie that perfectly complemented his wife’s cotton candy gown.
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Parker’s Sex and the City castmate Kim Cattrall, meanwhile, also went pale and pearly in a Giorgio Armani gown embroidered with seed pearls and sequins–and like her character flaunted some flesh with the dress’ side cut-outs, a plunging back and braided straps, with Harry Winston’s South Sea pearl cocktail ring with pink diamond and matching pearl and pave diamond drop earrings for extra flash amid her loose, flowing locks.
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On the brightest end of the color spectrum was Kristin Davis, superb in a simple but eye-popping purple Ralph Laurn sheath that showed off her beautiful back.
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Leading the charge of the Off-White Brigade was Alias’ Jennifer Garner in campagne satin Narciso Rodriguez creation that clung to her finely chiseled curves, while her conniving TV mom Lena Olin was the creme de la creme in a cream Ralph Lauren frock with an Old School Hollywood-style fox stole and Harry Winston’s diamond bangle bracelet valued at $750,000.
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Everybody Loves Raymond‘s Patricia Heaton loves Ralph as well, choosing a silky white halter dress tied dramatically in the back, accentuated by her soft and natural hair and makeup.
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Miss Match hasn’t even aired yet, but its star and former fashion flop Alicia Silverstone’s ratings were up in a bright white gown by Lily et Cie that daringly offered some decollatage.
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Only Will & Grace‘s Megan Mullally was a wipe-out in white, in a typically too-flouncy suit by Monique Lhuillier. If only Megan would take some lessons from her co-star, Debra Messing, who not only finally won her much-deserved Emmy but also takes top honors for Best Dressed. Draped in a long, flowing, strapless, draped dress in pink copper silk brocade by Elie Saab Couture, accessorized with gold H. Stern earrings laced with nearly 50 carats of pink tourmalines dangling from her ears, it was another “Grace” note from our favorite fashionista . It took two assistants to carry Debra’s train as she scampered into the Shrine for the awards! A pink satin Jimmy Choo handbag with a brushed-gold, chain-link handle was a tres chic accessory, but even more chic was the gold-plated trophy she got to tote around for the rest of the evening.
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A pair of Friends made creative use of some subtle color: Jennifer Aniston stuck to her always clean, classy and minimalist style, choosing a navy/purple knee-length sheath that revealed just enough curve and cleavage–but not too much, since her best accessory (hubby Brad Pitt) wasn’t on her arm this night. Jen’s pal Courteney Cox Arquette went for a low-cut satin lilac gown with black highlights created especially for her by Carolina Herrera. “They made this one for me and I just wore it,” said Courteney, who wore her jet black hair slicked back into a ponytail and added some dazzling Cartier jewels. And she only faced one early-prep emergency when she had to send out a search party for some pantyhose, she told Hollywood.com.
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As if the Emmy-winning best drama The West Wing didn’t have enough to celebrate, the show turned out two of the tube’s best-dressed divas. Allison Janney just popped against the red carpet in a hot pink Badgley-Mischka and done up in Harry Winston’s diamond and pink tourmaline chandelier earrings and diamond and pink sapphire bracelet. “I’ve never been this bold before with color but it’s kinda fun,” Allison told Hollywood.com. “I didn’t think it’d look good on me because I’ve never worn this bright a color. But I had the right amount of suntan…I feel very hot right now, but I feel like a goddess.” Meanwhile, Janel Maloney shimmered in a sheer metallic Valentino gown with see-thru panels every few inches. “I’m not exaggerating when I say I only tried on one dress, and this was it,” said Janel. “I just really loved it.”
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Full, flowing-haired Thora Birch looked red-hot and all grown up in a Giorgio Armani red jersey gown fitted through the waist and hip with a plissé detail and a full hem.
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Wanda Sykes was anything but off-color in ombré blue by Bradley Bayou for Halston and Harry Winston’s bezel set diamond and platinum chain with pear shape diamond pendant, diamond drop earrings and diamond floral bracelet.
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Retro looks were successful for a handful of stars, including updo’d Courtney Thorne-Smith in an elegant vintage Herve Leger covered with gleaming black crystals…
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…and Emmy winner Christina Applegate looked flapper fabulous in a pale blue chiffon 1920s style and bobbed blonde hair.
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You’d think a gleaming, golden Emmy would be enough bling-bling for Emmy winner Doris Roberts, but she came to the party with plenty of her own glitz, courtesy of Harry Winston’s 17-carat emerald cut diamond ring valued at $805,000 and 20-carat emerald cut diamond earrings valued at $1.27 million.
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No actor went further in the pursuit of distinct gentlemen’s wear than The Sopranos‘ Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano (aka “Joey Pants”), who turned out in a brilliant blue tuxedo with a polka dot vest and matching blue hat, one of the trademarks of his off-screen wardrobe. “It’s Borelli, they made everything for me,” Joey revealed. “It was made in Italy–everything is silk, except for the shirt, which is cotton.” And that Kangol-style cap? “Mercury Headgear, but the material was sent by Borelli.”
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Also notable for his special style, Peter Boyle sported a tie populated by penguins.
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Sadly, even in an era when the men are ditching the old tux for a little adventurous and the Fab Five from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy were on the red carpet evaluating everyone’s ensembles, there has to be one annual winner of the “What Was She Thinking?” Derby, and this year’s worst dressed queen has been crowned–literally. It’s a good thing Paula Abdul wasn’t being judged on her Emmy fashion sense, because her black-and-white embroidered number–whose creator remains a mystery–would’ve have been booted out early in the voting, while her wannabe Audrey Hepburn tiara assured she’d wouldn’t cut it as the fashion Idol she may have hoped to be.
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Without a Trace‘s Poppy Montgomery was also in full flower, clad in a billowy, strapless sea green Richard Tyler gown created just for her, with Manolo Blahnik shoes and Larraine Schwartz jewelry–a gorgeous look that was almost derailed by a pre-Emmy fashion emergency. “The zipper on my dress burst and we ended up having to make it a tie,” Poppy revealed as she showed off the perfectly matching grosgrain ribbon at her taut back.
Cynthia Nixon opted for a burnt-orange Bradley Bayou for Halston dress with a leather bustier top, an oversized leather belt and a tea-length pleated skirt that complemented her coloring–but wasn’t she warm in all that leather? “It’s ventilated!” she explained.
The Shield‘s Catherine Dent proved that she could get glam and girlish outside of the police blues she wears on her series, with a little help from super-stylist Phillip Block, the man who helps Halle Berry pick out her heavenly couture. “I’m wearing Eric Gaskin, my friend Eric who squeezed me into this dress,” said Catherine. “When I first started working with Phillip, I said I want something edgy, and he said ‘Oh, I don’t do edgy, I do beautiful. And he really does.” She had no Emmy-prep drama: “I’m sort of low-mainentance. I do think you can play a cop on TV and be too high-maintenance. When your greatest accessory in life is a pair of handcuffs and a pistol…”
The night before the Emmys, Block also informed me he’d be dressing Emmy nominee Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), and Cheryl’s entire family laughed on Emmy eve when I asked if there’d been any drama settling on the right dress. She certainly picked the right one, and left all the drama to the very revealing Valentino gown itself, which seemed to only cover her breasts with a series of very strategically placed beading. “I’ve got double stick tape going, and we had to add some more beads,” Cheryl grinned.
A pair of 24 cuties showed off their hourglass figures and handkerchief hems: Sarah Wynter was resplendent in a dazzling dress by Aussie designer Lisa Ho, Neil Lane jewelry and Jimmy Choo shoes; Elisha Cuthburt was a pint-sized knockout in strapless deep purple Emmanuel Ungaro, one of four possible gowns she’d narrowed it down to, finally deciding when she got the right mix of dress and jewelry.She also opted for an eleventh hour hair change. “It was curly at first and I said y’know what? Let’s straighten it. It’s one of those things. I’m a last-minute kind of gal.”
Jane Kaczmarek told Hollywood.com weeks earlier that she planned to have some fun with her Emmy fashions this year–a rare awards night when she wouldn’t be pregnant. With newly sassy, short hair and dangling Rafinity cascading earrings, she was one of the few stars who went with the tried and traditional awards season hue. “Everyone else is wearing color, so I thought ‘d wear black,” she said of her strapless Reem Acra creation. Soon Jane will donate her gown, hubby Brad Whitford’s tux and frocks from their friends to the “Clothes Off Our Back” fund-raiser, which they created to benefit the Cure Autism Now Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
