Red is the new black at Emmys, a night of sleek silhouettes

Actress Samira Wiley of Orange Is The New Blackattends the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on Aug 25, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Actress Samira Wiley of Orange Is The New Blackattends the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre on Aug 25, 2014, in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Parks And Recreation Actress Amy Poehler at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Singer Gwen Stefani of The Voice at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Orange Is The New Black actress Taryn Manning attends the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre. -- PHOTO: AFP
Taylor Schilling from Netflix's Orange Is The New Black on the red carpet at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Star of comedy Mom, actress Allison Janney, attends the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Mindy Kaling, star of The Mindy Project, on the red carpet at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Actress Kaley Cuoco (right) and Ryan Sweeting attend the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Mad Men actress January Jones on the red carpet at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre. -- PHOTO: AFP
Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks and husband Geoffrey Arend at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. -- PHOTO: AFP
Claire Danes, star of Showtime series Homeland, at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California.-- PHOTO: REUTERS
Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the red carpet for the 66th Emmy Awards at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Aug 25, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP

LOS ANGELES (REUTERS) - The Emmy awards saw a sea of red and white gowns with sleek silhouettes on Monday, as television's top talent channelled golden age glamour for Hollywood's first red carpet of the major awards season.

Red, often a risky choice as it can disappear into the colour of the carpet, was the favoured tone for stars such as Veep nominee Julia Louis-Dreyfus in a column halter Carolina Herrera and Homeland star Claire Danes in a vermillion embellished Givenchy dress.

Mad Men ladies Christina Hendricks opted for an asymmetric vermillion Marchesa gown with gold accents and January Jones went for a full-skirted strapless Prabal Gurung gown. Big Bang Theory actress Kaley Cuoco opted for a strapless Monique Lhuillier with pink floral motifs, while Mindy Kaling wore a sleek custom Kenzo gown. "Red is a vibrant, easy way for celebrities to wear colours that we've seen in fashion over the past year," said Eric Wilson, fashion news director of InStyle magazine.

To juxtapose the red, some stars opted for bold jewel hues, such as Allison Janney in a royal purple strapless Nicolas Jebran gown, Orange Is The New Black star Samira Wiley in a yellow Christian Siriano column dress and her fellow star Taryn Manning in a vintage gold Azzaro strapless gown. The Voice judge Gwen Stefani chose a silver skirt and top combo with gold metal accents by Versace, while Amy Poehler picked a silver low-cut metallic gown by Theia. "This is the sexiest red carpet at the Emmys in years," Wilson said. "Fashion has elevated in the last few years, celebrities are owning the fashion and taking chances." Monochrome tones remained a popular choice to stand out on the red carpet. House Of Cards nominee Robin Wright led the all-white line with a backless white Ralph Lauren jumpsuit, while Orange Is The New Black nominee Taylor Schilling wore a cream halter-neck beaded Zuhair Murad gown, saying she loved the comfort of the style.

Michelle Dockery opted for a cream dress with pops of blue and green by Rosie Assoulin, a trend also favoured by Girls star Alison Williams in an off-white full-skirted Giambattista Valli gown. Masters Of Sex star Lizzy Caplan wore both black and white with her halter Donna Karen gown, while The Good Wife actress Julianna Margulies spun a twist on black with a beaded Narciso Rodriguez column dress.

Sarah Paulson created red carpet drama with a black Armani Prive strapless gown that had exaggerated overlay of embroidered netting, which got the star caught on hedges lining the red carpet. Julia Roberts skipped the long gown trend for a short leg-baring sequined navy Elie Saab dress.

And then there are the outfits that split fashion critics, which this year was Girls star Lena Dunham's pale pink shirt and multi-tiered full skirt by Giambattista Valli.

Wilson praised Dunham for taking a risk, saying "Lena looked amazing, it's really fun colour trend and with features, it's bubbly and fun, very much her personality".

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