The 2024 Emmy Awards Red Carpet - How To Get "The Looks"

I am a big fan of competitive fashion design shows such as Project Runway and Making the Cut. And one of my favorite challenges is when the designers have to create a "high fashion" look and a related "accessible" look. In other words, one outfit would look at home on a red carpet worn by a celebrity and one outfit would look at home in my closet and on my body, but they share common elements. And since I always watch red carpet events while thinking, "Wow, I'd love to be able to wear an outfit like that," this year's review of the Emmy Awards red carpet will show some of the best celebrity outfits alongside a commercially available "real person" look. 

Padma Lakshmi's chartreuse silk gown designed by Marchesa, top, featured a Grecian-inspired wrapped bodice trimmed with narrow chains and a super-full yet soft skirt topped with a narrow self-belt. A similar lime-green gown from Sumintras ($140) features a corset-style lace bodice with criss-cross straps and a full skirt with thigh-high slit also topped with a narrow self-belt. The corset top is more slimming and supportive, and the less voluminous skirt is more flattering on most figures. 

Jenna Ortega's silver strapless tea-length Dior dress featured a bell-shaped skirt with a hoop-skirt structure visible through the semi-sheer fabric, which was embellished with delicate pale green and lavender three-dimensional flowers. For a less-intimidatingly structured (and more easily maneuverable) look, try this tea-length lace frock from Lord & Taylor ($500),  which also features a delicate floral pattern and semi-sheer fabric in the 3/4-length sleeves and yoke over a strapless underbodice. 

  

Cody Heller's bubblegum pink retro 1950's-inspired strapless tea length dress with tulle skirt was clearly a tribute to Barbie. But since that particular shade of pink is a bit too intense for most of us, how about this similar style blush pink dress from JojoDress ($300), featuring a wide wrapped belt, tulle ballerina skirt, and just a touch of lace?

Zuri Hall was stunning in a chocolate brown strapless wrapped-bodice mermaid gown by Wayne Clark. You can find a more forgiving silhouette with a softer sweetheart neckline, a similarly-wrapped bodice, and a less severe trumpet skirt from ChicSew ($130), which is available in multiple colors, including several delicious shades of brown.

Heather McMahan wore a simple black strapless sheath paired with a cropped bolero jacket with bell sleeves that fell to the floor and were edged with eyelash trim. If the jacket is a bit extreme for your taste, try pairing this simple strapless black crepe sheath from David's Bridal ($100) with this black velvet shrug with slightly raised collar and much more moderate 3/4-length bell sleeves from Amazon ($25). 

Christina Ricci wore a Saint Laurent black velvet sleeveless column with a super-plunging neckline that framed a stunning emerald tassel necklace designed by Martin Katz. If you have neither the cash nor the decolletage for this couture look, go for this less extreme sleeveless black column from Anthropologie ($300). It also has a deeply plunging (although significantly less revealing) v-neck and a subtle a-line silhouette, and it's begging to be paired with this gorgeous African turquoise tassel pendant from Mercari ($100).

Emily Hampshire's vivid red halter gown featured a twisted neckline with a keyhole opening, a slightly raised waistline, and a full skirt. Only slightly less dramatic is this red halter gown from Mac Duggal ($220), which features a halter neckline with similar keyhole and wide neckband, an empire waist, and a figure-flattering A-line silhouette.

Robin Thede's Ines Di Santo-designed blush-pink satin gown featured a boned corset-style bodice with gracefully curved lines and a satin skirt with a voluminous wrapped drape over what appeared to be a mermaid-cut base, with a rounded train. This look would be a bit much anywhere besides the red carpet, but this tamer ivory satin gown from Stacees ($150) features a modified corset bodice with a draped front but visible boning at the waist creating similar graceful lines, and a flared satin skirt with a twist feature over one hip at the top of a deep slit. 

Issa Rae's feather-bedecked high-neck ivory column, designed by Pamella Roland, was topped with a shift style (i.e., no defined waistline) overlay. A much prettier look, in my opinion, is this silver sequin gown with chiffon cape from Kohl's ($130). It features a figure-skimming modified shift silhouette and a round gathered neckline, and both slim dress and fuller cape are a pretty ankle length. 

Quinta Brunson took some criticism for her dusty pink crushed satin Dior tea-length gown - there's a fine line between "crushed" and "wrinkled" (especially when it comes to satin) that some felt she had crossed. But regardless, her scoop-neck gown featured narrow straps, a surplice (wrapped) top that created diagonal lines across the bodice, a simple self-belt, and a flared skirt. A similar look can be found in this dress from eShakti ($40), in a nearly identical shade of dusty pink dupioni, which provides a subtle texture to the fabric, and features similar narrow straps, surplice bodice, self-belt, and flared skirt - without the flap about wrinkled vs. crushed. 

Lisa Ann Walter's Greta Constantine gown (top) was cut in a mermaid style, with black satin on top and a vivid red flounce, and Jessica Williams's Rodarte gown (center) was also mermaid style with a black velvet top and a double-ruffle white tulle underlay. You can find a similarly striking silhouette in a slightly less jarring color palette with this black satin strapless mermaid gown with pale pink tulle flounce (bottom) from FashionNova ($140). 

Ali Wong wore a custom Louis Vuitton gown with a strapless silver sequin bodice with a sheer black sleeveless yoke and a bright blue straight skirt covered with multicolored flowers. A more understated version of this look with a softer silhouette is available from Editorialist ($170). This dress is a midnight blue with a light blue and silver embroidered pattern, with a strapless bodice and sheer sleeveless yoke and a slightly flared ankle-length skirt. 

Jessica Chastain's chartreuse Gucci gown was a sleeveless column with plunging v-neck and long, fringed overlay. Since no one (including, unfortunately, Jessica Chastain) can get away with that particular color, a better choice would be this emerald green fringed gown from Burlywoods ($180), which features a more flattering (and forgiving) wide v-neck, wide satin belt, and fringed peplum. 

Ellen Pompeo wore a Monique Lhuillier gown consisting of a flared black velvet skirt and a sheer metallic shirt with a white collar and short black tie over a basic bra. I wouldn't advise most of us to appear at a formal event with visible undergarments, but you could definitely pair this flared black velvet skirt from Amazon ($40) with this gold sequin button-up shirt from Nordstrom ($70), and even add a detachable white collar with black velvet bow from Etsy ($20), for an equally great look. 

Oh dear, where to start with Alex Borstein's disastrous outfit? It consisted of a sheer black lace corset-style minidress, topped with a cranberry-colored...I'm going to go with "garment"...that included a floor-length skirt overlay that was split up to the belt, and a long-sleeved halter top with wide straps that didn't really form a bodice but joined to a wide collar, and which had black and red feathers around the armscyes (if you didn't learn that word in my last fashion blog, it's a fancy word for "armholes"). I would transform this look into something an ordinary person could wear - and wear better - by starting with a less revealing black lace minidress, like this one from Hot Topic ($40), which has a lace overlay over a solid black base. And then to add color and coverage, and to echo the pretty neckband of the original, I'd top it with this long-sleeved cranberry chiffon shrug with lace-trimmed collar and cuffs from Walmart ($20).

Mychal-Bella Rayne wore a 2-piece gown with a satin trumpet-style skirt topped with a white strapless structured bodice with wide belt and modified peplum. A simplified, one-piece version of this look is available from Macy's ($130), and features a similarly-tailored black trumpet skirt and a white satin strapless wrapped empire waist bodice with an oversized bow and wide trailing ribbons at the back. 

Since I started with Padma Lakshmi, it seems only right to end with Gail Simmons. Simmons wore a Balmain Art Deco-inspired multicolored metallic sequin wrapped gown gather in to one hip, where the skirt opened in a broad slit. For a more wearable gown with a similar silhouette and feel, I recommend this metallic gold high-low wrap dress from The Dress Outlet ($400).

Happy shopping!

Dress Like a Celebrity

Most of us don't have the same luxuries that celebrities who walk the red carpet do: stylists, high-end designers happy to provide gowns for free, an endless budget for accessories, a perfect figure... But a little bit of research will at least find you gowns that have a passing similarity to the stars' fashions, but for a tiny fraction of the cost. Here are a few of the looks I recently reviewed at the Golden Globes, along with more affordable alternatives!

  

Viola Davis' Jason Wu gown featured a deep cobalt hue, a full skirt gathering into the waist at one hip, and a single sleeve effect. Wu's gowns sell at Bergdorf Goodman for $2,000 to $3,000, but you can pick up this similar "Ivonne" dress from Escapexit for only $88. It features a full, pleated skirt gathered into an open ring at one hip, and a single-shoulder bodice, in a similar cobalt blue.  

 

Ana de Armas' strapless Louis Vuitton gown featured a dramatic silver lace panel over a black dress. Perhaps not quite so dramatic, but this strapless BCBG gown features a sheer skirt and hip-length lace panels on the bodice. A slightly different fabulous, but a much more affordable fabulous, at $194 from Amazon. 

 

Michelle Williams' Gucci gown was not a win with me, but toning it down significantly still makes for a good look. Keep the single shoulder with a frothy detail, the defined waist, and just a hint of the cascading ruffles, then bump up the color saturation a little, and you end up with this much prettier Mac Duggal gown, $498 at Nordstrom rather than Net-a-Porter's usual Gucci price tag of $4,000-$9,000.

 

Anya Taylor-Joy's long yellow Dior skirt with matching bandeau was simple and sleek, to the point of being stark. Add a little flare to the line of the skirt and a bit more coverage with the bandeau, and you have this elegantly wearable Xscape ensemble from Nordstrom's for a cool $107, several orders of magnitude less than the original Dior.

 

Angela Bassett's clinging silver Pamella Rolland halter column was striking in its simplicity: Simple halter neckline and body-hugging silhouette. Compare her look ($4,000-$9,000 for a PR gown at Bergdorf Goodman) with Mac Duggal's similar gown for only $398. 

 

Kerry Condon's simple Brandon Maxwell design is a basic black off-the-shoulder column with a fitted waist and a little visual interest in the shape of the neckline. An even better look, in my opinion, is this Xscape ruffle-topped gown for $228 at Dillard's. 

 

 

Jamie Lee Curtis wore an unremarkable black strapless jumpsuit topped with a fabulous black lace Valentino cape (which sells for $7500, not including the jumpsuit). You can find a similar cape on Etsy for $52 and a similar jumpsuit at Lulu for $66.

 

If you like the drama of Quinta Brunson's black-and-red mermaid gown by Christian Siriano (which will set you back a cool $7K or so), check out this red tulle ruffle gown from E & V's Deals - it is a deal at $210. 

 

 

It's hard to find a non-designer gown that has the same criss-cross cutouts as Jenna Ortega's fabulous Gucci gown, but the graceful chiffon bell sleeves and sweeping skirt are featured in this $238 Bella Valentina gown. But if you really love the strappiness of the bodice and the shredded look of the skirt, you might be shelling out the $717 for this Herve Leger fringe gown from Bloomingdale's. 

 

Jean Smart's Tadashi Shoji jacket dress may not have been as pricy as some red carpet looks (the short version is only $508 at Sak's or Neiman Marcus), but you can get Adrianna Papell's nearly identical version - right down to the satin lapels and twisted waist detail - for $199 at Lord & Taylor. 

 

Julia Garner's dramatic pink Gucci gown featured a corset bodice and tiered ruffles. Although a slightly different silhouette, this frothy gown from Sumintras features a dropped-waist corset bodice and multiple layers of ruffles, for $190.

 

Lily James' brilliant crimson Versace gown has a voluminous train with equally voluminous rosettes at the waist over a narrow skirt and a strapless bodice with cutouts at the waist. For we lesser mortals who would vanish into that particular dress, this lacy off-the-shoulder taffeta mermaid gown with detachable train from DH Gate gives a similar impression without devouring the wearer. And it has a reasonable $240 price tag, as opposed to the $3,000-$8,000 you'd pay for a Versace at Sak's. 

 

Jennifer Coolidge upped the ante on the "little black dress" with her body-hugging sparkly off-the-shoulder Dolce & Gabbana column. You can own something similar with this Sierra off-the-shoulder dress from Windsor Store for $110. 

 

Neicy Nash's Dolce & Gabbana column was paired with a voluminous wrap that looked great in photos but must have been a pain to move around in. This purple gown from JJ's House for $158 (rather than the $2,000-$8,000 a D&G gown costs at Shopstyle) also features a sparkly panel on the bodice and has an attached capelet that looks much more comfortable and easy to manage than its designer counterpart. 

 

Elizabeth Debicki's awful Dior column was badly fitted, but it did have a lovely a-line silhouette. This rose velvet Bodycon gown is only $99 at Nordstrom and shares a similar silhouette with a deeper slit, adding visual interest with the texture of the velvet rather than a structured bodice detail.

 

Hannah Einbinder's delightfully retro strapless Carolina Herrera tea-length gown (a style that runs about $3,000-$6,000 on Shopstyle) featured a full tulle skirt and a white satin bow across the bust. This $170 little black dress from Light in the Box features a nearly identical silhouette, and anyone handy with a needle and thread could easily add a bow to the bodice.

 

Janelle James' midnight blue Safiyaa sheath with attached illusion cape had two major selling points for me: the lovely sleek silhouette of the base gown, and the gracefulness of the illusion cape. Depending on which detail you prefer, either of these dresses from JJ's House might work for you. The $121 one-shouldered column features a single trailing scarf and an a-line skirt; the $160 full-skirted version features a full illusion cape (a scarf off each shoulder) and a spangled v-neck bodice.

 

Sheryl Lee Ralph's cobalt blue sequin Aliette halter dress had a flared silhouette and a short train. This MACloth halter shares the fabulous color, sparkle, and silhouette, lacking only the short train of the original. Not bad for only $119 as opposed to $2,000-$4,000. 

Now get out there and dress like a star!