Emmys 2016

Kate: Life has seriously gotten in the way for both of us recently, eh? We didn’t even know the Emmys were coming up until a few days ago!

Erica: I just had a baby. I like this as an excuse for my usual state of obliviousness. And I’m telling you, this sleep deprivation that comes with a new baby is really messing with my head, because I could have sworn I saw Jeb Bush do a bit in the opening sketch for this thing. But that had to be some sort of fever dream, right?

Kate: Yea that didn’t happen…Well, new babies and traveling for work (my excuse) aside, here’s what we REALLY care about (JK, we care about Sadie and work too, but this is more fun at the moment):

America Ferrera

Kate: Ok so she looks great from the neck up — love the makeup and the hair, albeit a little casual — and at first I was like, ‘Oh that dress is nice’, but then I was like, ‘What’s going on around the waist?’, and then I was like ‘Wait…ARE THOSE PANTS?’ Is this a sequined jumpsuit? Or is the dress just…splitting weird between the legs?

Erica: I actually thought the makeup was a little blah. And yeah, that appears to be a sparkly jumpsuit. Which doesn’t even offend me on a visceral level any more. I don’t know why not.

Kate: Either way, I also don’t love the color of her earrings with the color of the I-can’t-tell-if-it’s-a-dress-or-a-jumpsuit. So this is now all confusing and upsetting me.

Erica: For what it’s worth, Jason thinks she’s gotten more attractive.

 

Amy Poehler

Kate: Oh dear, none of this works. None whatsoever.

Erica: Is she pregnant? Not that it would make it okay, but it would explain it a little.

Kate: That green is all wrong with that hair, which, why is it that color right now?

Erica: Oh, I like the hair color.

Kate: You know how much it pains me to say anything bad about Amy, though, so let’s keep moving.

 

Amy Schumer

Kate: Mmmmmph this is too similar to what she wore last year (minus that INSANE hair), and WAY too similar to what her sister is wearing. I’m sure they did that on purpose, but it doesn’t really work. Neither of them could slap on a pair of earrings for cryin’ out loud?

Erica: I feel like, if you want to dress similarly like that, the dresses should be a little more stand-out, so it looks like you did it on purpose, instead of just you both chose black gowns. And yes, the look requires some nice jewelry, a strong lip, and a better bra.

Kate: I don’t even feel bad about us saying any of this because I just read her book and she is most perfectly fine with herself and doesn’t give one F what I think, nor should she, and I have a lot of respect for that.

Erica: I have to say, regarding my opinion of her character, the Kurt Metzger thing is throwing me.

Kate: No no no, that’s not fun, fashion is fun. Fun things only here!

 

Angela Bassett

Erica: First, she looks fabulous. Second, I love the dress — flowy, sexy but not trashy, age-appropriate in a way that makes you WISH you were “of a certain age”. Third, only dark-skinned ladies can wear that color.

Kate: Yes, that color does look a lot great against darker skin, but you’ll see later on how a white woman (almost) pulls it off…

 

Anna Chlumsky

Kate: Oh good god.

Erica: So…is she…pregnant? Sorry, I know that I’ve already asked that. I just don’t understand this. I don’t know how one could be sane and choosing this as a garment.

Kate: Are you implying that being pregnant equates to not being sane? 🙂 JK. She was pregnant a while ago, she might be again, but even so, there is absolutely nothing right about this — color, silhouette, length(s), material, oh it’s all just so bad. Worst Dressed nominee already!

Erica: Having just been pregnant, yes, that’s what I’m saying. One thing, though — she does have fab legs.

Kate: There are better ways to show them off.

 

Ariel Winter

Kate: While this is a beautiful piece of couture, it really does not work on her. It makes her look very boxy and masculine on top and hides her wonderful curves on bottom. I don’t even think it would look that good on a more slender girl…

Erica: I disagree that it is a beautiful piece of couture. I hate all of it.

Kate: Well, you hate side cutouts — I just mean it’s very FASHION and NOW and FASHION, but that doesn’t mean it should be worn on this particular person at this particular event.

 

Claire Danes

Kate: Oh dear god, we have had some kind of TRAGIC accident with the spray tan machine. We need to hose her off!

Erica: I feel, like, physically uncomfortable looking at that. Like, my own skin feels all itchy and tight right now.

Kate: This is awful, I can’t look at anything else! Why is she so shiny and orange!! (It looked so much worse on the pre-show.)

Erica: I’m looking at it on E! It’s bad.

Kate: Fine, I’ll look at something else. Hair is quite boring, but that’s normal for her, dress is actually fab, and probably wouldn’t work if she were paler, but maybe if she were just a NORMAL shade of tan instead of that? OY!

Erica: Yeah, I like the dress. Way more than I usually like her dresses. But the skin is unfortunate.

 

Connie Britton

Kate: Connie! I don’t like it.

Erica: Tami Taylor would NEVER.

Kate: The shoulder area takes away from that trademark hair, as does the color. Wah!

Erica: It’s so incredibly boxy. It’s like she’s actively trying to look less attractive.

 

Ellie Kemper

Kate: Ohhh darn it, Ellie! I love you so much, and I love your makeup here, but that hairstyle and that dress age you DRASTICALLY.

Erica: Zoe feels the dress is like a picnic ball gown. I don’t hate it. I don’t like it. But. Her hair and makeup are too on-point for me to hate on her.

Kate: The dress looks like it’s made from someone’s living room curtains (or couch…or chair…) from the 70s. Truly awful. (But not nearly as awful as Anna Chlumsky, she’s still winning Worst Dressed so far.) I agree with you on makeup, but not on hair.

 

Emilia Clarke

Kate: Is she the most tiny ever?

Erica: She is much tinier than I thought.

Kate: I am not sure what’s going on with her facial expression, but her dress is a little too 90s for me. Reminds me of Carrie Bradshaw’s naked dress, but longer.

Erica: I like it except that it’s a little too shiny.

Kate: It’s also way too bare with that color and that neckline and no jewelry — why not a more powerful earring or subtle yet sparkly necklace?

Erica: I agree on the necklace. That would have looked nice.

 

Emmy Rossum

Kate: Couldn’t tell you what she’s doing at the Emmys, I just think she’s gosh darn gorgeous.

Erica: She’s in that series “Shameless”.

Kate: The dress itself is boring but beautiful, and I really love her hair and makeup. I had no reason to include her in this post other than I think she is stunning.

Erica: She is ridiculously pretty. And she wears white so well.

 

Felicity Huffman

Kate: I never include her in these posts, but I really REALLY like her whole look this time. The dress is very elegant and appropriate, the hair and jewelry match perfectly.

Erica: The hair, I thought, was especially attractive. And the dress is pretty glam.

 

Heidi Klum

Kate: I mean, she’s been wearing some INSANE things on the red carpet for, like, the last couple of years, and while this is less than ideal, it’s a vast improvement over that Big Bird thing and the lavender monstrosity and the straight-up Halloween costume she wore to New York Fashion Week this year.

Erica: Yes. This is like a normal person dress. Not a crazy person dress. I mean, it’s not my thing but it’s fine.

Kate: I wouldn’t go as far as “normal”, just normaler. Plus, it shows off her insane abs.

Erica: I like that she acknowledges how hard she works for that body.

 

Jane Krakowski

Kate: This looks very kimono to me, no?

Erica: Yes. I like the color but not so much the dress.

Kate: The slit is a little high, but I L-O-V-E those SHOES! I feel like she bought the shoes first, and then was like, ‘I need a fun little blue number to wear with them’.

Erica: If that was the case, she could have done better.

Kate: I also prefer her hair with a little more texture to it, but that is possibly because I am currently watching 30 Rock and she always wore it curly on there.

 

Joanne Froggatt

Kate: Wow, I really love her red carpet looks. I wonder if Brad Goreski still styles her?

Erica: She looks gorgeous but didn’t she wear something very similar before?

Kate: Possibly? She just embodies one of my favorite things: Effortlessly gorgeous. Soft, beautifully wavy hair (which looks, like, ATTAINABLE, you know?), perfectly subtle makeup, slinky blank strapless dress with a little lace element at the top. Safe, but love it.

Erica: Attainable for some people.

Kate: Yea, not really me, it just doesn’t look over-the-top styled. I may have done a clutch in something other than black, but that doesn’t make or break the ensemble. Also, CONFIRMED, styled by Brad again 🙂

 

Julia Louis Dreyfus

Kate: Yup. Killed it.

Erica: As we have come to expect.

Kate: I love when Julia throws a little change-up at me, like a looser skirt and sexier hair. She can do no wrong!

Erica: I’m super into the hair. It looks really sexy. Really young and fun.

Kate: Oh my god, and then she won for Veep AGAIN and gave that adorable shaky sad speech about her dad and then they cut to Jerry looking so lovingly at her and I JUST. CAN. NOT.

Erica: I feel like you identify more with her than is fully reasonable. But that’s cool.

 

Julie Bowen

Kate: A fairly standard Julie Bowen choice. I like the ruffle in the back because without it it’d be too boring for words, but I don’t like the metallic shoulder things. Tacky.

Erica: It’s so normal and not insane so I’m in favor of it.

Kate: I do like the short and very styled bob, which seems to be happening a lot here tonight, and the makeup.

Erica: Yeah, I’m into the hair. Very cool looking.

 

Kate McKinnon

Kate: Wowwww I kind of love it?

Erica: I like it. I do not love it.

Kate: It’s not too much and it’s not too little, I even like the very loose and casual hair. I feel like I’m really GROWING as a person by liking more casual hair on the red carpet, you know?

Erica: Good for you.

 

Kerry Washington

Kate: I am normally against Kerry Washington’s red carpet selections, but this is really quite lovely. I couldn’t tell at first if the dress had a cutout around her very pregnant belly or a tan stripe in the material, which I think means it is perfectly tailored to her body and very well made. (Note: It looked better in the pre-show video than in this photo. Trust me.)

Erica: I do think this is a pretty fab way to show off a pregnant belly. I’m just confused. Wasn’t she visibly pregnant back in February?

Kate: No, must have been several Februaries ago. I even like the cape-esque quality in the back. The only thing I don’t like is the hair, as it overwhelms her tiny self. A low sleek pony or bun would have made this one of the most perfectly elegant looks of the night, perhaps even a Best Dressed nominee.

Erica: I actually kind of like the hair. It makes the whole thing a “look”.

 

Kirsten Dunst

Kate: Ehhhh…Hasn’t she worn this before?

Erica: I liked it until I saw the bottom.

Kate: Honestly, I feel like ever since she started doing red carpet again she has only worn versions of this, and this is not all that great.

Erica: I think she is not at all invested in the red carpet stuff.

Kate: Fair.

 

Kristen Bell

Kate: Ok so, I really love this. I have always thought that she’s exceptionally gorgeous with exceptionally perfect teeth, and therefore an exceptionally perfect smile, so to me she always looks flawless from the neck up.

Erica: Her hair looks particularly nice tonight. I love her in general. And now she’s in a new show so that’s exciting.

Kate: From the neck down? Fabulous! I’m sure a lot of people won’t like the intricate pattern WITH the sparkle, and normally I wouldn’t, but I find it to be just lovely. The width of the skirt makes me feel like it’s more of an Oscars dress than Emmys, but when does Kristen Bell go to the Oscars, so why not, right?

Erica: I am surprised you like. It’s not normally your thing. But it is normally my thing and I do, in fact, love it.  

Kate: I KNOW! See? Growing as a person. Oh hell, BEST DRESSED NOMINEE!

 

Laverne Cox

Kate: Ohhhhh yes. Love the hair.

Erica: She looks really good. So often she edges a touch pageant-y, and this falls on the right side of it this time.

Kate: I hate describing it this way, but the hair is very Kardashian, but that’s the ONLY thing I even REMOTELY like about the Kardashians, so I feel like it’s semi-okay to say.

Erica: I know so little of the Kardashians but I do feel they are generally attractively turned out.

Kate: As for the dress, it is V sexy and tailored absolutely perfectly to her body. The hair color and the skintone and the dress color are all a little too similar for me to make her a Best Dressed nominee, but overall I love the entire look.

 

Maisie Williams

Kate: I really and truly do not like her hair. I feel like it’s just not her, it’s a wig or a trick or something, it’s not genuine Maisie.

Erica: Well, I think the hair sort of goes with the quirkiness of the outfit. Some sort of deliberately ‘60s-esque thing.

Kate: However, if I take the hair away, and focus on the dress, it’s not my favorite, but it is genuinely Maisie in its quirkiness and cuteness, so fine. Not my favorite, but fine. Minus the hair.

Erica: I think the look is complete, you know? It’s bold and she clearly enjoys going a little nutty on the red carpet. Given her costuming on the show, I can’t blame her.

 

Mandy Moore

Kate: What is that FACE Mandy Moore?!

Erica: Her hair looks weird.

Kate: I like the hair and makeup fine, even if the blush is a little much, and I WANT to like the dress, but I just don’t know. Maybe I’d like it more if it weren’t sheer at the bottom? But then would it be too MUCH, the ruffles reminding us of a “Southern Belle” Halloween costume? I just don’t know.

Erica: No, I think the hair is what’s making her face look weird. Great makeup, though. Perfect lip color.

 

Michelle Dockery

Kate: Speaking of Southern Belles, Michelle here is giving me modern-day Scarlett O’Hara — like she literally took one of the movie’s dresses and cut it up, in a good way — and I absolutely LOVE IT. Best Dressed nominee!

Erica: Really? I like it but it’s so not your usual thing.

Kate: On second thought, the black-and-white and the ruffles and the length make it a wee bit too…DAYTIME, but I still really like it!

Erica: Wow. Cool.

Kate: And THIS is how you do a dark red lip, Hollywood/media/world.

 

Minnie Driver

Kate: I only saw this from the waist up at first, and I really liked it. I was like, ‘The color is a little 2-3 years ago, but Minnie Driver wasn’t super-relevant then (sorry), so it’s ok and it looks FAB on her tanned skin’. And I normally wouldn’t like pin-straight hair tucked behind the ears, but it works here.

Erica: No. I do not like this color on white girls.

Kate: Then I saw the length, and the side cutout, and those GROSS shoes. Black strappy shoes with a bright yellow dress that cuts off at the ankles? Close but no cigar, Min!

Erica: Not even close for me. The length kills any chance of me liking it.

 

Natasha Lyonne

Kate: Well, it’s kind of a mashup of every black-and-white dress every Hollywood starlet has ever worn on the red carpet since the beginning of time, and she’s making a very odd face, but hey. It’s nice!

Erica: I don’t really like it but I don’t totally hate it. And her hair looks nice.

 

Neve Campbell

Kate: Is this kind of what Joanne Froggatt is wearing but with more poof at the bottom? I like it just as much on her.

Erica: I like the lacy top.

Kate: And I LOOOOVVEEE her hair and makeup. Very elegant.

Erica: Yes. Perfection.

 

Priyanka Chopra

Kate: Yep, she’s essentially perfect.

Erica: Gorgeous. Really stunning.

Kate: I think we are all overdoing it a little with the bright red/pink and/or deep red/purple lipstick, and this shade is a little too matchy-matchy with the color of that FAB dress, but it still looks great. I love the sleek low pony, too.

Erica: I don’t mind the matchy-matchy with lipstick. It kind of bothers me with the carpet but I realize I’m being silly.

Kate: No, I get that too, but there are always a handful of girls who wear the same red as the carpet.

 

Sarah Hyland

Kate: The peplum in and of itself wasn’t bad enough, we had to EXTEND it? Come on. EW!

Erica: I’m not 100% against this. It’s unusual. And I love the embroidery.

Kate: I know people love capes and cape-esque things on the red carpet, but this just looks like two awkward tails, and the black pants underneath make it look very casual and, dare I say it, sloppy. They don’t look tailored right.

Erica: I feel like the hair was the real sin. It needs to be sleek and perfect for this look. It was not quite there.

Kate: Just because of the one piece hanging out?

Erica: Yeah. From the front, it was good. From the back? Sloppy.

 

Sofia Vergara

Kate: YES, I can go back to not liking Sofia Vergara’s red carpet look. Her hair is WAY too slicked back, and this is what I’m talking about with the dark red/purple lipstick (too much), and the swirly silver shapes on an otherwise nice dress are completely unnecessary. Honestly, one of her worst.

Erica: I hate the hair a lot.

Kate: Despite all of that, just look at that BODY. So who really cares about the rest?

Erica: Well, most of the women we cover have pretty rocking bodies.

 

Sophie Turner

Kate: For THE longest time I was like, ‘I don’t know this person, I’m not including her’. Then I was like, ‘Wait, that name sounds familiar. Should I know who that is?’ THEN I was like, ‘OMG, wait, that’s SANSA STARK! WHAT!?’

Erica: I hate everything here. Except her. I love her. But her hair and her makeup and her dress. Those things I hate.

Kate: Oh see the hair is the only thing I like, the dress sucks, I just could NOT recognize her for the life of me, and I can’t even put my finger on exactly what has changed about her?

Erica: Did you know she adopted her dire wolf?

Kate: IN REAL LIFE? BEST PERSON NOMINEE!

Erica: I can consign that.

 

Taraji P. Henson

Kate: I guess I was wrong about that yellow being so 2-3 years ago because here it is on Taraji too. This is quite safe/boring for her, no?

Erica: Yes. But did you see her clutch has her initials?

Kate: No? I kind of like the casual, almost messy/wetness of the hair against the structure of the dress, but the overall look is not the best.

Erica: It’s good. It’s safe. It’s not memorable.

Kate: Hold the phone, she changed into something else when she presented, which I like a whole lot more for her. It’s more daring and interesting, I just don’t like the blunt hairstyle because it gives me traumatic flashbacks to my elementary school years. It also means her first hairstyle was or this one is a wig, and I don’t like that.

 

Erica: So the presentation hair is definitely the wig. It is more daring but I don’t love it. And I don’t understand the logic of having two different outfits. Jimmy Kimmel did it, too. Why do you want to get dressed twice?

 

Tina Fey

Kate: YAAAASSSSSS TINA! YAS YAS YAASSSSS!

Erica: Love the color. Just love.

Kate: That HAIR — so voluminous! That COLOR — so unexpectedly perfect! That SILHOUETTE — so flattering & Greek goddess-y! BEST DRESSED NOMINEE!

Erica: She looks really good. Really good.

Kate: The ONLY thing I would change is the earrings. Too matchy matchy. A small, subtle sparkle in a neutral tone would have been just right.

Erica: I didn’t notice them. But I saw this on stage, not the carpet.

Kate: Ugh I LOVE IT when she just NAILS the red carpet!

 

Tori Kelly

Kate: Not ENTIRELY sure why she’s there, but I love a couple of her songs so I’m including her.

Erica: I have no idea who she is.

Kate: I love the hair and makeup, but the dress is boring and the accessories are trying too hard to overcompensate for that.

Erica: Hair very good. Makeup – I would have liked a stronger lip but maybe that’s just me. Dress fine. Boring but fine.

Kate: Hang on, we have another outfit change. Her performance dress is much more interesting, but then they zoomed in on her hair and it just did not move because of all the hairspray, so I take back what I said about her hair.

Erica: But why change? Why show up in my one black ball gown and change into another?

 

Viola Davis

Kate: Perfect perfect perfect perfect color. Perfect.

Erica: Yes. Love the color. Always a fan of bold color.

Kate: Love the embroidery on the neckline too, but the material gets a little too wrinkly in the skirt and I don’t love the makeup or hair.

Erica: I feel the makeup is a touch overdone. Like, I didn’t recognize her at first. But the dress is so nice.

Kate: Alas, Best Dressed?

Erica: I’m so excited that you like Kristen Bell’s dress. Can we give it to her?

Kate: Absotively posilutely! Worst?

Erica: I feel like Anna Chlumsky has the lock on that. Amy Poehler gave her a run, but Anna’s is ugly AND illogical. You know what I mean?

Kate: Yes, wholeheartedly agree. That’s a wrap!