We have a lot to cover and I am sure we're going to have some disagreements about some of these just like many of you disagree with me about Jane Fonda's ponytail. To each their own!
THE MEH
Padma Lakshmi!
A kiss on the hand may be quite continental but dresses that fit are a girl's best friend.
Issa Rae!
This is actually painful for me because without the sleeves, she is perfection. I'm sorry, I mean to say without the elbow warmer and the spandex dance sleeve topped with a bath pouf, this dress is perfection. Issa Rae herself is ALWAYS perfection.
Anna Chlumsky!
The dress is great on her but without any styling to speak of, it really looks like she forgot she was supposed to do this tonight. I want more elaborate hair, a bold lip, bigger studs in her ears and one hell of a cuff - something fun with a pop of color, maybe like this?
Jessica Lange!
This is pretty and very, very Jessica Lange but those sleeves end three times and I do not understand why.
Rashida Jones!
Fabulous color on her and the makeup is extraordinary but this dress makes her look like she's a magician's assistant and the magician is about to make her midsection DISAPPEAR!
Felicity Huffman!
Frumpy wallpaper that happens to fit well.
Shailene Woodley!
Seems like Shailene is going through her goth phase. Happens to the best of us but what is happening on her head!? I bind you, Shailene, from doing harm - harm against other people and harm against your hair.
Brian Tyree Henry!
He looks fabulous but ... a bracelet AND a watch AND a hat AND two necklaces... I just feel like he could use one or two fewer accessories.
Michelle Pfeiffer!
Something about the cropped sleeves and the tea length dress make this feel overly twee to me. I wonder if I would like it if she and Shailene switched gowns? That might be fun.
Reese Witherspoon!
I am dying to see the mashup production of Chicago and Guys and Dolls our Resse is starring in as Roxie Detroit. I actually don't hate this, I just want it to be a skosh shorter and I want different shoes.
Sarah Hyland!
Fall is here, Sarah Hyland has decreed it.
Chrissy Metz!
Great color, absolutely wrong fabric. Lace is the dark side of the 90s being "back." I would love to see a chiffon or organza version of this.
Tituss Burgess!
Minor quibbles: pants are a touch too long and the bowtie is certainly too small. The coat isn't my favorite fabric but I am loving this look for him.
Kate McKinnon!
This gown is a little snoozy but, more importantly, I suggest you fire your makeup artist.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson!
The fit is immaculate and he really tried to shake it up with the green tux jacket. Points for effort but he looks like he's leading the band at the afterparty.
Samantha Bee!
I put this in the Meh because it fits her really well and her hair looks nice but I have to be honest with you, my dear readers: I hate this gown. I don't know why but I really do. Maybe it's the shoulder pads? Maybe it's the pseudo Wonder Woman-ness that doesn't quite go all the way? Maybe it's because her makeup is so comparatively dull? I don't know but I think it's just me so I'm going to call this just...fine.
Kumail Nanjiani (seen here with Emily V. Gordon)!
I really wanted to put him on Boyfriend Alley but I took one look at the fit on those pants and I just could not. They appear to be either too long or falling down. Either way, I have to ding him.
Gina Rodriguez!
That is a whole lot of torso!
Claire Foy!
Claire, this is not your look. With nothing at the waist, it is extremely stumpifying - I know she's not super tall but this really exacerbates things. I would have gone with a sleeker hairstyle for this garment, and I think I would have liked to crop the pant a bit.
Ellie Kemper!
I actually quite like this dress - it reminds me of stained glass - but alas it is too long on her. Also, I hate the styling - this hair and those ankle strap shoes? Again, with the 90s. I guess we should all just be thankful that she didn't go all the way and do that offensive chopstick hair accent thing.
Edie Falco!
Edie Falco forgot to untuck her napkin from her neck after dinner.
Elisabeth Moss!
Digging this Enchantment Under the Sea vibe but it's absolutely the wrong color and - here we go - Could Use a Necklace.
Lena Waithe (seen here with Alana Mayo)!
I went back and forth on this so hard. I love this look so much I wanted to put it in the Good but I haaaaaaate that shirt so much it had to go in the Meh. I have a hard time picturing a world where anyone can pull off a boldly patterned tux with a lined and studded shirt. If anyone was going to, it would have been Lena... alas.
I don't know about you, my dear readers, but I could really use some fashion right now. I could use some some truly reckless necklines, I could use some hilariously bad sleeves, and I could use a moment out of the daily routine to tell people that they could use a necklace. Lucky for us, the Emmy Awards were last night so we have all of these things!
Before we dive into the Good pile, I have something exciting to share. As longtime readers know, the only time I comment on "normals" or children under the age of 18 is when something is FABULOUS. (This is because "normals" generally don't the have access to stylists, designers, and just all the stuff that celebs do. And because children are children.) Well! Friend of a friend Kirsten and her husband were at the Emmys last night and gave me permission to tell them they look fabulous here on Way Too Shay -
Fabulous, both of you! I hope you had fun! And now, onto people who did not go to my college.
THE GOOD
Leslie Jones!
One of the most satisfying fashion partnerships of the past few years is Leslie Jones and Christian Siriano. This is fun, sexy, totally unexpected, and one of my favorite looks of the night. This teeters right on the edge of being a sensuous ice dancer tablecloth and somehow manages not to go there.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus!
As we know, JLD does a strapless column dress and that is that. This one is super fun and I really love that she is highlighting the green in the dress with her earrings.
Emmy Rossum!
More green accenting black - loving these accessories. The dress fits her like a dream! I do believe she is using her hair in lieu of a necklace and I'll allow it.
Susan Sarandon!
Whether or not we think Susan Sarandon is a jerk now, there is no arguing that this dress fits her exquisitely and also that she Could Use A Necklace.
Thandie Newton!
This is another one who CUAN but who actually cares because oh my god this is so pretty. Thandie Newton is a real life princess, right?
Millie Bobby Brown!
Speaking of princesses - holy moly! This is literally the fairytale dress I dreamed of when I was her age. This is perfect.
The ST Kids!
While we are complimenting children - look at how great these kids look! This is some highly advanced red carpet fashion. Well done all you kids!
Samira Wiley!
Let me be quite clear: I had quite the debate over whether this should go to Good or Meh. You know I dislike a formal turtleneck, but the fit and the color, and the styling really pushed it to Good for me. Also the fact that it is Samira Wiley and she is wearing the hell out of this gown.
Anika Noni Rose!
I am really loving this blush trend. Anika Noni Rose decided to be unforgettable at the Emmys and knocked it out of the park. Also, can we please talk about this makeup? Simply gorgeous.
Are you ready for Boyfriend Alley? Let's get that going now.
Boyfriend Alley
Riz Ahmed!
As always, oh my goodness.
Donald Glover (seen here with Stephen Glover)!
Oh my goodness times two.
Alexander Skarsgård!
Oh my goodness even with a mustache.
Anthony Anderson (seen here with Alvina Stewart)!
Oh my goodness in the no sock trend.
Sterling K. Brown!
Oh my goodness to infinity and beyond.
This concludes Boyfriend Alley. More boyfriends to come in other red carpet rundown installments.
Sofia Vergara!
It may not be surprising but it is expertly done. That is the size earring you have to have if you want to skip a necklace on this neckline. She looks beautiful.
Jessica Biel!
I cannot believe it but I love this. The draping on this gown is stunning and her entire head looks remarkably good. I'm feeling it.
Shanon Purser!
I love the 1950s feel of this, I love this green, and I love the shape. Not sure about the butterflies but I never am really sure about butterflies so we'll let it go.
Viola Davis!
Once again, my dear readers, I must implore you to bow down to Viola Davis. It's her world, we're just here to applaud her.
Judith Light!
Angela Bower didn't come to play she came to slay! She's been To Shell And Back and wants you to know she's still got it. Yowza!
Oprah!
When you are Oprah, you don't have to walk the red carpet, you just show up inside and make it harder for amateur fashion critics to find a picture of your fabulous tux. I adore this look - I love it almost as much as Oprah loves bread. Special thanks to Reader Rosey for finding this pic for me!
La Kidman!
I love it when Nicole Kidman wears red. This full glam look is perfect.
Evan Rachel Wood!
ERW knows a thing or two about advance tux wearing and styling. Goddamn, this is good.
Justina Machado!
Oh my god I need this dress. I love her, I love her in the color, but most of all I love this dress and I think it is perfection. As for styling, I think CUAN but who cares when the dress is this fabulous.
Jane Fonda!
Oh hell yes I am here for this Elle Woods meets Barbara Eden meets big bangs and bell sleeves fantasy. Jane Fonda is kil. ling. it. There are only two things that could possibly make this better.
There they are. While these three remain, the world may still spin.
We're grinding to a close, my dear readers. We'll close with a dandy, a bathrobe, a lot of see-through shenanigans, and a gown ripped straight out of the mid-1980s.
THE WTF
Hamish Bowles!
That is some pink tux! Tux wearers, lest you try to make this look happen for yourself, let's talk some talk. Hamish Bowles is one of the most revered dandies of our time but even he cannot fully make a ruffled tux shirt work. Do not try this at home. Or out. Or anywhere.
Sara Bareilles!
I thought perhaps it was a nude illusion but alas it is just nude, no illusion. And yet somehow this is the most modest underboob I have ever witnessed.
Candice Swanepoel!
Continuing the grand march of sheer fabrics, this is literally a bathing suit with a glittery sarong.
Keltie Knight!
Concluding our parade of see-through mistakes, we have this sheer lace situation with granny panties and kinesio tape instead of shoes. I would especially like to draw your attention to the shoulders where it seems that there is a puffed sleeve happening. Also, I believe there is a gigantic bow on the boobs. Seems like an odd detail, but I suppose that detail is what differentiates this lace bodysuit from a lace bodysuit one might buy from our friends at Yandy.com.
Jenna Lyons!
This is a robe.
Christine Ebersole!
YOU. GUYS. I have never been more delighted! Actually, incorrect: I became the most delighted once I found out that this is not a 1986 vintage masterpiece plucked from storage at the Met for a deeply misguided foray into cosplay - oh ho no! - THIS DRESS WAS CREATED FOR HER BY WILLIAM IVEY LONG FOR THE 2017 TONYS. And then! She chose to pair it with that choker and full Murphy Brown formal blowout!?!?!?! I am just absolutely slain by delight! RIP me.
