The Emmys used to be seen as an early dress rehearsal for the seriously overloaded awards-season style gantlet that starts in January. But no longer.
Two of fashion's biggest red carpet stars —
Those names alone should ensure a frenzy of red carpet chatter.
"I used to say it was the
What's more, this year the
"We know stylists like to have the newest collection at their disposal," said Sahar Sanjar, founder of the fashion public relations firm La Chambre, adding that many of her designer clients (
That doesn't mean red carpet watchers will see Fashion Week standouts such as the dominatrix-lite harness dresses from
On the other hand, that doesn't mean Wu won't be represented. Pre-awards talk among fashion publicists around town already had one of the prime "gets" — Allison Williams of HBO's
Another New York designer recognized for his youthful elegance,
Waknin ticked off a list of New York designers with potential red carpet placement: Donna Karan ("she has a whole new team"),
That's in addition to the expected international names, such as
As far as trends go, everyone agrees that the Emmy red carpet likes color, and, according to Film Fashion publicist Blizzard, "jewel tones are always popular." From the recent New York shows, there's also a preference for the cooler tones of purple, teal and sea foam.
It's unlikely that many actresses will break the long-gown custom to wear a short dress, even though it's a perennial topic of conversation. Nonetheless, local designer David Meister says he always loves to see an actress "wear a major cocktail dress with a sick shoe."
Indeed, at last year's Emmys, that combination of mini and distinctive footwear was worn by nominee
And that kind of individuality shouldn't be overlooked, according to Sasha Charnin Morrison, fashion director for Us Weekly. "When it's all starting to blend into one thing, it's exciting to see something unexpected or some designer we never thought would be red carpet material."