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The Emmys red carpet was a jewel box of color and sparkle — with a slice of lemon yellow

Sparkly jewel tones and metallics ruled the red carpet at the Emmys on Sunday. From left, Padma Lakshmi, Sarah Paulson and Angela Bassett.
(Left and center, Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images; right, Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
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The 68th Emmy Awards red carpet may have physically taken place in downtown Los Angeles, but for several hours Sunday, it felt as if the red carpet ran through the middle of a Rodeo Drive gem vault thanks to an abundance of sparkle-embellished gowns, jewel-toned dresses and rich, velvet fabrics.

Among the standouts of the sparkle squad were Shiri Appleby in a bright-blue body-hugging sequin number from Diane von Furstenberg and America Ferrera’s midnight blue sequin embellished strappy gown from the pre-spring/summer 2017 Jenny Packham collection.

Taraji P. Henson in a yellow, double silk georgette column gown with architectural seaming and matching side slit accents by Vera Wang, Ellie Kemper in Jenny Packham and Angela Bassett in Christian Siriano.
Taraji P. Henson in a yellow, double silk georgette column gown with architectural seaming and matching side slit accents by Vera Wang, Ellie Kemper in Jenny Packham and Angela Bassett in Christian Siriano.
(L to R Paul Buck / EPA, Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images, Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press )
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And, while it was far from the dominant color of the evening, the various shades of yellow that came down the red carpet made for the most memorable hue of the night.

Those saying “hello” to shades of yellow included Taraji P. Henson (in Vera Wang), Ellie Kemper (in Jenny Packham) and Emily Robinson in a Carolina Herrera gown in a muted shade that might best be described as lemon sherbet. But the evening’s reigning queen of the canary color was Angela Bassett, who hit the red carpet in a simple, elegant — and exceedingly yellow — gown by Christian Siriano.

But the hands-down stunner of the night — and two-for-one on the trend front — was Sarah Paulson in an emerald-green Prada gown with a plunging neckline that was fully embroidered in variegated crystals, stones, and plexi paillettes.

From left: Laverne Cox, Claire Danes, Heidi Klum and Padma Lakshmi
From left: Laverne Cox, Claire Danes, Heidi Klum and Padma Lakshmi
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times, left and center; Al Seib / Los Angeles Times, right )

It’s hardly a jewelry box without precious metals, and among those going for gold were Laverne Cox in Naeem Khan and Claire Danes in a glittery gold Schiaparelli. The night was not without its stunners in silver either. Heidi Klum’s custom diamond pavé silk-crepe cutout gown from Michael Kors Collection was technically white but sparkled like silver under the lights, and Padma Lakshmi’s liquid silver Naeem Khan gown made her look like she was sheathed in mercury.

Emmys 2016 best and worst dressed >>

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It wasn’t all baubles and bling, though, there was also a sizable contingent that took a page from the old Hollywood glamour playbook. They included Tracee Ellis Ross in a custom one-shoulder cream silk cady evening dress with hand-pleated and hand-draped silk chiffon overlay and silk charmeuse inlays; Tori Kelly in a black velvet mermaid gown with sweetheart neckline by Paule Ka; Niecy Nash in a white strapless gown by Christian Siriano that was pure, unadulterated glamour; and one of the evening’s best-dressed men, Rami Malek, in a white Christian Dior tuxedo jacket and black bow tie.

From left: Tracee Ellis Ross, Tori Kelly, Niecy Nash and Rami Malek.
From left: Tracee Ellis Ross, Tori Kelly, Niecy Nash and Rami Malek.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times; Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press, right )

Speaking of the best-dressed, the evening’s standouts — on-trend or off — included the aforementioned Paulson, presenter Priyanka Chopra, who lighted up social media when she stepped out of her limousine in a red one-shoulder dress by Jason Wu and Brian Atwood sandals custom-dyed to match.

For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me @ARTschorn.

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