Bold hues and cool cutouts stand out on Emmys red carpet

By Melissa Fares and Piya Sinha-Roy

(Reuters) – Striking hues and subtle cutouts grabbed the spotlight on the red carpet at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, as television’s stars managed to stay cool in the Los Angeles heat.

Dresses in various jewel tones dominated the carpet, such as “UnREAL” star Shiri Appleby’s cobalt sequinned Diane von Furstenberg column dress.

“It just felt like it was really fresh and really fun,” Appleby told Reuters on the red carpet.

America Ferrera, one of the award presenters of the night, also wore a deep blue, strapped sequin dress by Jenny Packham, an outfit that won praise on social media.

“Transparent” nominee Melora Hardin wore a cobalt blue Zac Posen gown, while model-actress Emily Ratajkowski wore a navy structured Posen gown.

Yellow and red gowns confirmed the stars’ penchant for primary colors at television’s top honors.

“American Horror Story” star Angela Bassett wore a mustard yellow Christian Siriano gown, “Empire” Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson opted for a canary yellow custom Vera Wang column dress while “Quantico” actress Priyanka Chopra spun and smiled for photographers in her red Jason Wu dress, with cutouts on the shoulder and waist.

“What stood out to me was some of these more modern dresses,” said Rickie De Sole, W Magazine’s fashion market and accessories director.

“There were also a lot of people doing cutouts – some doing them better than others,” De Sole added, pointing to Tracee Ellis Ross’ spot-on Ralph Lauren look.

“Orphan Black” nominee Tatiana Maslany also opted for subtle cutouts in her red Alexander Wang dress, while “Mr Robot” actress Portia Doubleday’s red long-sleeved gown featured a plunging central cutout.

And then there were those who turned to the black dress, despite the unseasonably hot day.

“Game of Thrones” actress Sophie Turner opted for a black lace Valentino dress, telling Reuters, “It’s beautiful and gorgeous.”

“Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland bucked the trend for dresses, wearing black pants and a strapless trained top by Monique Lhuillier. “Fargo” nominee Kirsten Dunst opted for a plunging beaded black Givenchy number, while pregnant “Scandal” star Kerry Washington wore a black Brandon Maxwell gown with cutouts.

“It’s great to see her (Washington) support a young designer,” said De Sole.

Eric Wilson, fashion news director at InStyle, highlighted the “the metallic and hyper-textured look” as a head-turning trend, demonstrated by Heidi Klum in a silver Michael Kors dress and Claire Danes, nominated for best actress for drama “Homeland,” in a gold Schiaparelli gown.

“I want to see more of that,” Wilson said.

(Reporting by Melissa Fares in New York and Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken)