Gear up for tonight’s big show by judging what TV’s biggest stars wore to the pre-Emmy Awards parties this weekend. 

KIERNAN SHIPKA at the Emmy nominees party
dress by Delpozo, shoes by Christian Louboutin

Sally motherfucking Draper, you guys. I am such a broken record every time Kiernan Shipka hits the red carpet, because I am completely and fully obsessed with everything about her. But how could I not be? She’s a phenomenally talented actress, and her red carpet style is as prodigious  as her acting. Look at this adorable little scalloped dress. The burgundy/peach color combo is of-the-moment and cool as hell, but the silhouette couldn’t be sweeter. It’s that perfect mix of grown-up chicness and youthful cuteness that makes Kiernan so unstoppably flawless. Also, the T-strap Louboutins are simply classic.

KIERNAN SHIPKA at the BAFTA party
dress by Valentino

I can’t even imagine how tired these stars must be by the end of Emmys weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t pity the rich, beautiful people who get to party all weekend. But Kiernan Shipka is thirteen years old, and she’s already hit two parties in two different outfits in one night, and still has to rest up for the big event tonight. Here’s to a big-ass nap tomorrow, Kiernan! You’ve earned it. Oh, and you’re positively killing it in green.

ALI LARTER at the EW party
dress by Oscar de la Renta

The eyeliner is just a bit too much, but I love everything else about this look. Actually, the purposefully split seam on the sleeve is bothering the hell out of me, but everything else really is flawless. I love the striping effect combined with the lace, and I think this silhouette is supremely delicious on Ali. By far the best she’s looked on the red carpet in quite some time.

SARAH HYLAND at the BAFTA party
dress by Robert Rodriguez, purse by Judith Leiber, shoes by Jimmy Choo

Fucking FINALLY, the oldest Modern Family daughter found a look that works for her. It’s hard to go wrong with a monochrome look and a topknot when you’re young and gorgeous, but I just love the straps and neckline on this dress, and the skirt is delightful.

DWYANE WADE at the EW party
suit by Valentino

I have a soft spot for D. Wade because my old college roommate loves him to death, but I’ve only recently come to realize that he’s got some seriously fantastic style. I love seeing men wear colorful formalwear on the red carpet, and Dwyane proves that it’s not just for scrawny little hipster boys anymore. The dainty slippers are almost hilarious on a dude his size, but sort of in a great way – I’ll never be a fan of tassels, but at least the man is willing to take a risk on the red carpet.

STACY KEIBLER at the Hollywood Reporter party
dress by Pamella Roland

It’s maybe a touch too high-fashion-bitch – all that black combined with the slicked-back hair and dark lips is very Rooney Mara, and Stacy Keibler is no Rooney Mara. But it’s several steps above her usual fare, which tends towards the boring and predictable. At least this gives us an element of surprise.

JULIE BOWEN at the Emmy nominees party
gown by Oscar de la Renta, shoes by Rupert Sanderson

Pretty, but I feel like she’s got two looks she wears over and over again: gowns that look exactly like this, and short sparkly metallic dresses.

KERRY WASHINGTON at the BAFTA party
dress by Giambattista Valli, purse by Nancy Gonzalez, shoes by Jean-Michel Cazabat

Love the purse and the shoes to pieces, but I’m not convinced they actually go with this dress. I also think that thick waistband obscures Kerry’s beautiful figure rather than enhancing it.

CLAIRE DANES at the Showtime party
dress by Lanvin

The length is problematic, and she’s worn very similar Lanvin dresses a few too many times before for me to really appreciate this. But the lady looks classy and chic as always.

MICHELLE DOCKERY at the BAFTA party
dress by Erdem, shoes by Christian Louboutin

You have to give it up for the porcelain-skinned woman who dares to wear white and yellow, because those colors can wash out a pale lady very easily. I think the crazy abstract print on this dress is cool, and I like the yellow shoes, but something about the look as a whole just doesn’t quite come together for me. I think it’s the purse and the lipstick that don’t really go with the rest of the outfit.

COBIE SMULDERS at the EW party
dress by Valentino

This dress is spectacular on Cobie, and the accessories are appropriately simple to let that print do all the talking. Go on and get it, Robin Scherbatsky.

JESSICA PARÉ at the EW party
dress by Oscar de la Renta

It’s lovely enough, but Megan Draper often takes some fun risks on the red carpet, so I was a bit disappointed to see her in this look. Don’t get me wrong, I like the old Hollywood homage, but I prefer when Jessica puts a little modern spin on her classic looks.

ALLISON WILLIAMS at the BAFTA party
dress by Oscar de la Renta, shoes by Jimmy Choo

It’s an adorable look. For Kiernan Shipka, not Allison Williams. Not that a woman my age can’t wear florals and polka dots, just . . . not like this. And not with pink shoes. Unless she is, in fact, a Barbie doll.

ALLISON WILLIAMS at the Hollywood Reporter party
dress by Chloé

The rule of simple black dresses: WEAR COOL SHOES WITH THEM. ALWAYS. There is no better place for a crazy or funky or surprising pair of shoes than with an LBD, because there’s no danger of looking like you’ve piled on way too much crap. Also, that hair is a problem, girl.

CRYSTAL REED at the BAFTA party
dress by Carolina Herrera, shoes by Manolo Blahnik

Michelle Obama rocked this dress earlier this summer; it might have been a bit too youthful for her, but I’m not sure I like it much better on 28-year-old Crystal Reed, who looks about 14 here. It’s hard not to look like a little girl when you’re literally wrapped in bows.

GABRIELLE UNION at the EW party
dress by Pierre Balmain, purse by Jimmy Choo, shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti

Love the idea; hate the execution. The bustline falls a full few inches below where her breasts actually end, creating a droopy-boob effect that flatters absolutely no one. The slit is killer and her legs look amazing, but I wish the dress were an inch or two shorter – the proportions would work much better.

JANUARY JONES at Vanity Fair‘s Mad Men party
dress by Parker

Mad Men ladies – get it together and stop letting your thirteen-year-old costar outdress you at every single event. This is such a half-assed look, I can barely critique it. At least the hair is chic, but nothing else is really working for me.

TEYONAH PARRIS at Vanity Fair‘s Mad Men party
gown by Hervé Léger by Max Azria, purse by L.K. Bennett, shoes by Ruthie Davis

The hair and makeup are so flawless, I can’t even handle it. But I’m never going to like an Herve Leger bandage dress. Ever. So Hollywood, please just let this trend finally die.

HOLLAND RODEN at the EW party
dress by Georges Chakra, shoes by Stuart Weitzman

I want to like this, but it needs to be said – she is way too overdressed for this event. Who the hell wears couture to a pre-party? Even at the Emmy Awards, couture would be a little extreme – it’s best to save that shit for the Oscars, the Met Gala, and maybe a Cannes Film Festival opening or closing ceremony. To whip it out at an Entertainment Weekly party? That’s just absurd.

JENNIFER MORRISON at the EW party
dress by Dolce & Gabbana, purse by Jimmy Choo, shoes by Giuseppe Zanotti

 

I don’t even know what to do with this one any more. Every time Jennifer Morrison leaves the house, she ends up on my worst dressed list. The poor girl clearly cannot find a stylist who doesn’t hate her with a fiery passion, because she continues to show up to red carpet events wearing Project Runway rejects.

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© Democracy Diva, 2013.
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