Fashion Watch

Emmys - Part 1

At the Emmys, Red was Best. Many women wore red, and every single one of them looked fabulous.

Chandra Wilson

Edie Falco in Kevan Hall

Jane Kaczmarek

Heidi Klum in Michael Kors

Purple was also popular, with far more varied results.

Evangeline Lilly looked fabulous in simple Versace…

…and Leah Remini brought just about the right amount of va va voom…

…while Cheryl Hines looked simply too skinny in her wrapped gown by Georges Chakra…

…and super-skinny Ellen Pompeo tried to appear less stick like in strapless crushed velvet Dior, and instead scored the first complete dud of the evening. Also, her hair looks horrible and no one is convinced by that cleavage…

Moving on to the blues, Megan Mullally, as per usual, looked fabulous in deep blue with a deep neck by Badgley Mishka.

Jean Smart’s run at cleavage creation wasn’t nearly so successful, and I rarely find that crushed look appealing.

I really want to love Sandra Oh’s Vera Wang gown, mainly because the colour is stunningly beautiful, but there’s just a bit too much going on between the ruffles and the beads to warrant a definitive thumbs up.

Blythe Danner’s aqua gown was certainly bright, but not unsuccessful.

While Jamie Lynn Sigler continued her good run, in a beautiful strapless lacy dress.

Emmys - Part 2

As usual in recent years, flesh tones were also popular. Janel Maloney’s show may be over, but it was nominated, so I would have thought it warranted a gown rather than a cocktail frock. I like the dress in and of itself, just not for this event.

While Kyra Sedgwick’s Armani gown was the opposite, just a fraction too much.

Sarah Chalke’s gown was very girly, while Lisa Edelstein’s Marchesa number was sleek, and both were successful. Though I'm not sure about Dr Cuddy's heavy black shoes.

However Jennifer Morrison fell for the half-slip con. Ignoring her overdone hair, had the lining of her Herve Leger dress reached the floor I would have liked it, but as it was, it just looked ugly.

Mary Lynne Rajskub’s strapless dress threatened to overwhelm her, while Katherine Heigl’s boobs threatened to overwhelm her Escada dress, as dress which left very little to the imagination.

Judy Reyes art deco gown and sleek hair was an understated winner.

When flesh tones gave way to sparkles there were once again mixed results. Jennifer Love Hewitt moved away from her 50s obsession with her curvaceous Collette Dinnigan gown, even if her hair remains horrifically overdone.

However Kate Walsh looked spray-painted.

Lorraine Bracco managed to look both age-appropriate and attractively risky.

Portia de Rossi and Alfre Woodard were both charming in well-cut browns, Rossi's by Zac Posen.

Felicity Huffman was also in simple brown by Monique Lhuillier, a gown that said “I’m not nominated but I still have a tonne of class”.

Layered ruffles are notoriously difficult to pull off, and both Alison Janney (in Elie Saab) and Debra Messing (in Alberta Ferretti) risked it. I think they almost worked, Janney because of the colour and her height, and Messing because I just always thrilled to see her with meat on her bones that I can forgive a lot.

Emmys - Part 3

Cleavage wars continued: Virginia Madsen too much, Kim Raver too little, and Mary McCormack too lacking in support (which was a shame given the gorgeous colour of her dress).

When it came to white, I much preferred Julia Louis Dreyfus’s smooth lines (Narciso Rodriguez, natch) and Helen Mirren’s unruffled layers to Eva Longoria’s Jason Wu pouf.

I was bored by Jamie Pressly’s maroon lace even if it was custom made by Badgley Mishka, and Stockard Channing’s same old, same old black off-the-shoulder gown.

I was meh about the black with new-mother-figure-disguising-details gowns of Tina Fey (Valentino) and Mariska Hargitay (Carolina Herrera).

However they were both more impressive than pregnant Christa Miller’s decision to wear an orange tent.

When it came to simplicity in black I thought the winners were Calista Flockhart (Derek Lam), Jessica Walter, Amy Poehler and Lisa Kudrow (Valentino).

Very few could have pulled off the horizontal-wrapped Georges Chakra gown that Tyra Banks wore, but somehow she has the curve-embracing personality to do it.

And finally, in a turn-up for the books Paula Abdul’s gown did not embarrass her, even if her hair-style did.

Even if you Trust the Man, don't trust the stylist

Apparently the Wicked Witch of the Fashion World put a spell on the premiere of Trust the Man.

How else does one explain Maggie Gyllenhaal, who looked so great at the premiere of World Trade Center earlier in the week, electing to wear an oddly patterned brown dress with the texture of a garbage bag?

Or the usually delightful Julianne Moore wearing a dress of a lovely colour and length but which was unfortunately bib-like and insufficiently boob concealing in the bodice?

Or Eva Mendes wearing an unflatteringly coloured, unflatteringly bunching gown and an overblown hair style?

Or, for that matter, Billy Crudup’s moustache or James Le Gros’s bug eyes?