PHOTOS: Which Trends Swept The Emmy Red Carpet?

by Hilary George-Parkin | 11:31 am, September 24th, 2012

While the show itself was not quite the over-the-top spectacle we might have hoped for, the red carpet at the 2012 Emmy Awards did bring a few surprises. For one, two of the most popular colors of the night were the oft-neglected yellow and orange.

From coral to tangerine, the latter hue just kept popping up on the red carpet yesterday evening. Monique Lhuillier supplied two takes on the color: Padma Lakshmi‘s va-va-voom stunner fit the Top Chef host to a T, while Ginnifer Goodwin opted for an embellished gown with a vintage feel. And not one but two of the yellow dresses from the night made our best-dressed list. Julianne Moore‘s Christian Dior Couture was one of the more polarizing looks of the night, but as far as we’re concerned, she and Raf Simons are a total dream team. A sweater/skirt combination in the canary shade may not sound like the wisest choice for the red carpet, but this is one risk that really paid off.

Metallic dresses also made a strong showing this year, with Lucy Liu leading the pack in a Versace disco ball number for which she claimed to have brought pliers along “just in case.” And on the lighter side of things, Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka was Cinderella-chic in custom Zac Posen. Detail-wise, plenty of actresses opted for strapless gowns — a good choice considering it was scorching hot in L.A. yesterday! Also popular were halter necks, which ran the gamut from sporty (Amy Poehler) to seriously sexy (Sofia Vergara, as if you even needed to ask). And as for bling, go big or go home was the message on everyone’s ears. But while Heidi Klum‘s megawatt sparklers crossed the line into Vegas showgirl territory, Jessica Paré executed the look perfectly with a simpler strand of Tiffany & Co. diamonds.