Gilded Glamour: A Deep Dive Into Fashion Trends at the Emmys
By: Parisa Nosrati, Assistant Editorial Director Edited by: Olena Conrad
From Zendaya’s dress dripping in crystals to Selena Gomez clad in gold Louis Vuitton, the Emmys red carpet this year brought us Old Hollywood class and a more understated elegance. The Emmys is a black tie event, meaning attendees are typically less experimental than other awards shows. However, the prevalence of silk, slip dresses and a blinding amount of gold tell us that the Emmys are a hub for understanding current fashion trends.
We saw many colors at this year’s Emmys, with a lot of understated blacks and whites, softer pastels, and of course, crystal and gold. All of these garments, though different styles, portray a similar trend of elegance and exude an old glam look.
For example, Olivia Munn wore a simple long black dress, which shared a similar cut and style to Selena Gomez’s gold look—both strapless dresses with tight bodices that almost fell off the body near the bottom. The style shows that despite the bold versus the understated color, the simplicity of a straight fitting strapless dress is consistently powerful.
Strapless dresses first appeared in the 1930s, but were made popular about a decade later, primarily by Christian Dior. Now, we see strapless fashion all around us, especially with the rise in popularity of tube tops. Tube tops have been popular since the 1970s, and have held similar controversies to strapless dresses for having a somewhat naked look. Strapless fashion remaining popular this year challenges society’s view of modest womanhood and reflects a sense of liberation. However, these garments are typically seen on thin model-esque bodies, and it seems as though society is still working on body inclusivity in the fashion world.
Florence Pugh’s look incorporated more of a lavender pastel color, quite similar to Sarah Pidgeon’s. Pugh’s look felt very whimsical, with meshy fabric falling off of her shoulders on the sleeves and down the back of the dress. Pidgeon’s look had a similar effect, with jewels around her neckline and a looser fitting dress. Both are classy and elegant, with a little pop of something different. Pidgeon’s dress was classic Chanel, an elegant, simple, well-fitting dress. However, Pugh’s Vivienne Westwood look was a shock, for Westwood’s looks are typically more experimental and over the top. The shift into this more understated style this year shows the value of a simple dress with a fantastical embellishment.
After World War I, women began to reject the corset figure of garments and moved towards more comfortable shapes that allowed more movement. We still see minimalist fashion often even when we don’t notice it, with more basic neutral colors and less accessorizing. We saw this grow even more in popularity after the “clean girl” trend, with athleisure and basic tees or tanks becoming more popular than flamboyant fashion.
Along with Old Hollywood styles, the ‘90s are also so back, and this was widely shown on the carpet this year. Many celebrities, Sarah Pidgeon included, were clad in satin slip dresses and minimalist silhouettes. Quinta Brunson, Elle Fanning and even Zendaya all embraced ‘90s fashion with slip style dresses. All were very different styles, but had the same loose fitting yet flattering look.
Vogue popularized the slip dress in the 1930s, but it got lost in all the fashion of the decades to follow—until the ‘90s rolled around. The resurgence of the slip dress came with stars like Madonna and Courtney Love sporting them. This highlights a huge trend we’ve been seeing across all the popular styles this year: comfortable chic.
The ‘90s are mainly remembered by grungey aesthetics and more loose, oversized garments, as well as certain minimalistic aspects. We see these details in modern trends, and they almost go hand in hand with older decades as well, especially regarding the more simple closet staples. A basic tee with low-rise straight jeans is reminiscent of the past, and remains a timeless look.
While the Emmys are not revered as a night of fashion, the pieces worn on the red carpet further encapsulate our current fashion era. Understanding the impact of Old Hollywood glamour on the fashion industry today makes it that much more exciting to defy modern day trends.
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