What would a major Hollywood awards show – Globes, Oscars, SAGs, Grammys, American Music Awards – and this weekend’s Emmy’s – be without swag suites before the big night? It’s a tradition as deeply embedded as partying after the big show. The Emmy suites around town kicked off yesterday, and all kinds of stars – high and low – turned up for free stuff – cause who doesn’t like swag? It’s a win win situation: the pr’s get photos of stars with their brands, the stars get free stuff that they often give away to their maids – but who cares? It’s still fun, and one of the best parts of being a celeb. At the “Only You Can Save the Energy” green suite at the London Hotel, Elisha Cuthbert was making her way through the merch, while Kourtney Kardashian posed for as many pics as she was able to. Celebs traditionally dress down for these things, so they don’t appear like spoiled greedy glamour-pusses. Over at Kari Feinstein’s Primetime Emmy Awards lounge at the Montage (with designer Cynthia Rowley), there was a pretty A list turn out: Anne Heche, Christina Ricci and Felicity Huffman. It’s a good weekend for tv stars to make out like bandits! They’ll be getting free face scrubs, body scrubs, hair blow-outs, manicures, massages, tanning – so they can look good at what could be three parties a night starting tonight.

Things are going to pick up fashion-wise, friends! There’s a host of major Emmy parties and beauty suites, etc, about to kick in in anticipation of Sunday’s awards show – the first of the new season (swiftly followed by MTV Awards). Here’s a list of many that are going on around town, and we will try to show you the best looks from all of them. Fall clothes – in 85 degrees. We feel sorry for some of the nominees – but then again, we don’t.

FRIDAY AUGUST 27TH
What: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Performers Nominee Reception
When: Friday, Aug. 27
Where: Spectra, Pacific Design Center
The Academy will celebrate this year’s nominees by awarding them certificates at this annual Friday-before-the-Emmys bash.

What: Entertainment Weekly and Women in Film 2010 Primetime Emmy Party presented by L’Oreal
When: Friday, Aug. 27
Where: Sunset Marquis Hotel
EW and WIF honor the 2010 female Primetime Emmy nominees with the help of presenting sponsor L’Oreal and sponsor Vitamin Water. Hollywood luminaries along with past and present nominees are expected. There will definitely be some good new looks at this one.

SATURDAY AUGUST 28
What: The Art of Elysium’s Second Annual Genesis Event
When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 9 p.m.
Where: Milk Studios, Hollywood
Genesis is a celebration of emerging talent. The evening will feature an original video art installation by Davida Nemeroff as well as live performances by Butch Walker with Jake Sinclaire, Fitz & the Tantrums and DJ Chris Holmes. And this one always gets movie stars, socialites, stylists and some serious good fashion.

What: BAFTA/LA TV Tea Party
When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Hyatt Regency Century Plaza
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles hosts its eighth annual TV Tea Party — with tea sandwiches and crumpets galore -plus tv stars, heavy on the Brit factor.

What: MPTF Evening Before party
When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 8 p.m.
Where: Century Park, Century City
The Evening Before is held annually the night before the Emmy Awards to benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund. This one will be heavy on the industry crowd – stars might pop in for a minute.

What: NBC Universal’s Emmy Party
When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 8:30 p.m.-midnight
Where: Spago
This is probably where most of the celebs will show up – and that means, they’ve hired stylists and will be wearing very chic cocktail looks from fall or resort.

What: Showtime’s 2010 Emmy Nominee Reception
When: Saturday, Aug. 28, 6:30-9 p.m.
Where: Skybar at Mondrian
Showtime’s Matt Blank, David Nevins, starsEdie Falco, Toni Collette and the casts of “Nurse Jackie,” “United States of Tara” and
“Dexter” are expected. And perhaps Mary Louise Parker from “Weeds” and Laura Linney of “The C Word.” In another words, the power cable crowd – looking chic – but somewhat serious.

SUNDAY AUGUST 29TH
What: 62nd Annual Governors Ball
When: Sunday, Aug. 29
Where: L.A. Convention Center, West Hall
The granddaddy of all the Emmy parties — 3,600 guests are expected at what is recognized as the largest annual formal dinner in the U.S.— takes place in the L.A. Convention Center. Expect all Emmy winners, nominees and presenters to show up – for exactly ten minutes. They will be in various degrees of black tie.

What: Comedy Central Emmy Party
When: Sunday, Aug. 29
Where: The Colony, Hollywood
Comedy Central talent and the comedy community will come together to celebrate Emmy night at a new venue, the Colony, which
features a outdoor lounge space. Do comedians and funny people dress well? Just ask Sarah Silverman. Not a lot of fashion expectation for this one.

What: Entertainment Tonight Emmy Party at Vibiana
When: Sunday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
Where: Vibiana, downtown Los Angeles
Grammy winner Cyndi Lauper will perform at the ET party, taking place for the second year at Vibiana, while DJ Samantha Ronson will spin. This one will get more industry types than celebs – and women wear two types of looks: something chic and black, or something just God awful like a strapless prom dress.

What: HBO Emmy Party
When: Sunday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
Where: Fountain Plaza at the Pacific Design Center
Date: Sunday, August 29, 2010
There’s a major beauty element here: a Laura Mercier Cosmetics Make-up Lounge and Oscar Blandi Hair Styling Lounge.

What: 2010 Twentieth Television/Fox/FX Emmy Awards Party
When: Sunday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m.
Where: Cicada, downtown

The casts and creative teams of “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “House” and “American Idol” will celebrate to the sounds of live music.

For those of you who were NOT up at 5:30 am Los Angeles Time – as many reporters were – the Emmy Nominations were announced then, by Joel McHale and Sofia Vergara (who got a supporting nom for her show “Modern Family”). The Emmy’s will play live on both coasts on August 29th, 2010, on NBC, hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

Here’s a list of the lead actresses in comedy, drama and mini-series, that designers will want to be sending sketches, lookbooks and videos to TODAY:

Best Actress in a TV Comedy Series:

• Lea Michelle, Glee
• Julia Louis Dreyfuss, The New Adventures of Old Christine
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreations
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• Toni Colette, The United States of Tara

(What’s interesting here is that ex-SNL buddies Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are competing in the same category. Our money is on Lea Michelle to be most glamourous on the red carpet.)

 

Best Actress in a TV Drama:

• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
• Glenn Close, Damages
• Connie Brixton, Friday Night Lights
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
• Mariska Hargitay, Law and Order SVU
• January Jones, Mad Men

(Of course, January Jones will be the most gorgeously dressed in this category – and “Mad Men” comes back July 25th, and we are counting the days.)

 

Best Actress in a TV Mini Series or Movie:

• Maggie Smith
• Joan Allen
• Dame Judi Dench
• Hope Davis
• Claire Danes

(Of course, Claire Danes – recently seen at Paris couture – should come home with an amazing dress to wear to the Emmy’s on Aug 29.

What a difference a year makes. Last year at the Emmy’s, in the fall of 2008, Drew Barrymore wore an extremely sexy tight “louche” pale blue dress and that crazy giant “Happy Birthday Mr. President” style hair. She got a tough time for that hair from the press, and also because even at the HBO Emmy party last year – and HBO’s “Grey Gardens” was yet to debut – she seemed – well – a bit tipsy. Or at least, uncertain on her shoes.
This year was a very different picture. Nominated for a Best Actress in a Movie or Miniseries category (she lost to “Grey Gardens” co-star Jessica Lange), Drew was a fairy princess: a ballerina chignon, red lips, very small jewelry (a pearl ring and pearl earrings by Anna Hu Haute Joaillerie), and that frothy pink strapless full-tulle-skirted Monique
L’hullier. That’s a lot of dress for a small person to carry, but she balanced it beautifully, and kept her jewelry and hair and makeup in check with the Dress. And it turned into one of her best visual presentations so far. And not only that – she didn’t do the fishtail sexy look almost every other actress was doing at the Emmy’s. Kudos to her for that, and for going “girly” in an autumn of tough and sexy.

Gucci dressed three celebrities at the Emmy’s last night – and they were all VERY good ones. We haven’t seen this much Gucci action at a major awards show red carpet in a long time – but the fall collection is very very good. We loved Tina Fey’s one of a kind long black silk gown with green and crystal jeweled brooch and her sequin evening shoes. (Her clutch was by VBH.) Her hair was looking very chic, as well. Sure, Tina always wears a black dress to an awards show – after all, she’s a brainy New York chick. But the more money and fame she gets, the better the hair and the black dress become! She’s finally getting the hang of this glamour thing. But smartly, she does not let it overwhelm her personality.
Jon Hamm from “Mad Men” – who did NOT win the Emmy for best actor in a drama – that honor went to “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston – did win best dressed man, however, in his Gucci fall/winter New Manhattan one-button peak lapel tux with white straight evening collor shirt, his black satin bow tie and his black satin lace up shoes. The show “Mad Men” won best drama, though – and Jon Hamm wins best looking man at the Emmy’s, hands down.
His girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt, who’s starring in a show on Broadway right now, wore a very lovely one-of-a-kind seafoam crepe gown with pleated detailing and sequin evening shows. Pretty color.
By the way, “one of a kind” is the equivalent of saying “this is someone we really want to dress.” No doubt, Jon has a “dress me, dress my girlfriend” clause. And it works.

The big winners at the Emmy’s – the big fashion winners, at any case – were Versace, Marchesa and L’Wren Scott. Of course, Versace is a juggernaut, and complete veterans when it comes to dressing celebs on the red carpet. Marchesa has Harvey Weinstein behind them, as his wife is designer Georgian Chapman. But L’Wren Scott? An American based in Paris and London, it’s kind of fabulous that she managed to dress both Kyra Sedgwick and Christina Hendricks. Her clothes aren’t even in that many stores.
Here’s the Versace line up – Jane Krakowski in a fall 2009 gown, Blake Lively in a fall 2009 gown – and then there’s January Jones. Her gown cannot be found on the fall 2009 line up of the Versace show- nor the resort 2010 lineup. That means this dress is either from the upcoming spring 2010 show at the end of this week in Milan – or it’s couture and was made just for her!!!!!!! Either way, January has JUICE to get the hardest-to-get dress of the night!

Let’s face it, there were a lot of great gowns at the Emmy’s last night – Olivia Wilde in Marchesa, Kyra Segwick in red Versace. It’s hard to say that anyone looked particularly wrong or bad – even Drew Barrymore, in a frothy Monique L’hullier – really got it together. We are trying to find something bad to say about SOMEONE, but so far – we can’t. Quelle disappointment! But you cannot dispute the amazing just total CHIC of January Jones in the corseted strapless Versace gown. It’s in that icy cool pale shade of the night – in this case, a very pale green, that you can only really spot in the lines of the deco corsetry of the peplum top. The design of the bodice looks like some Viennese art deco from the age of Klimt or Shiele. And it’s also so simple. January was so smart to wear no necklace, one tiny bracelet, and small earrings – and even light makeup and a simple chignon. She let the dress so the talking – and talk it does. It speaks CHIC. International language that it is.

If you take the media’s word for it, Blake Lively and Leighton Meester are the best dressed girls in the world – look at all their fashion magazine covers. But, when you analyze it, how great have their looks really been on the red carpet? On “Gossip Girl,” they do look pretty spectacular – but that’s daytime New York rich girl fashion, and that’s hard to beat. Lively’s worn clothes to major awards shows that didn’t fit right, with wildly messy hair. But finally, last night at the Emmy’s, where she and Meester were presenters together, Blake Lively got it right. Her red Versace was the hottest of all the hot red dresses at the Nokia Theater. Red was the color of the night – and the one color you wear when you REALLY want attention – but with its plunging neckline and knotted waist that barely kept the whole dress together – it looked like it could come apart in a stiff wind – she was the glamourous sexy starlet you want her to be. And of course, it was by Versace – the same Milanese folk who brought us JLo’s green leaf print barely-held-together dress at the Grammys that made her a star a decade ago. Lively was smart to slick her hair back and wear in the style of a Grecian goddess, and not in that messy tousled bedhead way she’s gone to awards shows before. She worked her body and that dress, and she let them do the heavy lifting. It looked clean, modern, sexy and strong. Perhaps Donatella got in there with her stylist and took control. Whatever happened, we’re glad it did.

However, Leighton Meester went way far overboard in her styling. We love the white Bottega Veneta dress she wore – with its Grecian style knots at the shoulders and open work back detail. White’s a nervy color to wear at an awards show. We know it adds poundage, and the light bounces off it. It looks good on brunettes, true – but Leighton had messy wavy hair which kept bashing into the shoulder detail of the dress – and the bright red lips belonged with another outfit and another hairstyle. Red lips – great. Tousled hair partially up – great. White Bottega gown – great. BUT NOT ALL TOGETHER. These strong details each deserved its own awards show. Leighton was example of trying way too hard. And standing next to Blake in her simple sexy chic, she looked like a wedding cake with too many tiers and a cherry on top.

We really haven’t seen too many impressive designers labels on the Emmy red carpet yet – it’s a lot of Marchesa and Reem Acra. I doubt we’ll be seeing Balmain or Lanvin or Balenciaga or Chanel – they hold out for the Globes and the Oscars. But Kate Walsh clearly gets it. She’s wearing an ice blue J. Mendel, fresh from the spring 2010 show. It’s strapless and close to the body, but it is folded tiers of pintucked chiffon – so beautiful. She’s doing her hair very straight and hip, a choppy bob with a side part – exactly what we saw all the really sharp girls wearing in New York, both off and on the runway. She paired the dress with white Louboutins, but also – a cool thirty dollar bag from Aldo, a mall shop. Now THAT’s style, people. We don’t love “Private Practice” – but we LOVE Kate’s dress and style.