Kerry Washington, Sarah Hyland, And Newcomer Jaimie Alexander Shut Down The Red Carpet At The 2015 Emmys

Jon Hamm finally got his trophy (sure, Don Draper had to get sucked into a hippie cult in the process, but hey!) and Viola Davis made history as the first black woman to win the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series award, but save for those two moments, the 2015 Emmys were about as titillating as a trip to the DMV. Yes, Andy Samberg hit some high notes during his opening monologue, but much of the material thereafter fell flat. The same could be said of the red carpet: few gowns truly dazzled in that I-just-held-my-breath way. Yes, some ladies looked quite beautiful, but they tended to play it safe in the fashion front, and expected hardly makes for a good red carpet showing.

Still, three ladies really did blow me away: Scandal star Kerry Washington and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Blindspot actress Jaimie Alexander.

Washington dazzled in a silver metallic dot lace Marc Jacobs Spring 2016 dress that had been showcased during New York Fashion Week only three days earlier. A deviation from her usual colorful fare, the form-fitting, semi-sheer dress featured all-over sequins for added shimmer, a V-shaped neckline, elbow-length sleeves, a flirty side slit, and a leaf-shaped embellishments adding strength to the shoulders and adorning the scalloped hemline, where they were cleverly layered to create a metallic ombré effect.

As for Alexander, she was the real show-stopper for me in a body-hugging, long-sleeved, sequined Armani Privé gown in shades of teal, purple, cobalt, violet and red. Her dress was so adventurous that, most likely, it will land her on a few “Worst Dressed” lists but those folks will likely argue that Sofia Vergara deserves a spot on the “Best Dressed” list despite wearing arguably the most blasé gown in all of her personal red carpet history (yes, as a Vergara fan, I was deeply disappointed!).

Sarah Hyland, meanwhile, stole the show from her Modern Family co-stars in a burgundy red Zac Posen gown with an off-the-shoulder Bardot neckline (one of the biggest trends for the evening) and a mermaid-like silhouette. Her choppy lob added a youthfulness to the look, which might otherwise have registered as a bit severe for such a young actress but, most importantly, the fit of the gown was simply impeccable.