If the 2020 Emmys showed us anything, it’s that even celebrity Zooms are awkward AF. But as host Jimmy Kimmel said in his opening monologue: ‘My god, we need fun’.

Thanks to the sartorial efforts of red carpet favourites including Tracee Ellis Ross and Zendaya, we had a moment of escapism and reprieve - and some hope that maybe glitz and glamour and big frocks and jewels may once again be a thing in the future.

This year’s ceremony was, for sure, unprecedented (for a start, E! host Giuliana Rancic sat out the ‘red carpet’ because she tested positive for Covid). With an informal dress code of ‘come as you are, but make an effort’, the event was a combination of IRL at a mostly empty Staples Centre in LA and WFH through a screen from celebrities’ homes. Some, like Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, made appearances at the venue. There was an alpaca. Confused? Same.

Disclaimer: We’re not entirely sure what the heck we are doing here. We LOVE a red carpet recap, but it feels a little underwhelming to be writing about a posed photo of someone in their lounge. How is that different from any other soulless Instagram content? But we’re aware these are, in the words of Jimmy Kimmel, ‘the ‘pand-Emmy’s’, so we are going to attempt to capture the fun and frivolity that everyone deserves. To the fashion...

Dan Levy

The Schitt’s Creek nominees got themselves tested, stayed in isolation until the results came back and buckled in for their own Emmys do in Ontario. Seems a shame this was the year they swept the awards; they seem like they would know how to party in a way Hollywood rarely sees.

Creator Dan Levy has always been open about the way the show uses clothes to tell a story. He has famously explained the hurdles they had to come over in the first few seasons, with no wardrobe budget and a character who needed something resembling a designer wardrobe. This was obviously not a problem by the show's final season, where he was married in a glorious Thom Browne kilt suit. This grey version is a direct throwback to that look.‍

Catherine O’Hara‍

Do we wish she had gone full throttle Moira in feathers and layers and wigs? Sure. But we can’t deny the icon and best actress winner a chance to rock a Valentino gown, and she looks fabulous. And it is Moira Rose black. Extra points for the boots.‍

Tracee Ellis Ross 

Tracee works with one of the best stylists in the biz (Karla Welch) and if you follow her on Instagram, it’s obvious she has a huge appreciation for the process and respects the power of clothing to make a statement. Even if that statement is simply, “I’m fucking fabulous”, like this golden and gorgeous Alexandre Vauthier gown. The matching mask makes it iconic. “OBVIOUSLY we made a mask to match!” wrote Karla on Instagram, “It’s a pandemic people!”‍

Zendaya‍

Zendaya, much like Tracee, has a great relationship with her stylist (Law Roach), which must make the socially distant thing easier. The best actress in a drama series winner also has a deep understanding of the power of fashion, and can pull off pretty much anything.

For her Emmys night, she wore two Fashion (with a capital F) looks: the first from Christopher John Rogers, who summed up her approach to style on Instagram. "So grateful to have individuals who understand the zeitgeist, and navigate getting dressed and presenting themselves in these spaces with glamour, intelligence, and humour - with our work in mind."

Her second look, to accept her win, was a full-on glamour moment in custom Giorgio Armani Prive.‍

Yvonne Orji‍

A fabulous beauty look with a message from the supporting actress nominee and Insecure star.

Hazmat suits‍

Not a red carpet look per se, but an ensemble that will come to define this year’s event: a tuxedo hazmat suit, worn by those who delivered trophies to winners’ homes. #2020‍

Jameela Jamil‍

“No bra? No heels? NO PROBLEM,” she wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of her pyjamas in the lounge look. A sequin Markarian dress worn as a dressing gown adds some glamour. It’s a mood. 

‍Holland Taylor‍

We haven’t seen the full look, but can tell you that it’s great because a) it’s by Prada, b) it’s worn by Holland and c) it’s styled by the aforementioned Karla Welch who has been in a significant long-term working relationship with Sarah Paulson - who has in turn been in a significant long-term relationship with Holland. (Hollywood! About the same size as Auckland, it seems!)

‍Jennifer Aniston‍

Change may be a constant right now, but if there is one thing we can count on, it’s Jen wearing a not particularly memorable black dress to an awards show...but looking amazing while doing it. The best actress in a drama nominee also shared her prep look: a dressing gown by Pour Les Femmes and her “other mask”.‍

Reese Witherspoon‍

We adore Reese, from her iconic and unexpected film and TV choices (Election, Legally Blonde, Cruel Intentions, The Morning Show) to her championing of female-storytelling. But her style can sometimes be a bit of a snore-fest… This LBD by Louis Vuitton is very ‘reliable Reese’: slim-fitting, black, bows. Our favourite thing? Mindy Kaling commenting that “Black Ribbons should be the name of your perfume”. And her Emmy’s lawn party looks extremely fun.

‍Billy Porter‍

Known for their fabulous red carpet looks, Billy brought it with a regal white suit by Ashi Studio and Lorraine Schwartz jewels. “Children, I can’t move my arms but I look cute as hell!” We’re also obsessed with their Chapstick #sponcon.

‍Regina King ‍

The Watchmen star and Emmy winner used her platform to send several messages, accepting her award and encouraging viewers to have a voting plan for the upcoming US elections, while wearing a T-shirt featuring Breonna Taylor’s face under a pink Schiaparelli suit. Earlier, she and her team had created a virtual fashion moment - essentially, a moving photo shoot shared on Instagram.‍

Sandra Oh‍

A casual look with several cool layers: working with longtime stylist Elizabeth Saltzman, Sandra wanted to wear something with a statement and work with a smaller brand. This custom bomber jacket was made with LA-based KORELIMITED, embroidered with the phrase ‘Black Lives are Precious’ in Korean writing alongside other Korean symbols. The lead actress in a drama series nominee told British Vogue, “This is the moment to wear fashion that’s important and sends the right message”. 

‍Laura Linney‍

There’s no ambiguity or mixed messages with this Christian Siriano suit, and we’re here for it. Voting is chic.

‍Paul Mescal ‍

There’s no doubting the Normal People star looks hot, with his new mod hair ‘do and Louis Vuitton suit. The lack of energy in this photo, taken on his stairs at home, perhaps highlights his newbie status on the Hollywood scene; it’s a hard year to be a debutante. 

‍Yara Shahidi‍

It takes a special kind of someone to go from bleaching your moustache in one post to posing with a rock in your next. That special someone is Yara in Prada in her backyard.‍

Issa Rae‍

If ‘fun’ is what the doctor ordered, Issa Rae is here to give us our medicine. A picture of utter joy in custom orange Sergio Hudson, replete with white trainers and a dance so contagiously happy, you wouldn’t know it was filmed in 2020.