The overall tone of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards was heavily retro -- replete with Dick Clark, Barry Manilow and "Dynasty" actors -- but the red carpet had plenty of new trends to keep it from looking stuck in the past.
Busty is the New Black
Almost every actress was feeling proud of her bodacious curves on the red carpet, from peeps of cleavage to borderline peep-show. Virgina Madsen, in a black lace Kevan Hall dress, left little to the imagination in a dress cut to there. Megan Mullally wore a conservative long-sleeve navy dress from Badgley Mischka that had an unexpected plunging neckline and model-thin Ellen Pompeo looked busty in her strapless purple Dior gown. Even Simon Cowell got in on the plunging look with an unbuttoned shirt.
Lacy Looks
Lace is one of those great fabrics that can look either angelic or steamy depending on how it's used. For example, Sarah Chalke wore the lace trend with a sweet ivory gown, while Jaime Pressly turned up the heat in a plum lace Badgley Mischka halter gown. Tyra Banks wore a stunning black lace gown from Georges Chakra gown (valued at $50,000 and complemented by $3.5 million in Chopard jewelry).
Pretty in Purple
The hottest color of the evening was definitely purple: in hues from light lilac (Sandra Oh in Vera Wang) to deep aubergine (Evangeline Lilly). The beauty of purple is how flattering and fresh it looks on a variety of colorings and made up in styles ranging from frilly to tailored.
Big Rings: The New Bling
Forget the diamond necklaces and huge sparkling studs from years past: the new way to shine is with an enormous cocktail ring. Sandra Oh's spun, and Jean Smart and Kyra Sedgwick both matched their rings to their dresses.
Hit and Miss
- Miss: Paula Abdul in a watercolor floral, pearls and (giftwrap?) ribbon in her updo.
- Hit: Katherine Heigl in a sparkly fitted gown from Escada and glamour-girl curls.
- Miss: Sandra Oh destroyed a perfectly gorgeous frock from Vera Wang by piling on Run DMC-worthy gold chains.
- Hit: Heidi Klum -- who is so pretty it's almost unfair that she dresses well, too -- looked radiant in red.
- Miss: Ellen Pompeo tried her hand at looking good in a velvet Dior corset gown and severe hair, but it was a look only an edgier fashionistas like Kate Moss could pull off.
Who was the best-dressed actress at the 2006 Oscars? Just click on the name you want to vote for!6) Ellen Pompeo
7) Heidi Klum
8) Tyra Banks
