The 16 Best Dressed Ladies At The 2016 Emmys

Even if you have no interest in the television shows that some of these women are in, we guarantee you’re going to love seeing what they were wearing on the red carpet.

The Emmys are one of the biggest award shows of the year, and these 16 women spared no expense in pulling out all the stops to make sure the camera didn’t have to work hard to catch their best angles. Age doesn’t play a factor in this list, whether you’re 53, like Felicity Huffman, in your 40s like Sofia Vergara, in your 20s like Sophie Turner or even younger like Ariel Winter, these women clearly came to play.

You’ll also get some fun tidbits that were revealed, like who made sure to have sex before the show and which stunning woman was sporting some $4 perfume from Whole Foods.

Television is host to some of the sexiest women of all time, so you better be ready to see some gorgeous dresses. Not to mention some of the women, like Kristen Bell, are coming to television with a new series for this upcoming Fall.

What was your favorite outfit from the Emmys? Did it not make the cut? Feel free to share the list on social media.

16. Sofia Vergara

There are definitely some women in Hollywood that absolutely hate the pressure that goes into picking a red carpet outfit. Not the case for Sofia Vergara, who stepped out with an Atelier Versace gown and was adorned with Lorraine Schwartz jewellery.

When talking about the experience, Vergara said “For me, it’s a lot of fun. I am very girly-girl, so I love doing the makeup. I love picking the dress, the colors, everything, working with the designers. Lorraine always creates stuff. I send her the picture of the dress and then she comes out with something. I love the whole process. It’s not a torture for me.”

Considering her husband Joe Manganiello just landed the lucrative lead role in the upcoming Batman film, we’re sure there will be no shortage of elaborate outfits in Vergara’s future.

15. Heidi Klum

Let’s be honest, if you had the abs and body that Heidi Klum has at the age of 43, you’d probably be wearing something similar as well! Klum stunned several people with her Michael Kors designed dress. Who would have thought that one of the best supermodels of all time knows how to dress well?

Project Runway was nominated for an award for Best Reality-Competition Program, but it lost to The Voice. Not afraid to keep herself busy, Klum also works as a judge on the reality show America’s Got Talent.

14. Tatiana Mislay

Tatiana Maslany openly played homage to her home country of Canada when she stepped out with a gorgeous red dress at the Emmys. Perhaps she knew all eyes would be on her, as she took home the award for Lead Actress in a Drama for her role in Orphan Black.

Maslany was nominated for the award last year but was unsuccessful. Perhaps that’s why when she went up to give her speech, she had to read it off her phone as she had not printed it out!

While not pictured above, Maslany attended the event with boyfriend (and fellow actor), Tom Cullen. Her dress was designed by Alexander Wang.

You can imagine winning the award is going to make Maslany feel pretty fantastic when she strolls up to work to begin filming the 5th and final season of Orphan Black.

13. Sophie Turner

Now get ready for a spoiler, Sophie Turner is not the only Game of Thrones woman to make our list. But when you see Emilia Clarke‘s outfit, you can understand why Turner is the first one you’re going to come across.

While Turner was not individually nominated, Game of Thrones did take home several Emmys including Outstanding Drama Series. Turner was styled by Rebecca Corbin-Murray, and when asked about the inspiration, Corbin-Murray said “We wanted to put her in something that would frame her beauty, something very pared down and elegant, sort of no fuss. We went with a really simple, elegant black Valentino gown.”

Turner is only 20 years old, so you can imagine as she continues to get older, she’ll be getting more elaborate with her designs. For now, it’s a beautiful and simple look at that helped make her stand out at the Emmys.

12. Felicity Huffman

William H. Macy made sure the world knew just how sexy he thought his wife Felicity Huffman was on the red carpet at the Emmys. The two have been married since 1997 and were photographed flirting back and forth on the carpet, including Macy grabbing hold of Huffman’s rear!

The dress worn by Huffman was designed by Tony Ward and shows that being gorgeous clearly doesn’t mean having to show off too much skin.

Huffman was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie for American Crime, whereas Macy was nominated for Oustanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Shameless. While neither took home an award, we’re sure they still had a memorable night.

11. Ariel Winter

When you take a look at Ariel Winter‘s dress above, you may think that it looks familiar. Perhaps because earlier in the month Kylie Jenner was seen stepping out in town in an almost identical gown for the start of New York Fashion Week. Winter lengthened the dress, but the dress was also designed by Yousef Al-Jasmi.

When talking about her inspiration, Winter said “It’s sparkly. I feel really good in it! I saw it, I tried it on and was like, ‘This is what I want to wear.’ And that was that.”

Considering how amazing Winter looks in the outfit, we can understand why it was such an easy decision.

10. Viola Davis

Viola Davis is outstanding in her television series How To Get Away With Murder, but sadly she was unable to take home the award for Oustanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

It’s a good thing she’s got her husband, Julius Tennon, by her side to help console her! Davis stepped out with a Marchesa dress, Harry Winston Jewels, Stuart Weitzman shoes and a bag by Alexandra Ellis. It’s clear by her decision to go with a bright pink dress that she was completely comfortable having all eyes on her for the night.

9. Sarah Paulson

There were a lot of stunning outfits at the Emmys, but perhaps none made other women green with envy more than Sarah Paulson’s. She must have known she was going to win the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie!

Paulson was captivating as her portrayal of Marcia Clark in the television series The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. 

Clark was present at the event, and after receiving her award, Paulson invited Clark to the specialized area where the Emmys get engraved. As a touching tribute, Paulson had Clark’s name added to the Emmy.

8. America Ferrera

America Ferrera may have come to prominence for her role in Ugly Betty, but one look at the above photo and it’s clear that there is no way she could pass as an ugly character without a great deal of CGI or makeup!

Ferrera may not have been nominated for any awards, but her television show Superstore is still just getting its feet under it and is getting solid reviews.

It’s definitely clear by looking at her that Ferrera is in good shape, but just in case you had any doubt, she took to Instagram the previous day to show photos of her completing a triathlon!

7. Niecy Nash

Niecy Nash may have come up short in her quest to win Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (losing to Kate McKinnon), but it’s hard to imagine anyone from that category looking nearly as nice as Nash did.

Nash was nominated for her work on the HBO series Getting On. When it came to the dress that she was getting on, Nash chose a Christian Siriano dress, Charlotte Olympia Shoes, and various pieces of designer jewelry. Nash told interviewers that the dress was one she had designed many years ago, and was thrilled with the end result.

Nash also admitted on the red carpet that prior to the award show, that her husband Jay Tucker made sure to have some intimate time, saying “He always makes sure that I have champagne. That I’m well taken care of in the, you know, ‘right way.'”

Tucker was not present for the comment, causing him to exclaim “Baby! You told them that?”

6. Padma Lakshmi

While we are sure there are fans who wish she showed off more skin, it’s hard to be disappointed in how amazing Lakshmi looked at the Emmys. After all, who says you can’t pull off a full-body gown at the Emmy awards?

Padma Lakshmi is the current host of Top Chef, so perhaps making sure she’s always surrounded by delicious and healthy foods helps keep her in tip-top shape!

Speaking of food, Lakshmi opened up to E! that her date had made sure to have strategically placed snacks hidden throughout his suit in case she got hungry!

Lakshmi’s dress is designed by Naeem Khan.

5. Laverne Cox

When Laverne Cox was interviewed on the red carpet prior to the Emmys, she could not help but gush about her love of Queen B. Cox opened up, saying “People have been asking me who I’m excited to see tonight, and Beyoncé’s actually nominated in that category for Lemonade… There’s a slight chance that Beyoncé wins, and I could be giving her her first Emmy.”

Sadly for Cox, Beyoncé did not come out on top, but Cox still made the top of many people’s best-dressed lists with her stunning gold ensemble. The dress was done by Naeem Khan and featured several different designers pieces of jewelry.

4. Abigail Spencer

Prior to the Emmys, Abigail Spencer took to Instagram to voice just how excited she was to be attending and presenting an award. That may be why she spared no expense, stepping onto the red carpet wearing a Jenny Packham gown and a Judith Leiber clutch. As you can also tell, she’s adorned with jewelry from Irene Neuwirth.

Spencer is no stranger to outstanding television roles, having appeared in Suits, Rectify, True Detective and she is currently filming a new series Timeless.

3. Kristen Bell

Kristen Bell‘s most successful role may be Anna in Frozen, so maybe that’s why she chose a dress that seemed like it could be straight out of a Disney movie. But while she went big with a dress like that, Bell also kept things real simple when it came to her perfume. She admitted in an interview that she was wearing the lovely scent of…Amber oil, that she gets at Whole Foods, she went on to say “It’s this little bottle that says ‘amber’ on it. Four dollars.”

Talk about a bargain! You may be seeing a lot more of Kristen Bell at the Emmys, as her newest sitcom The Good Place is set to debut at the end of September and is getting fantastic early reviews. The series also stars television legend Ted Danson.

2. Emilia Clarke

You may think that Emilia Clarke went through a big decision when deciding on what to wear the Emmys, but for her, she said she chose it “Because it fits and it’s lovely.” She explained, “I put it on and everyone was like, ‘Yeah!’ So, it was like, ‘Okay! I’ll do that one!’” If only we could all have our own peanut gallery to yea or nay our outfits every day.”

It’s clear her friends steered her in the right direction. If you think this look still didn’t take some time to put together, you’d be wrong. Clarke warned people, saying “Never look at pictures of famous people and think that it’s how we get out of bed, because it ain’t. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that goes into the life.”

Clarke’s dress was designed by Atelier Versace.

1. Kirsten Dunst

You may always think of Spider-Man when you think of Dunst, but if you’ve seen her in Fargo, it’s clear that she’s more talented than just being the love interest of Peter Parker.

Granted, Kirsten Dunst may have missed out on her award for Lead Actress in a Limited Series to Sarah Paulson, but perhaps you’ll agree with us when we say she had a nicer outfit.

If we’re being honest, the bottom half of the dress gets a little weird, but it’s still not enough to take away from the look. Dunst was wearing a Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci Haute Couture dress.