Instead, Sunday’s nominees — including Zendaya for Euphoria; Issa Rae for Insecure; Rachel Brosnahan for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sandra Oh, and Jodie Comer for Killing Eve; Tracee Ellis Ross for black-ish; and more — were (fingers crossed) greeted at home by camera crews upon their names being called. And if we’ve learned anything from their past trips down the Emmys red carpet, none of the above will settle for just okay looks for the occasion. Whether that means silky pyjamas or couture gowns, only time will tell.
Ahead, find out what the stars of your favourite TV shows chose for the (very different) 2020 Emmys.
Zendaya in Custom Armani Privé
That’s right: Zendaya just became the youngest actress ever to win for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and in a category that included Olivia Colman, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Aniston, Jodie Comer, and Laura Linney, no less. And to accept her award, the 24-year-old Euphoria actress donned a polka-dot-and-crystal-embellished custom Armani Privé gown, which she paired with Bulgari jewellery. Congratulations, Zendaya!
Julia Garner in Chanel
Yara Shahidi in Custom Prada
Yara Shahidi in custom (and feathered) Prada. That’s it — that’s the caption.
Kerry Washington in Oscar de la Renta
Little Fires Everywhere star Kerry Washington pulled out all the stops in the fashion department tonight, even going as far as to rename her Emmy-nominated show “Little Flowers Everywhere” to match her floral Oscar de la Renta gown, according to her Instagram caption.
Kerry Washington in Oscar de la Renta
But of course, Kerry Washington didn’t stop at just one look for the night. For the NYE portion of the Little Fires Everywhere backyard party, Washington swapped out her floral gown for another ODLR original, this time, a black-and-gold number made for an end-of-2020 celebration.Photographed by Refinery29/Courtesy of ABC.
Cynthia Erivo in Versace
Between her white custom Versace gown at the Oscars and her sequinned black-and-white Thom Browne dress from the Golden Globes, Harriet star Cynthia Erivo was the unofficial best-dressed star of the last award season. And now it seems, she’s back for another year. For tonight’s Emmy Awards, the actress, who played Holly Gibney on the HBO show The Outsider, wore an otherworldly slime-green-and-purple mini dress courtesy of Versace.
Tracee Ellis Ross in Alexandre Vauthier
Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross lit up her solo red carpet in this gold halter gown courtesy of Alexandre Vauthier. She paired the dress with vintage Tiffany & Co. jewellery, Jimmy Choo heels, and a matching gold face mask, because, duh, it’s 2020.
Reese Witherspoon in Louis Vuitton
Little black dress: Check! Bold, red lip: Check! Old Hollywood ‘do: Check! Reese Witherspoon’s virtual Emmys look — courtesy of Louis Vuitton — checked off all our style boxes.
Billy Porter
Billy Porter never fails to impress us at showtime, and the 2020 Emmys are no different. For the occasion, the Pose star stunned in a very classic, white gown, which, given the black tuxedo gown he wore to last year’s Emmys, is perfectly fitting.
Uzo Aduba
Mrs. America star Uzo Aduba sparkled as she accepted her Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie while wearing a glittering gold skirt and a matching T-shirt that was etched with the name Breonna Taylor on it.
Paul Mescal in Louis Vuitton
Though his signature chain isn’t in view, Paul Mescal didn’t disappoint in the style department for the 2020 Emmys in this simple and classic Louis Vuitton suit.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston has always been minimal in the fashion department, be it in the form of a varsity T-shirt and a midi skirt on Friends or a white satin dress at the 2019 Emmys. So why would this year be any different? To verbally spar with host Jimmy Kimmel, The Morning Show actress appeared “on-stage” wearing the simplest of black slip dresses, which she paired with lots and lots of diamonds.
Rachel Brosnahan & Jason Ralph in Christy Rilling
Not only did Rachel Brosnahan look absolutely marvellous in her custom pyjamas by Christy Rilling, so too did her husband Jason Ralph and their two furry friends. Oh, and did we mention that The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star is also auctioning off her look to raise money for When We All Vote? Now that’s a winning look in our book.
Eugene & Dan Levy in Thom Browne
In addition to making us tear up dramatically during both of their victory speeches tonight, Eugene Levy and his son-slash-writing-partner Dan, dressed their absolute best at Schitt’s Creek‘s private Emmys party, Eugene in a clashing (in a good way) navy-and-black suit and Dan in a pleated skirt and matching blazer courtesy of Thom Browne.
Annie Murphy in Valentino
In addition to winning the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Schitt’s Creek, Annie Murphy’s also winning in an entirely different category: Best dressed. For the Schitt’s Creek‘s private Emmys party, Murphy chose a straight-off-the-runway Valentino look — as did her on-screen mom, Catherine O’Hara — which she paired with the A for Alexis necklace she wears on screen.
Zendaya in Christopher John Rogers
Red carpet or no, Zendaya wasn’t going to miss a chance to show up on Emmys night in a standout look. According to the Euphoria star’s Instagram, this was just the first one — we’ll be basking in the glory of this Christopher John Rogers masterpiece.
Regina King in Schiaparelli
Though we didn’t get the chance to see Watchmen star and Oscar winner Regina King walk the red carpet in a royal blue Schiaparelli gown as she hinted to on E!, what we did get was even better: A fuchsia suit from the same designer, which King wore over top of a black T-shirt that says, “Say Her Name” on it and features an image of Breonna Taylor. Photographed by Refinery29/Courtesy of E!
Regina King in Schiaparelli
To ensure that Regina King’s electric blue Schiaparelli gown didn’t go unseen despite the lack of an Emmys red carpet, photographer James Anthony held a shoot with the Watchmen star. And boy, are we glad he did.
H.E.R. in Custom Vera Wang
Last year, designer Vera Wang dressed Taraji P. Henson, Christina Applegate, and, of course, Zendaya for the Emmys. This year? Wang designed a custom fuchsia qipao-inspired dress and matching pant set, both of which include neon orange piping, for musician H.E.R., who is giving a “very emotional” performance tonight, according to her E! interview.
Shira Haas in Chanel Haute Couture
For Shira Haas, when the Emmys call to tell you that your show — in her case, the Netflix hit Unorthodox — you have to wear Chanel. “It was obvious to me that I wanted to wear Chanel,” she said in a press release. And from the looks of it, she made the right choice.
Yvonne Orji in Azzi & Osta
In addition to dressing Laverne Cox and Erin Lim for the 2020 Emmys, Azzi & Osta also put together Insecure star Yvonne Orji’s one-shoulder burgundy gown, which she’s wearing to celebrate her first Emmy nomination at a small, yet very “extra” party on location in Atlanta.
Jameela Jamil in Markarian
The Good Place star Jameela Jamil stuck to the dress code — “come as you are, but make an effort!” — pairing a casual pyjama set with a rainbow sequin dressing gown courtesy of Markarian.
Robin Thede in Christian Siriano
What is it they say? Dress for the job award you want? Well, that’s exactly what Robin Thede, the creator of the thrice-nominated comedy sketch show Black Lady Sketch Show did for the 2020 Emmys. Thede took to Instagram to thank designer Christian Siriano for her golden, off-the-shoulder gown, saying, “I’m literally in heaven, this gown is such a dream!”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
These Are The Best Emmys Looks Of All Time