Amanda Seyfried, Zendaya, Lily James, and More: The Best Dressed Women at the 2022 Emmy Awards

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2022’s Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California celebrated the year’s best television shows and performances—but on the red carpet beforehand, the paparazzi were cheering on something a tad different: A-listers in their finest formalwear. Sticking to tradition, many stars in attendance adhered to the event’s signature glamorous feel. The designer dresses were heavy on the sequins, shining brighter than a disco ball in Studio 54.

Given the night’s best gowns went all in on sequins and beads, many of the silhouettes were simple and streamlined as a result. Squid Game star Hoyeon Jung’s sequin patchwork, for instance, was done on a no-fuss slip dress; Amanda Seyfried’s lilac sequins came via Armani Privé’s strapless column dress, with a sheer (and barely-there) accent of tulle at the bust. Both allowed for the frocks’ delicious texture to shine. Equally, Lily James’s slinky Versace chainmail dress, and Christina Ricci’s bedazzled Fendi Couture slip dress, were formfitting—and all about accentuating the shape.

It wasn’t all razzle-dazzle, though. A few celebrities opted for more of a pared-back elegance. Zendaya, in custom Valentino, embraced Old Hollywood with her strapless, full-skirted gowns. It’s a nod to an archival Valentino design from its fall-winter 1987 collection. The White Lotus’s Alexandra Daddario also stood out in a sheer, one-shoulder tulle gown from Dior Haute Couture, finished with sublime beadwork.

There were even a few risks tonight, too—namely Julia Garner’s embroidered Gucci dress with a cutout at the belly button, and Jasmin Savoy Brown in Christopher Kane’s latex dress with cutouts at the hips and bust. Skin is clearly in!