We had high hopes for the 61st annual Emmy Awards red carpet—what with Mad Men, Grey Gardens, and the small-screen Coco Chanel movie garnering nominations, not to mention a pair of Gossip Girls on the list of presenters. But TV's biggest stars mostly played it safe, falling into sartorial categories as distinct as the show's new sectioned broadcast.

Shades of red dominated: Debra Messing looked stately in a Michael Kors column, House star Jennifer Morrison shone in minimal raspberry Calvin Klein Collection, and Blake Lively turned heads in a plunging fire-engine red Versace gown. The celebs for the most part bypassed asymmetric one-shoulder gowns, their ubiquity on the Spring runways notwithstanding, and opted instead for tried-and-true strapless looks, discreetly accentuated with bare necks. A very pregnant Heidi Klum glowed in skintight custom Marchesa, Mad Men's Christina Hendricks was va-va-voom in L'Wren Scott, Hendricks' co-star January Jones went with a dramatic Versace peplum gown, and Sandra Oh accessorized her gold metallic Marchesa with—you guessed it—red peep-toe pumps.

And while no one went to Gaga extremes, the usual suspects showed off their quirky individuality: Big Love's Chloë Sevigny turned up in cheery polka-dot Isaac Mizrahi, while Grey Gardens' Drew Barrymore subverted expectations by tucking away the jet-black tips she's been sporting on her coif and channeling ladylike glamour in a chiffon-trimmed Monique Lhuillier ball gown. We think Little Edie would have approved.

— Romney Leader