At the Emmy Awards, the stars of television’s small screen often come wearing some big dresses. In the 1950s and ’60s, celebrities like Lucille Ball arrived on red carpets at LA landmarks like the Paul R. Williams–designed Ambassador Hotel or the Hollywood Palladium in custom gowns by their studio’s costume designers or other private high-end dressmakers. Come the 2000s, nearly every major European fashion house is clamoring to style the year’s nominees…and send out a press release as well as an Instagram post once they do.
So out of a sea of stylish looks, which dresses stand out as some of the best in Emmys history? There’s Ball in the height of ’60s glamour in a feather caftan, and Jane Seymour in an oh-so-’80s sequined gown, which she wore when winning outstanding supporting actress in a miniseries for Onassis: The Richest Man in the World. In the ’90s and early 2000s, Sarah Jessica Parker cemented herself as a bona fide fashion darling, wearing looks from designers like Oscar de La Renta and Chanel. And in recent years, celebrities like Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy have embraced full European couture, trains and all.
Then there are the risk-takers. Aubrey Plaza dared to don Loewe’s Post-it note dress. Emma Corrin wore a delightfully bizarre Miu Miu ensemble in 2021. Kiernan Shipka, meanwhile, eschewed a ball gown for a Dior Couture minidress worn over a pair of black pants—an even bolder choice when you consider the Mad Men star was only 15 years old.
Ahead of the 2026 Emmy Awards, here are the best dresses in Emmys history.
