January Jones and Olivia Wilde: When good TV gowns get not-so-flattering close-ups

Many readers have pointed out that in my roundup of the best and worst fashions from last night’s Emmy telecast, I left January Jones off the list. Some thought she should be a worst for her “Jetson corset” (thank you Judy H) while others say they would have named her a best for her gown’s “Chrysler-Building-retro-futuristic awesome” vibe (according to Stan). I was actually really impressed by the architectural bodice of January’s Versace gown and the freshness of her whole look… until I saw a closeup (pictured, left). You see those little peach squares in her top? That’s not cool Art Deco tiling or even flesh-toned material – that’s actual flesh. The baring of random bits of her midriff in an otherwise elegant gown gave me pause – not enough to call it a worst, mind you, but just enough to hold me back from besting it. This was not unlike seeing Olivia Wilde’s wild decoupage gown up close (pictured, right) and realizing that the entire netted back and nude zipper made the dress seem like something that could have been plucked from Nancy Kerrigan’s closet. But unless Ryan Seacrest wrangled these stars into his “Glam Cam 360,” the average at-home-not-working-on-deadline viewer might not even notice these zoomed-in situations until they got highlighted on the Internet the next morning.

You can look for an entire graded breakdown of the Emmy red carpet – including Ms. Jones – in this week’s issue of EW, but in the meantime, my question for you, readers: Do you think a great red carpet gown is meant to be a Monet (as Cher Horowitz once said, “Seen from far away, it’s okay, but up close, it’s a big old mess”) or is the beauty (or lack thereof) in the details?

Photo Credit: January Jones: Albert L. Ortega/PR Photos; Olivia Wilde: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images; Inset: Albert L. Ortega/ PR Photos