Originally scheduled for September 16 , the event was postponed due to the September 11 attacks , rescheduled for October 7 , which was again postponed due to the start of the War in Afghanistan . Eventually , the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards were held November 4 at the Shubert Theater . The ceremony was unsurprisingly subdued and low key , without a red carpet , and with attendees requested to wear " dressy business attire " as per the Academy 's wishes . This was the first time that attendees of a major award ceremony had been requested to wear suits since the 14th Academy Awards in 1942 followed the attack on Pearl Harbor . It was described as a multimillion-dollar blow to the fashion industry with a spokeswoman for Harry Winston and the red-carpet-gown copyist Allen Schwartz both stating that they stood to lose huge amounts of publicity as a result . Designers such as Schwartz and Eduardo Lucero , who had already created gowns for Lorna Luft and Marla Sokoloff , had to design alternative suits for their clients at short notice . Lucero predicted that Emmy fashion would consist of modest designs in black or dark colours such as burgundy and navy . Joan River 's red carpet show for E! was also cancelled
14th Academy Awards
14th Academy Awards
Red carpet fashion in 2001