Hollywood celebrated television 's best and brightest at the 61st Emmy Awards on Sunday night . `` Gossip Girl '' Blake Lively was the night 's best-dressed in a pailette-encrusted Versace gown . While many actresses played it safe in classic cuts and neutral colors , there were a few standouts , mostly young stars who brought excitement to an otherwise ordinary red carpet . `` Gossip Girl '' Blake Lively was the night 's best dressed in a pailette-encrusted Versace gown with a plunging neckline and thigh-high slit . With this bold choice , Lively secured her place as Hollywood 's sexiest young star -- a style icon in the making . Lively 's `` Gossip Girl '' co-star Leighton Meester , another style star to watch , opted for a less overtly sexy look . Meester showed just enough skin in a delicately draped , goddess-inspired gown by Bottega Veneta . Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nominee Debra Messing chose a ruby-hued , Swarovski-encrusted column gown by Michael Kors . Not surprisingly , red was one of the night 's hottest trends and `` The Starter Wife '' star 's take was simple and elegant . See photos of the best dressed from the red carpet » . Best Actress nominee Drew Barrymore went for pure old Hollywood glamour in a classic strapless design from Monique Lhuillier . The `` Grey Gardens '' star 's dress stood out on the red carpet thanks to its unexpected blush color and 41embroidered tulle details . `` Damages '' star Rose Byrne looked breathtaking in a frothy , princess-like design by Valentino . The Outstanding Supporting Actress nominee made the ethereal crystal-embellished tulle gown look perfectly modern by pairing it with sleek , natural hair and subtle makeup . `` Big Love '' had a big night with two of the show 's stars making waves on the red carpet . Known for her adventurous fashion choices , Chloe Sevigny chose a classic one-shoulder cut in a non-traditional polka-dot print . Her co-star Ginnifer Goodwin also wowed , in a sexy fuchsia Yves Saint Laurent gown with an exaggerated sweetheart neckline . Watch CNN 's Alan Duke talk about celebrity swag » . A surprising addition to this year 's best dressed was reality-TV star Kim Kardashian . While she often looks over-the-top , Kardashian kept it simple in a white , one-sleeve gown with a '70s feel by designer Ina Soltani . She was one of a few stars to take a fashion risk that really worked on the red carpet . Other daring red-carpet standouts were January Jones , who ditched her prim and proper 1960s Mad Men wardrobe in favor of an edgy Versace with a futuristic glass-beaded bustier , and Olivia Wilde , who chose a one-shoulder lace gown with uber-revealing cutouts by Marchesa . The only envelopes pushed tonight were those between presenters and award winners . That said , Hollywood 's new crop of young stars brought fresh fashion to the red carpet . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved .
InStyle selected the best dressed from the red carpet at the 2007 Emmys . Host Debra Monk chose a ruby - hued column inspired by Michael Jackson . Surprising addition to best dressed was reality - TV star Kim Kardashian .