Elle Fanning attended the 2022 Emmy Awards for the very first time tonight — and she made her debut Emmys red carpet outfit one to remember.
Fanning is up for her first Emmy Award nomination in outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her portrayal as the last Empress of Russia Catherine the Great in the Hulu Original series The Great. She stepped onto the carpet evoking regal realness in a black strapless column gown with petal pink floral appliqués at the bust and a cascading train with matching pink lining.
“I’ve always been inspired by the Old Hollywood glamor of the ‘50s, specifically when costume designers would design actresses’ gowns,” Fanning told Laverne Cox on E! Live from the Red Carpet. “Like, Edith Head would always design Grace Kelly’s Oscars dress. It’s so special, and you can see that those dresses are made with love,” she continued.
So who better to tap to design a gown for her special moment than The Great‘s Emmy-winning costume department? Costume designer Sharon Long created the gown and the show’s seamstress, Catherine Shaw, hand-crafted the creation.
“Once I got nominated I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if she designed my dress?’ I’m filming season 3 right now, so we would have fittings after work,” explained Fanning. “I wanted to pay homage to the creatives on our show.”
“I’m very proud to wear this dress tonight,” she added. “My first Emmys!”
Emphasizing the importance of costume designers, hair, and makeup, Fanning said, “They transform you so much — especially with characters, you just get up in the morning, you feel like yourself, you’re all tired in sweatpants, and boom! In my case, I put my corset on, I have this tall wig, and I feel like a Queen.”
