Sydney Sweeney wore Oscar de la Renta to the Emmys: downmarket or cute?

Embed from Getty Images

Sydney Sweeney attended the 2025 Emmys as a presenter, and there actually was a buzz of excitement around her. Even though she got her start in television, it’s like… she’s a movie star now. That was the buzz. Sydney wore Oscar de la Renta, in a pinky red. It’s fine. Her body is bangin’ but the dress felt very… downmarket. I think that’s Sydney though, that’s what she brings to the table. Some women can make inexpensive clothes look like couture. Some women make couture look like a Walmart prom dress.

Embed from Getty Images

Michelle Williams in vintage Chanel, paired with Chanel jewels. I’m just thrilled that she’s grown out her hair this much, the “messy bob” is very cute. The vintage Chanel is… okay. I’m not crazy about it, tbh.

Embed from Getty Images

The Prada ladies: Scarlett Johansson, Leighton Meester and Sarah Paulson all wore Prada to the Emmys. Who had the best Prada look? It was ScarJo, right? Paulson looks like a disgraced Muppet.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos courtesy of Getty.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

53 Responses to “Sydney Sweeney wore Oscar de la Renta to the Emmys: downmarket or cute?”

  1. M says:

    Hard pass on all of these. I don’t get the Sydney Sweeney hype. She’s a generically pretty white woman with a big rack and bad taste. She’s a real “stop trying to make fetch happen” situation.

    • Preston says:

      “She’s a generically pretty white woman with a big rack”

      You get it.

    • Snaggletooth says:

      Her eyes look duller than usual last night. Maybe selling your soul to be a plaything for Scooter Braun is taking its toll.

      Look at the state of Justin Bieber after Scooter had his way with him. I don’t think Scoot is a force for good in this world, that’s as much as I’ll say.

    • Lightpurple says:

      I don’t even think she’s that pretty and she gave one of the blandest readings of an award presentation I have ever seen last night. Maybe that’s the appeal, bland, blandly pretty but not pretty enough to be beyond attainable, big rack on constant display.

      • orangeowl says:

        She’s always struck me as bland, she doesn’t seem to have much range as an actor. And she’s always looked cold and dead in the eyes to me, which is just not appealing to me at all.

    • lisa says:

      I don’t get the Sydney hype either. Did I miss something? Does she have genius talent in acting, singing, dancing, social media influencing….anything?

  2. Eurydice says:

    Lol, “down market” is a nice way of saying “looks cheap.” I think the red carpet ranged from “meh” to “huh?” Ok, maybe Angela Bassett. And Colman Domingo brought it with his color/pattern combo with the jeweled tassels.

    • Josephine says:

      The shiny material is distracting as is the “wonder-woman” costume aspect of the bustline of that dress. But mostly I think her damaged hair and poor posture is making for a sad sack appearance. She doesn’t look comfortable or confident.

  3. Barbara says:

    I saw some fashion commenter say about Sweeney, “we get it, you have boobs.” That’s pretty much my entire thought about her.

    I like Williams dress. She always finds dresses that feel ethereal and youthful.

    • Nanny to the Rescue says:

      I like Williams’ dress the most, but what has she done to her face?

      • smcollins says:

        @nanny to the rescue I don’t think there’s anything going on with her face. I think it’s a combination of aging, makeup, and not being used to seeing her face framed by hair. Hollywood is Hollywood but I don’t think someone looking different is automatically due to cosmetic procedures 🤷🏻‍♀️

      • Tuesday says:

        I think Michelle W is hitting the Botox too much. Her face appears frozen

      • Meredith says:

        She looks a little botoxed, possibly has done cheek filler, but it’s not too distorted. To me she still looks beautifully herself.

    • Snaggletooth says:

      I was struck by the contrast between her and so many other women there—-there was plenty of cleavage but only she was only cleavage as her single notable attribute. Absolutely no fashion, nothing at all for women fans. Just completely one note. She’s crowding 30–that’s just a year or two before male fans ditch her for a 19 yr old. Yeesh.

    • BeanieBean says:

      Michelle’s vintage Chanel is lovely–she’s lovely–but those white wedding shoes!!!! Why???

  4. Meredith says:

    I do like the color of Sweeneys dress, she looks much less washed out in strong colors. And it looks like this one may be better tailored to her this time at least. Her extensions- I’m not great at spotting those- also look nice, it’s a good length for her.

    I agree that Johansson definitely had the best Prada look. My order of best-worst would be Johansson -> Paulson -> Meester, though.

    • Juju says:

      It’s hard to tell in these pics but in others of SS lately it looks like she’s leaned in to spray tanning and that might be why she’s popping in the jewel tones. I agree though, it’s more flattering than the shades of pale she was wearing recently.

      • Barb Mill says:

        She’s leaning into the Mar a Lago look. She looks just like all of the women that trump surrounds himself with.

    • Meredith says:

      I HATE the Meester dress

      • Smart&Messy says:

        Scrolling down to Leighton’s photo, I doubled checked if something was wrong with my phone screen. But no, it’s a weirdly colored dress. Not great.

  5. Lala11_7 says:

    Jessica Rabbit did it betta❣️

  6. Betsy says:

    The vintage Chanel is pretty but would look better on a taller woman.

  7. SarahCS says:

    Sarah Paulson has definitely seen her reflection in a mirror

  8. ThatGirlThere says:

    Sweeney makes things look less chic. It’s odd because often her look borders on frumpy.

    Regardless, with every appearance and event my dislike for her grows.

    • Snaggletooth says:

      I swear it’s the lifeless shark eyes and total lack of facial animation. If she looks utterly joyless, how is the audience supposed to work up a spark of enthusiasm. It’s the energy that’s frumpy.

      • M says:

        She has the look of someone whose mood stabilizer dose is too high which makes them look half asleep all the time.

  9. Juju says:

    I think this is the best Scarlett has looked in a long time. I saw in an interview that she hates wearing her hair down but I just love the way it frames her face and looks less austere than when she slicks her hair back.

    • orangeowl says:

      I think she looks amazing, too! She is aging incredibly well. And her genuine smile radiates appealing star power in a way that Sweeney never does.

    • Becks1 says:

      agreed, this is one of my favorite recent Scar Jo looks. usually I find her red carpet style to be anywhere from boring to atrocious – but this is a good look. She looks pretty and fresh.

  10. Miranda says:

    It’s the Oscar de la Renta/Leg Avenue collab that nobody asked for.

  11. Mrs. Smith says:

    It felt like Sydney was trolling everyone with that certain shade of red.

  12. Wednesday Addams says:

    I saw other pictures of SS, and her dress was SO ill fitting. Her breasts were oozing out the sides, and it wasn’t pretty. Did they run short of fabric?

  13. mblates says:

    paulsen doesn’t always hit, but she’s never boring. i love that she never picks anything standard.

  14. Aysla says:

    I find it hard to take Sydney Sweeney seriously, especially with the dumb cash grabs she does outside of acting. It makes it difficult to respect her as an artist. I also agree with the poster that noted that Sweeney often looks frumpy in her red carpet looks, with dead eyes and a consistently flat and lifeless expression. The only thing I thought she was genuinely good in was the first season of White Lotus. I tried watching the romcom she did with Glen Powell and I noped out at her acting. It was so forced and unnatural.

  15. FWIW says:

    Michelle Williams kinda looks like Tracy Anderson here…

  16. jais says:

    The red dress on her is fine. But to me, Selena Gomez and Hunter Shaefer were drop dead stunning in their red dresses. So so good.

  17. IFoxi says:

    Sarah’s dress looks like Big Bird and Mr. Snuffleupagus’ baby.

  18. Anare says:

    ScarJo looks lovely here and her look can be a fashion lesson for Sydney Sweeney. Both actors have beautiful decolletage. That area of their gown does not need to be overly embellished/designed. We already see it and are admiring it, don’t ruin it with tacky attention. In the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Less is more, baby!

  19. mightymolly says:

    I wanna say that Walmart prom dress is a savage burn. No disrespect at all to young people who can only afford prom attire from Walmart. My first prom, I had to borrow a dress from a friend’s mother, otherwise I wasn’t going to go. But anyone can bring their personality to a look, which IMO is what really matters. A scarf, a belt, something that just gives a pop of your own flavor. Wearing couture when the only pop is your signature physical asset sadly has the result of looking like a discount rack dress.

  20. MaisiesMom says:

    I kind of appreciate that she wore a big red dress because it’s a statement. But it doesn’t look very elevated, for lack of a better word.

    Sarah Paulson’s dress is hilarious.

  21. J.Ferber says:

    Sweeney looks like she’s sleep-walking. Yes, the dead eyes. I don’t see all the ambition she supposedly has in her face at all. She is not wooing the crowd and seems not to care about anything. Vacant and strange. Giving Stepford wife.

    • mightymolly says:

      I think she has hustle, but her approach has changed. She was very young and eager, now she’s still young but pushing mom roles by Hollywood standards. She’s much more well known and booking constant work. The game she’s playing now is pandering to MAGA fans and making all the coin she can before retiring to a lifestyle show on a right wing cable channel/marrying a geriatric billionaire/being appointed head of a new government agency on the status of women.

  22. East Villager says:

    That dress is giving poor man’s Jessica Rabbit and not in a good way

  23. jferber says:

    mightymolly, I like your take. I think you’re right.

  24. Jaded says:

    SS always looks like she’s got an Ambien hangover. And please, we get it, you have a huge rack. Enough already.

  25. Katie says:

    I like the Meester look, but mostly when I see her I still get sad for Single Parents being cancelled.

  26. Bella says:

    I love ScarJo’s dress and Leighton! Leighton looks gorgeous!!! My girl crush!

  27. Normades says:

    Scarjo looks great. Fresh and elegant. Lighton is so pretty but goodness what an ugly dress.

    I really thought Sydney and Glen were happening or at least she was really into him because it’s the only time I ever saw her eyes light up like that

Commenting Guidelines

Read the article before commenting.

We aim to be a friendly, welcoming site where people can discuss entertainment stories and current events in a lighthearted, safe environment without fear of harassment, excessive negativity, or bullying. Different opinions, backgrounds, ages, and nationalities are welcome here - hatred and bigotry are not. If you make racist or bigoted remarks, comment under multiple names, or wish death on anyone you will be banned. There are no second chances if you violate one of these basic rules.

By commenting you agree to our comment policy and our privacy policy

Do not engage with trolls, contrarians or rude people. Comment "troll" and we will see it.

Please e-mail the moderators at cbcomments at gmail.com to delete a comment if it's offensive or spam. If your comment disappears, it may have been eaten by the spam filter. Please email us to get it retrieved.

You can sign up to get an image next to your name at Gravatar.com Thank you!

Leave a comment after you have read the article

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment