It’s not new news that I’m moderately fashion-challenged. The search for this year’s Emmy dress, which went incredibly smoothly by all accounts, was still a real challenge for someone who generally wears mostly black, right down to my Converse.
Being nominated for an Emmy, however, required me to allow my stylist and hair and makeup artist and publicist and manager to share and have a vote in decisions from what my dress would look like, what shoes I would wear, what color my nails should be, what jewelry I should wear, and even what purse I should hold on the red carpet. Oh, yeah: we also had to decide what we would do about my injured right hand since I still wear a compression glove and splint everyday.
Here’s how Emmy night shook down.
The Dress
The long-sleeved bordeaux-colored Pamella Roland gown I wore was not long-sleeved to cover my injuries, as has been reported. It was long-sleeved simply because I prefer long sleeves as a woman who adheres to certain aspects of tznius (modesty). I felt very comfortable in the dress and I am confident that we achieved the classic Hollywood glamour I was hoping to achieve. Yes, it was hot on the carpet but as I’ve said before, “Tznius is hot.” Ha ha ha. We seemed to have pleased the fashion people in the industry as the dress has been well reviewed and that makes my stylist Alison Kahn very happy.
The Jewelry
The custom-designed mezuzah that I wore on the red carpet complimented the dress beautifully and as a close friend of mine suggested to do when I felt nervous, I touched the mezuzah and was reminded of, as my friend put it, “the power of our people.” Here’s a closeup of the powerful mezuzah.
The chain the mezuzah hung from is actually the Tiffany chain to the diamond Magen David (star of David) I typically wear. Ali liked that chain more than any other we tried but we were unable to get the Magen David off of the chain. Instead, we shoved it to the back of the necklace and let the mezuzah hang down the front, which prompted Ali to joke, “I guess you got to wear your Jewish star on the red carpet anyway!” Here’s a photo showing everything clustered together at the end of the night.
The Purse
Although I only have one functional hand, with it I held a small, but lovely purse by a very famous purse designer I had never heard of, but who everyone else has apparently heard of by the name of Judith Lieber. I don’t tend to like a lot of bling in general and I liked that the colors of the gems on this purse made it relatively understated. The dress I wore originally was supposed to be slate blue, but we pulled the bordeaux idea partly because we loved it in the purse. Here’s a detailed picture of the purse. It also reminds me of an Erte design, which I love.
The Hand
The splint I’ve been wearing everyday for the past six weeks since my car accident is a cream/flesh-colored elaborate contraption. For the past month or so, I have also had to wear a flesh-colored compression glove underneath the splint. My phenomenal hand therapist (yes, the handsome one with the blue eyes and the prematurely grey hair) made me a custom black splint as an option for Emmy Sunday. After taking a poll of nearly 87 people, I decided to go with the vote of two people I trust tremendously who know me really well: my best friend in Atlanta, and my castmate and buddy Melissa Rauch. The vote was custom black splint, no glove.
Of all the decisions about my appearance I had to make for Sunday, this one felt like it turned out the most gratifying. As happy as I am with how my dress looked, how my hair and makeup artist made me up, how great the mezuzah turned out, and how pretty my purse was, this injury has been a tremendous source of anxiety for me, both personally and in terms of how it affects my professional life. Here’s a closeup of me rocking my black splint, which I like to refer to as the Batman cape on my hand.
The Experience
I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t care that I didn’t win the Emmy, but I’d also be lying if I told you I’m devastated that I didn’t win the Emmy. Being nominated feels like the greatest honor that I could ask for in this bizarre industry that employs me and as they announced the nominees, I wondered two things. First, I wondered what percentage of the audience even has any clue who the heck I am. Second, and perhaps more interestingly, does Clive Owen have any clue who the heck I am?
I may never know the answer to either of these questions, but I am grateful that I was nominated. I am grateful that I made it through the ceremony without having a sneezing fit (that started as I left the event), and I am grateful for the love and support of my friends, family, castmates, producers, writers, fans, and all sorts of other people who love and support me.
I guess I can only hope to go through all of this next year and for as many years as the television industry allows me to. See you next year.
For more of Mayim’s Emmy perspective, read up on why she wasn’t feeling so hot, how she prepared for the big day, and what it felt like to be nominated in the first place.
