The palette was anything but neutral when Emmy Award nominees walked the red carpet Sunday, showing lots of black, white and red, with dashes of gold and midnight blue.

Off-the-shoulder styles were on display, starting with Jane Lynch, winner for best supporting actress in a comedy. Her plum Ali Rahimi gown touched on another trend for this year's fashion show: off the shoulder, embellished by her sister-in-law's brooch.

It was a lovely change from Ms. Lynch's character, Sue Sylvester, who wears nothing but a succession of track suits week after week.

Others sporting the bare-shoulder look included Edie Falco, winner for best actress in a comedy; Wanda Sykes, nominated for best writing for a variety, music or comedy special; Emily Deschanel; and Julie Benz.

Ms. Benz, a Pittsburgh native, was stunning in a white Pamella Roland gown. White was a favorite across all categories, from the white dinner jackets worn by Craig Robinson, Tracy Morgan and Bryan Batt, to reality-show diva Kim Kardashian and "Glee's" Amber Riley.

The latter actresses accented their white gowns with knockout necklines. Ms. Kardashian's was something out of "Cleopatra," and for a celebrity who's been filmed wearing almost next to nothing, she showed that she can pull off demure, too.

It's probably not a good idea to wear red on a red carpet, but no one got the memo this year. Good thing, because some of the most stunning looks were red all over. E! host Kristin Dos Santos and Jessalyn Gilsig in Nicole Miller were two notables.

But basic black was the color of choice, with Heidi Klum rocking a beaded Marchesa minidress and husband Seal looking cool in a Dior tux. Others in black included Kelly Osbourne, surprisingly slim in a low-backed, flowing gown; Eva Longoria Parker in Robert Rodriguez; and Kathy Griffin. You can't really go wrong with black, even as temperatures soared in Southern California.

Even young Rico Rodriguez was natty in a black suit, red shirt and white tie. He said he was dressed by "One of the top dressers in the world: Le Mom, Le Sister."

His "Modern Family" co-stars were even shinier, particularly best supporting actress in a comedy nominee Sofia Vergara, stunning in a Carolina Herrera butter-colored, heavily beaded strapless gown.

Also resplendent in gold was Claire Danes, winner for best actress in a miniseries or TV movie. Her strapless Armani Prive gown was "not very Temple," she said in reference to the homespun character she played in the HBO movie "Temple Grandin."

Dark blue was a color of choice for nominees, too. Best actress in a comedy nominee Lea Michele and best actress in a drama nominee Julianna Margulies stood out.

"It's Oscar de la Renta. I love him so much," Ms. Michele said. "I feel so comfortable in it, so for me, that's all that matters."

One of the biggest disappointments of the evening was the absence of the "Jersey Shore" cast on the red carpet. Reportedly "locked away" by MTV on location, the Guidos and Guidettes gave a quick live interview to E!'s Ryan Seacrest but were dressed in their usual drinking attire.

Still, if you were looking for what "Project Runway" judge Nina Garcia might have deemed "of questionable taste," look no further than best actress in a drama nominee January Jones.

Her bright blue Versace gown was ill-fitting, oddly angular -- unlike last year, when she went for different but in a good way -- and her hair was just plain messy.

A close second was Lauren Graham, in a black-and-white gown that seemed pieced together from leftover parts of different outfits. Gladiator sandals did nothing to enhance the look.

On the bubble was Anna Paquin, in an Alexander McQueen dress that resembled the classic toreador getup.

And no red carpet roundup is complete without mentioning best actress in a drama nominee Christina Hendricks, in a lavender heavily pleated Zac Posen gown with plunging neckline.

She brought her Mad Men "Joan" Barbie with her, but no one probably noticed the doll.

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