Shailene Woodley and Leslie Bibb turned the red carpet into the main event at night two of the 78th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 6, where the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles was not televised. Woodley wore a white mini dress with a low scoop neckline and fitted waist, while Bibb stepped out in a metallic gold floor-length slip dress.
The timing mattered because the Creative Arts Emmys began on September 5, with early prizes already being handed out ahead of the September 14 broadcast of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards. That put the red carpet squarely in the middle of Emmy week, when a non-televised ceremony can still draw attention because it carries important awards and a crowd of recognizable names.
Woodley was not the only one making a case for best dressed. Kaitlin Olsen wore a floor-length white gown with a structured square neckline, Karolina Wydra chose a black strapless gown with an asymmetric folded neckline, Rachel Blanchard appeared in a mustard-gold satin gown with black spaghetti straps and a plunging V-neckline, and Emily Bader wore a strapless olive-green sequinned gown with a woven and fringed skirt.
The night also had awards weight behind the fashion. Rob Reiner was awarded Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as Albert in The Bear, while David Harbour won the Emmy Award for Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his portrayal of Floyd Smernitch in HBO Max's DTF St. Louis. Harbour's win was his first Emmy, and he was also up for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series as an executive producer on DTF St. Louis.
That mix is what gives the night its pull: the show was off camera, but the prizes were real and the carpet still mattered. The unanswered question is not whether the ceremony counted. It did. It is which names from the same Emmy run will keep driving attention until Mariska Hargitay hosts the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 14.
