Turning Down the Volume : Rejecting the Brash Glamour of Oscar Night, TV’s Women Took to Pants and Men to Ts and White Socks--With a Few Notable Exceptions : Fashion

Pity the poor woman who turned up at the Emmy Awards Sunday evening wearing lacquered hair, a scarlet ball gown and pumps to match. She didn’t get it. Emmy might look like her big brother, Oscar, but in the Hollywood scheme of things she’s a small-screen affair. Which means the glamour quotient is scaled-down. Way down.

If you caught Holly Hunter accepting her award for lead actress in a miniseries in a watch cap and a granny gown, well, you got the picture.

Of course, not everyone who ignored the low-key trend looked bad. Janine Turner--stripped of her “Northern Exposure” flannel shirts--was as glamorous as a young Elizabeth Taylor, down to the simple black gown, precise coif, arched brows and fetching beauty mark.

But for the most part, the women wore long, loose hair, a healthy sprinkling of flat shoes and lots of pants. Hostess Angela Lansbury set the tone with her Elizabethan black velvet jacket, stand-up ruffled collar and full black pants. (She changed midway through the show into a more traditional, floor-length velvet gown.) Helen Hunt wore a satin-trimmed tux. Comic Paula Poundstone took the audience backstage in Armani tails. Valerie Bertinelli looked ever-youthful in a baggy black pantsuit and loafers.

If only the venerable Mary Tyler Moore would have gone with a suit--she could have shown off her gorgeous face and figure, instead of a pair of painfully thin arms. Presenter Sharon Gless, who has put on a few pounds since her TV series “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill,” demonstrated why black is a girl’s best friend. And Heather Locklear showed why sheer black chiffon is a sexy girl’s best friend.

Wearing a black T-shirt, Scott Bakula led the men who went out of their way to unstuff the standard tux. Will Smith’s embroidered jacket and vest and white socks showed off a sense of style, while Beau Bridges’ striped shirt and plaid bow tie showed off a sense of humor.

And even though we can’t stand chumps who chomp on gum, we have to say that Rob Morrow was the coolest-looking guy of the evening: Small wire-rimmed shades, dangling earring and a great Julius Caesar haircut.

We were left with just one question. Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been all over the tube lately selling Clairol’s Nice and Easy hair color, telling viewers she uses a certain shade of brown. Only Sunday night, there she was with a headful of wavy raven hair. What gives, Julia?