Quinta Brunson made history by becoming the first Black actor in 42 years to win an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy for her work in Abbott Elementary at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Unfortunately, her victory was upstaged by a viral meme sparked by the crinkled Christian Dior gown she donned for the 2024 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Social media users couldn't help but joke about ironing the wrinkles out of her pink dress.
Unbeknownst to the online jokesters, however, the unevenly textured aesthetic was a deliberate choice made by the designer.
Brunson's stylist, Jessica Paster—a.k.a. @highheelprncess on Instagram—defended the Emmy winner's look in the @checkthetag Instagram page's comments section.
In response to a critic who said the look was a "huge miss" and how "rumpled fabric" would "never read anything other than a mess" on the red carpet, Paster tried to mitigate the criticism.
She wrote:
"Guys guys guys… It’s crushed satin… I knew you were gonna say something!! It’s beautiful silloette [sic] on her and fabric… and the color is gorgeous on her."
@checkthetag/Instagram
"I adore her sooo much!!"
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Despite Paster's valiant effort to convince fans that the look was a hit, it was still interpreted as a sartorial miss.
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Not everyone was harsh, and some agreed the color choice was a win.
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Brunson is an executive producer, co-writer, and star of the beloved ABC mockumentary series, which centers on lead character Janine Teagues, a highly optimistic second-grade teacher at a fictional, underfunded school in Philadelphia.
The 34-year-old alum of Chicago's Second City improv group previously made history in 2022 for being the first Black woman to be nominated three times in the comedy category, one for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, which she won, one for Outstanding Comedy Series as an executive producer, and another for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Despite all the hot takes from the fashion police, Brunson still came out of the 75th Primetime Emmys a major champion, crushed satin dress and all!
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