Reese Witherspoon Radiates Nostalgic Old Hollywood Glamour at the 2024 Emmys

The actor and producer swept the Emmys red carpet in Dior.

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reese witherspoon at the emmys 2024
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It's hard for me to be unbiased about Reese Witherspoon, but I must say: The Legally Blonde legend may have outdone herself with her 2024 Emmys look styled by Petra Flannery. The actor and producer wore a black strapless Dior gown with gold flowers cascading from the bodice to the floor. Her hair was pulled back in a classic chignon, and her jewelry was kept simple with a diamond pendant choker.

Witherspoon already has one Emmy under her belt as an executive producer in the limited series category for Big Little Lies. She's also been nominated for her work as a producer on Daisy Jones & The Six and Little Fires Everywhere. Tonight, however, she's nominated in the lead actress category (again) for portraying news anchor Bradley Jackson on the AppleTV+ series The Morning Show.

reese witherspoon in dior at the 2024 emmys

Reese Witherspoon in Dior at the 2024 Emmys.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I loved the self-referential Elle Woods-esque look Reese Witherspoon wore to the 2022 Emmys—the first time she was nominated in the lead actress category for her work as Bradley Jackson on the second season of The Morning Show. The former Cruel Intentions star wore a blue strapless Armani Privé column dress with a high slit and Tiffany jewels. The column dress is a silhouette Witherspoon often wears on the red carpet. Stylist Petra Flannery explained in a 2020 interview with Porter, that the choice is “usually a column-shaped dress that is chic but understated and complements her elegant figure."

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reese witherspoon

At the 2022 Emmys, the star wore a blue strapless Armani Privé column dress with a high slit and Tiffany jewels.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When Reese Witherspoon took home her first win for executive producing HBO's Big Little Lies at the 2017 Emmys, she chose a satin blue suit dress from Stella McCartney, black Christian Louboutin Decoltish pumps, and diamond jewelry for the occasion. Given the rise of the no-pants trend, those looks feel strangely ahead of their time. She finished the look with a sleek blowout and orange-red lipstick.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon took home her first win for executive producing HBO's Big Little Lies at the 2017 Emmys, she chose a satin blue suit dress from Stella McCartney.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Stylist Petra Flannery began working with Witherspoon after the actor's longtime stylist Leslie Fremar decided to scale down her client portfolio. And while her Southern style favors bright colors and patterns, showcased through Draper James, her lifestyle and clothing label, she's been taking the more subdued route on the red carpet— a departure from her former style ethos.

"People wear black to funerals," she explained to the Wall Street Journal in 2015 shortly after the launch of Draper James. "I didn't wear black at all when I was young and was only allowed to buy my first pair of black pants when I was 15."

"I'm Southern. I don't wear all black,'" Fremar recalled Witherspoon saying in a 2014 interview with WWD. "I said, 'Just this once. It will make an impact,'" recalling the one-shoulder Saint Laurent dress Witherspoon ultimately did wear to Wild's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. "Reese and I have completely opposite personal styles, but I appreciate her for knowing who she is and what works on her. I [just] put a slight push on her." This year? She's a vision in her floral embroidered gown that recalls a nostalgic old Hollywood sensibility.

Hanna Lustig
Hanna Lustig
Staff Writer

Hanna Lustig is a staff writer at Marie Claire, where she gets to gab every day about the topics she holds most dear: fashion, beauty, and celebrity. Hanna’s editorial journey began with formative internships at Elle and InStyle, where she was lucky enough to work for some of the smartest women in media while she was still in college at the University of Tennessee. Hanna then accepted a digital culture reporting fellowship at Insider, where she helped carve out a new beat dedicated to covering influencers. Those experiences later served her well as a staff writer at Glamour, where she developed a knack for spinning quick turnaround celebrity news and trend reporting into juicy feature stories. Some of her greatest hits include an earnest ode to the no-pants trend, this meticulously reported feature exploring the rise of endoscopic facelifts, this snappy take on the Chanel-designed fantasy of Sofia Richie’s wedding, this tribute to WAGs past and present, and this timeline of Katie Holmes’s life and career as told through her denim collection.

Diane Keaton once hung up on Hanna during an interview, but thankfully that mishap did not derail what has otherwise been a deeply fulfilling career writing for and about women. As one of Marie Claire's resident experts on style and culture, her current coverage ranges from exploring TikTok's contrast makeup theory and the return of the boat shoe trend to interviews with costume designers for hit shows like Nobody Wants This and The Penguin. When she’s not at work, Hanna can probably be found listening to pop music, talking to her dog, and gossiping with her best friends. For more of Hanna’s perfect opinions on pop culture, you can follow her on Instagram and X.