Reese Witherspoon Radiates Nostalgic Old Hollywood Glamour at the 2024 Emmys

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.

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."

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.

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.