By the time the host takes the stage for his or her opening monologue, the best part of the Emmys is over. (Unless the hosts are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.) The red carpet is where it’s at. No teleprompter—just designer dresses, diamonds, and a chance someone will pull a J-Law and trip adorably. This year, I decided to celebrate Emmys style by hosting a viewing party. While my friends and I watched the celebrities strut their stuff, we looked for the nominees in the top four acting categories, and imagined a world where they won (or lost) based on their outfits. Here’s who we gave our imaginary statuettes to. (Spoiler: none of the actual winners.) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series The nominees: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Woody Harrelson, True Detective; Matthew McConaughey, True Detective; Kevin Spacey, House of Cards The actual winner: Bryan Cranston Our best-dressed winner: Matthew McConaughey. He experimented with color, and his shoes were mirror shiny. (Shoutout to E! and our girl Giuliana Rancic for doing great shoe closeups!) Read my interview with Giuliana about where she loves to shop and eat in Chicago. Honorable mention: Just like on True Detective, Matthew was complemented perfectly by co-star Woody Harrelson. Some viewers even tweet-suggested that the pals’ vibrant suits were low-key A Night at the Roxbury costumes. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series The nominees: Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex; Claire Danes, Homeland; Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Kerry Washington, Scandal; Robin Wright, House of Cards The actual winner: Julianna Margulies Our best-dressed winner: Lizzy Caplan, my #1 girl crush since Mean Girls. Her two-tone dress looked stunning, and those side cutouts are insanely figure-flattering. She looks so hourglass! Honorable mention: Claire Danes’s makeup looked much softer in the theater than it did on the red carpet—the phrase “harsh light of day” did not come from nowhere. Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series The nominees: Louis C.K., Louie; Don Cheadle, House of Lies; Ricky Gervais, Derek; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; William H. Macy, Shameless; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory The actual winner: Jim Parsons Our best-dressed winner: Don Cheadle, who is turning into a total silver fox. I love how subtly the navy and black contrast on this suit. Honorable mention: Ricky Gervais was out of the running when I saw his sneakers—but I did like his red-carpet story about how he put self-tanner on his face and accidentally dyed his beard red. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series The nominees: Lena Dunham, Girls; Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep; Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation; Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black The actual winner: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Our best-dressed winner: Taylor Schilling. She rocked the sparkly dress trend in a surprisingly understated way. Even more importantly, her ear cuff was on point. I need to get myself an ear cuff (or 10). Honorable mention: I didn’t love Lena Dunham’s dress, but I did love how friendly she was to the E! reporter, Ross Mathews. He’s the best.