The figure factor: Who dressed best for their body shape at the Emmys?

At the Emmys, who wore what was almost as important as who won what - and to pull off a great look stars needed to match their outfits to their body shapes.

Hundreds of celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow, Sofia Vergara, Kate Winslet and Kelly Osborne were in attendance, but whose dress managed to impress?

Here they are divided into four body types - athletic, beanpole, curvy and petite - and while some of the stars chose ensembles that suited their figures perfectly, some clearly hadn't figured out how to truly dazzle.

ATHLETIC

Gwyneth Paltrow in daring Pucci lace

Emily Blunt in plunging black Elie Saab

Padma Lakshmi in bronze Armani Prive

HOW NOT TO DO IT! Heidi Klum in Christian Sirano

 

This should be the easiest of all the categories to dress, but there are problems. Overdeveloped arms can look ridiculous in evening wear, as can wide
shoulders. 

If you have a broad back, a halter-neck or asymmetric sleeves will look fantastic. A powerful physique looks a bit strange if you go all frothy and overly feminine: keep it simple, in a sheath dress from a designer such as Calvin Klein. You will look great in sheer and colour-blocking, and something that
reveals the curve of your buttocks. Never wear anything too masculine, such as a tuxedo jacket.

And try not to show off, which is what Gwyneth is doing here in lace Pucci with her exposed midriff. I know you may want to show off your perfectly toned abs, but we really don’t want to see them. 

Supermodel Heidi Klum wants to show us her over-developed arms and honed legs, but I’d have liked to see a little subtlety — and less froth — on a grown woman.

CURVY

Christina Hendricks in gold Johanna Johansson

Kate Winslet in scarlet Elie Saab

Modern family's Sofia Vergara in a crimson Vera Wang

HOW NOT TO DO IT!  Jane Krakowski in a J Mendel column dress

 

Curvy women are the ones most likely to moan about never being able to find anything to flatter them, but these photographs show that it is possible to look fantastic. In fact, curvy women can look better than beanpoles, the ones everyone thinks are easy to dress. 

The key is to wear something fitted, and to show some flesh somewhere: the décolletage and shoulders are always better on bigger women than bony ones.

I think Kate Winslet looks great, mainly because her dress is nipped in at the waist, with a nicely fluted hem.

Mad Men siren Christina Hendricks looks incredible, with the oyster lace cleverly designed to give the illusion of a small waist, although I would have made the thigh slit higher, and to the side: this slit only reveals a chubby thigh, and shortens her. 

30 Rock's Jane Krakowski's dress doesn't work because it is too baggy and creased (and shows off too much fake tan). 

But it was great to see colour on bigger women, rather than black. 

And, yes, I know Ms Winslet isn't exactly the size of a hippo, but all these women have hips and breasts. They have confidence, too, which is super-important, but not something you can buy off the shelf.

BEANPOLE

Katie Holmes in a colbalt gown by Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein

Downton's Elizabeth McGovern in ruby Jacques Azagury

Claire Danes in Oscar de la Renta

HOW NOT TO DO IT! Cat Deeley in nude Monique Lhuillier

 

Don 't be too jealous of this shape: beanpoles have very bony, knobbly shoulders, flat bottoms and sticky- out shoulder blades. 

Too much fabric can drown a bean, and they find it hard to pull off too much fussy detail. A good trick is to add a belt, as Katie Holmes has done, to give a little more of an hourglass shape, rather than being straight up and down. 

I like her keyhole shape, too, which gives width to the shoulders, while Elizabeth McGovern just looks all droopy.

I like a bit of volume over the hips and buttocks, which none of the women has used here - probably afraid of looking fat! 

Disappointments are Cat Deeley, who's obviously spent far too long in Los Angeles. Her strapless dress exposes a bony décolletage, which is ageing.

I'd avoid poker-straight hair, too, as all those angles need a bit of softness. Even the flat-chested should wear a bra, especially on the red carpet and beneath silk. 

And finally, strapless will never do for the beanpole, as the shape squashes an already flat chest. A high or cowl neck is much prettier and far more forgiving.

PETITE

Elizabeth Moss in nude Marchesa

Lea Michele in red Marchesa

Kelly Osbourne in maroon J Mendel

HOW NOT TO DO IT! Joanne Froggatt in Dolce & Gabbana

 

Shorter women can look the best of all if they follow a few simple rules . 

Don't wear anything with a bow, too much print, sequins or a belt, which will cut you in two. You need to lengthen everything, so no boxy jackets or three-quarter sleeves. 

Do wear a heel, but nothing with a wedge or a chunky platform: keep everything narrow. Glee's Lea Michele adds height with detail on the shoulder, but everything else is kept simple.

Colour is great on a petite woman, while anything too nude, as seen on Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss, might make you disappear into the crowd. Kelly Osbourne, though, doesn't have the stature to pull off such a statement dress, and Downton' s Joanne Froggatt drowns in her over-fussy dress.