With Style This Good, These Emmy Noms Are Already Winning

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Scandal.

Why we love her: Kerry's role in Scandal has proven just as addictive as her style. But when she's not playing powerful fixer — and presidential mistress — Olivia Pope, we're still tuning in to see what she'll wear on the red carpet. She never fails to wow, surprise, and impress, balancing fashion-forwardness with knowing what works and delivering full looks that make fashion-lovers everywhere swoon. That's exactly the effect this little two-tone mini had when she stepped out in London for an Esquire party earlier this year.

Nominated for: Her outstanding lead-role performance in Girls.

Why we love her: She's a serious force to be reckoned with — she writes, she acts, she's a two-time Emmy-nominated starlet, and she rocks a fierce look. We love that Lena's Brooklyn-cool personality on her hit HBO show is essentially an extension of the real Lena, which is to say that we can always count on her for avant-garde ensembles. Our favorite number thus far? This forest-green custom Wes Gordon high-low gown that she wore to the Met Gala in 2012.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Parks and Recreation.

Why we love her: This is Amy's fifth nomination for her role as overachieving Deputy Director Leslie Knope on Parks and Rec, but this funny lady doesn't just know how to make us laugh. Amy's appearances on the red carpet have proven she knows her way around a good look, too. Our favorite? Her second turn as cohost at this year's Golden Globes in a very sexy Stella McCartney gown.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Masters of Sex.

Why we love her: She's come a long way since Mean Girls, both on and off screen. The joy for us isn't just watching her develop new and more exciting roles, but watching her style evolve along with it. She has an eye for great detail, showing off a lace jumpsuit at one event and a beautiful embellished gown, like this one at screening in April, the next. We can't see where she'll go next — in fashion and in Hollywood.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a guest role in House of Cards.

Why we love her: Her role on this season of House of Cards may have been brief, but it was still memorable. And while her alter ego, Zoe Barns, may have lived in t-shirts and jeans, Kate's much more fashion savvy — as evidenced by this look from a Gucci party earlier this year. She's one of our favorite young actresses to watch — and we love any project that puts her style in the spotlight on the red carpet.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Downton Abbey.

Why we love her: Not only do we love her, but we also kind of want to be her. While her character, Mary Crawley, grew on us slowly — don't worry, we're totally fans now! — off screen, Michelle was an instant style star in our eyes. The British actress takes a slick, laid-back approach to her outfits but always looks ultracool. We love spotting her in the likes of Burberry, Mulberry, and Ralph Lauren — which effortlessly showcase her sleek, London-inspired panache. But, maybe even more fun, we love seeing her glamorous transformation on award season red carpets and here at a gala in London in March this year.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in House of Cards.

Why we love her: Once we started watching House of Cards, we couldn't stop. That's in large part because of Wright's turn as half of the power-hungry Underwood couple. Along with the political drama and scandal, Wright serves up a hefty dose of on-point dressing. Forget power suits — as Claire Underwood, Wright is all about ultrachic, polished dresses and perfectly sleek eventwear, much like her offscreen style. We don't get to see Wright out and about too much, but when we do, she's got a cool collection of sophisticated dresses that show off her killer bod, like this black sheath she wore to an event in Washington this May.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a guest role on Saturday Night Live.

Why we love her: It's hard to sum up Tina's résumé in just a paragraph. Suffice it to say that she was the executive producer, head writer, and star of the Emmy-award-winning — and all-out addictive — comedy series 30 Rock (which holds the record for the most Emmy Awards won by any comedy series on television in a single season, at 22). She makes us wonder constantly: "How does she do it?" She's comedy gold and just downright brilliant. As for her style, that's not half bad, either. The actress can carry a gown as easily as she can tell a joke. Here, she dazzled at the 2013 SAG Awards in a belted Oscar de la Renta gown.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Orange Is the New Black.

Why we love her: We fell first for Taylor's style when she hit the promo circuit for Nicholas Sparks's The Lucky One, so we already knew the girl could dress. Then she gave us a whole new reason to love her with her turn as prison inmate Piper Chapman in the all-too-addictive OITNB. Full disclosure: we didn't leave our apartments all weekend when the second season hit Netflix. But, when we're not binge-watching Taylor in her orange jumpsuit, we're looking for her on the red carpet, where she turns out a chic mix of sexy, modern looks, like this white sheath, at a Netflix panel in June 2014.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Mike & Molly.

Why we love her: No one's made us laugh as hard as Melissa did in Bridesmaids in a long time. But, aside from her serious talent as one of our favorite funny ladies, she's shown some real styling chops too — just check out her latest look from the Tammy premiere in June. With confidence, a great sense of humor, and a have-fun-with-fashion attitude, she's mastered dressing for herself and for the red carpet.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a supporting role in Mad Men.

Why we love her: Don't be fooled by Christina's, aka Joan's, sexy strut on Mad Men. If you've been watching the last six seasons, then you know Joan's a broad who means business — and she holds her own with the boys. Still, we've loved watching her '50s and '60s wardrobe on screen, a collection of curve-hugging pencil skirts topped with snug sweaters. We've loved even more seeing her stylish transformation in the real world and on red carpets — just look at her hitting Cannes in a retro-chic pantsuit in May 2014. Can you say bombshell?

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a supporting role in The Normal Heart.

Why we love her: Let's just say it all started with Pretty Woman. Years later, we still get a little giddy when we see the typically under-the-radar Roberts looking glam on the red carpet, like she did at this year's Oscars, and get even more excited when we see her in a new project.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Homeland.

Why we love her: She swept award season for her standout role in Homeland, and while we've come a long way since My So-Called Life and Romeo + Juliet (it's hard to believe it's been almost 17 years since her onscreen romance with Leo), she's remained just as cool and unassuming. Moreover, Claire has proven to be a consistent arbiter of sleek, minimalist style with a fun flair for romantic details. Her penchant for wearing Narciso Rodriguez and J. Mendel are unmatched, and the evidence is in her countless appearances in the designers' creations. The cherry on top? She still has the ability to surprise us — like she did with this red-hot Versace number (and the bombshell waves to match!) at this year's Golden Globes.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in The Good Wife.

Why we love her: She's, in a word, elegant. On screen and off, Julianna's cool and confident and carries herself like a real woman. She might not be the trendiest or most high-fashion, but she always scores points for looking polished, like she did in January at the AFI Awards.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a supporting role in Breaking Bad.

Why we love her: As the wife of Walter White, she held her own — and that's not easy when you're married to Heisenberg. Off screen, we think we fell for her when she brought that Breaking Bad clutch to the SAGs this year. She can act and accessorize.

Nominated for: Her outstanding performance in a lead role in Veep.

Why we love her: We'll never forget Elaine Benes, though with three seasons of Veep under her belt, her second act in TV may be just as memorable. And, while we'll always have a soft spot for her normcore look back on Seinfeld, her chic set of sheaths, like this one at the March premiere of Veep's third season, are giving her a reputation as something of a style setter, too.