Ciara Miller chose to wear a white sequin halter-neck crop top and matching skirt with a dramatic train that exposed her midriff and cleavage.
“That dress is insane. She really showed up,” one reacted to the look. Another said, “This is what perfect looks like when you look it up in the dictionary.”
However, the outfit didn’t sit well with a few fans, who thought it looked “ill-fitting” on Miller.
“Ciara is a gorgeous woman with a stylist who does not do her justice,” one said. A second wrote, “Imagine being her stylist and dressing her in this. So mean and basic.”
Miller, who is about to compete in the 35th season of Dancing with the Stars from September 15, found time out of her training to host the E! News pre-show for the Emmys.
For the coverage, she wore a white-and-beige, double-breasted gown dripping with immense pop culture history.
Marc Bouwer had originally custom-made the dress she wore for Whitney Houston in the 1990s. It came with sparkly gold buttons and a white satin collar.
The vintage number had recently been sold at Julien’s Auctions for $5,120, with proceeds benefiting the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation.
“She wore this in 1993-1994,” the Summer House star said during the pre-show.
Miller added that it was a gift to her, and it felt “special” because her debut performance on Dancing With the Stars would be to Houston’s 1995 song Exhale (Shoop Shoop).
“What better event to wear it than now?” she added.
“When I put it on, I was like, hopefully my vocal cords will improve, and I’ll be a better singer, but that hasn’t quite happened yet,” Miller later quipped.
She also revealed that she was getting her “b**t kicked a little” in training with professional dance partner Brandon Armstrong.
“I pray for my ankles every single day,” she said. “I haven’t worked out this much since I was in high school.”