FASHION

The Red Carpet Can’t Hold Back Emma Watson’s Spooky Halloween Style

Halloween might not be such a thing in the UK as the US, but actress Emma Watson still found a way to celebrate — in Dior.

by Katherine Cusumano

While many stars flocked to Heidi Klum’s annual Halloween party on Monday evening, across the pond, a different sort of gathering was brewing. Actors, musicians, and designers like Keira Knightley, Felicity Jones, Roksanda Ilincic, and Grimes made their way to London’s Claridges Hotel for the annual Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year awards. Each year, the event draws a who’s-who of the cinema and arts worlds; last year, marquee names included Sienna Miller and Kate Winslet — and 2016 was no exception. Still, given that the event fell on Halloween this year, we had no choice but to elect Emma Watson the best dressed of the evening for adhering to theme (that is, balancing both both black tie and costume ball — or, as she might term it, fancy dress party).

Emma Watson in Dior at the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards in London, England, October 2016.

Dave Benett/Getty Images

Who: Emma Watson.

When: Monday, October 31.

Where: The Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Awards at Claridges Hotel in London, England.

What: A sheer mesh dress by Dior from Maria Grazia Chiuri‘s debut Spring 2017 collection with bats, stars, and all manner of occult embellishments and jewelry by Jessica McCormack.

Why: Halloween might not be quite such a thing over in the U.K. as it is on this side of the pond, but that doesn’t mean that stars need to forego the spooky-scary vibes entirely. Supernatural appliqués — a bat front and center, stars scattered across the skirt of her Dior gown, an array of flying creatures — might work on any red carpet (just ask Gucci’s Alessandro Michele, whose designs feature a veritable menagerie of creatures real and surreal), but they’re particularly at home on All Hallow’s Eve. It feels particularly fitting that Watson supports new Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first collection, too: On the Spring 2017 runway, Chiuri showed t-shirts emblazoned with slogans like “We Should All Be Feminists.” Watson, a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, has spoken at length about gender inequality and is something of a champion of women’s right in underprivileged, underserved communities around the world. On Halloween, a meeting of minds and fashion.