Tale as Old as Time

Emma Watson Channeled Belle’s Famous Yellow Dress at a Beauty and the Beast Event

The actress’s press tour has been full of princess moments.
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Belle from Beauty and the Beast, 1991; Emma Watson reads at The NY Film Society for Kids at Lincoln Center's Francesca Beale Theater in New York City, March 13, 2017.Left, from Walt Disney Pictures/Everett Collection; Right, by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.

It’s a tale as old as time, really. Girl signs on to live-action adaptation of beloved fairy tale. Her character is an equally beloved princess. There’s one scene that truly stands out in people’s minds when thinking about said movie: that ballroom one, with the titular song and the yellow dress. No matter what the girl (Emma Watson) wears on the press tour for the film, she’s bound to get princess comparisons. And her latest look is bound to get “this dress looks just like that one” comments, given that it’s a long, flowing, yellow gown.

The gown in question is by Dior Haute Couture. Watson wore the pale yellow dress for a reading at the New York Film Society for Kids in New York City on Monday night. While not a complete doppelgänger for Belle’s ballroom gown (that one has a sweetheart neckline and more ruffles on the bottom), the color and shape are enough to earn the comparison.

Many of Watson’s looks during her Beauty and the Beast press tour have fueled princess comparisons—even the more modern ones. She wore a flowing, pale-blue gown with a long cape by Emilia Wickstead for the film’s U.K. premiere. Despite any arguments to the contrary about Watson’s feminist beliefs as of late, the actress made sure to note that the gown was made by an all-female team at the designer’s London atelier.

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Her press tour has been noteworthy for another reason as well. Watson has been extremely conscious about wearing eco-friendly, sustainable outfits. She notes the origin of all of her gowns and other ensembles on @the_press_tour, an Instagram account she set up to share the origins of her clothing. A Louis Vuitton outfit was made for Watson out of recycled polyester crafted from plastic bottles. An Oscar de la Renta pants look contained all organic fabrics.

Watson is mindful of the message she is sending to fans (especially younger ones) through her work, whether speaking about her love of reading to a group of children or telling Vanity Fair why reading is “sacred” for her.

“Books gave me a way to connect with my father . . . I just remember him reading to me before bed and how he used to do all the different voices. I grew up on film sets, and books were my connection to the outside world. They were my connection to my friends back at school because if I was reading what they were reading we’d have something in common. Later in life, they became an escape, a means of empowerment, a friend I could rely on.”