Emma Watson Just Ditched Black Shoes for This Elegant Colour

As far as style muses go, in my opinion, Emma Watson sits above the rest. There’s something about the actor’s refined, preppy aesthetic that always feels fresh and just ahead of the trend curve. That said, sadly, a Watson sighting these days is a rarity—between being incredibly private and taking on further study, she seldom attends entertainment industry events. Because of this, when she resurfaced at the Venice Film Festival this weekend, I was quick to take note.

For a series of appearances, Watson opted for similar ’60s-inspired swing dresses (more on those in a moment). Similar they may have been, they weren’t the thing that piqued my interest—instead, my eyes went straight to her shoes: a clever tan sling-back heel.

Now, while I’m sure she didn’t restrict herself to a cabin bag, it’s safe to say that Watson was working with limited luggage space when it came to packing for trip. Shoes are notorious for taking up room in any suitcase, so Watson clearly thought hard about which style would work with the most items she was planning to wear. Swerving a more traditional beige nude, she favoured a richer, caramel tan hue, which proved to be just as versatile (and I’d argue more stylish).

Choosing Gucci’s Signoria slingbacks, the shoes feature an elegant pointed toe finished with an incredibly chic gold chain sling. Clearly Watson is into them in a big way, as she wore them two different looks in a matter of hours, which confirms just how versatile they are.

For her first look, she chose a powerful trio: a dill-green crepe mini-dress by Emilia Wickstead which she accessorised with her statement Gucci Signoria slingbacks and Prada’s Arqué leather shoulder bag in white. Now, I don’t know about you but, even though I’m a fashion writer, I’d struggle to work out which shoe colour would work with such a statement dress shade. Watson, however, nailed it in one with her tan pair.

For her second ensemble, Watson repeated the same tan Gucci slingbacks, this time pairing them with a Gucci monogrammed shift dress. With the print taking centre stage, the tricky styling moment was handled with ease as the bold pattern was grounded by Watson’s elegant tan slingbacks.

This got me to thinking just how handy this shoe style is—if it works with both busy prints and vivid colours, there’s barely a skirt, trouser or dress I can’t see it styling well with.