Ellen’s Emma

Ellen von Unwerth shot Emma Watson in vintage clothes and it actually works. There’s the immediate part—she looks good, she’s attractive—but also something smarter in the frame. Chaplin’s in there somewhere, circus melancholy, all these references that could be pretentious but somehow aren’t.

Most famous photos of attractive people try way too hard or don’t try at all. These aren’t either. Watson’s figured out how to be in front of a camera. Von Unwerth shot her with real care, real taste. The styling, the mood, the whole thing is coherent.

She’s moved completely past Potter now. These photos are proof.