(CNN) — Emma Watson probably didn’t expect to be at the center of the latest viral dress rant when she posted a photo on Instagram of herself in a sky blue Loewe suit on Monday. Thanks to the dress, many netizens seemed just as confused by the gravity-defying silhouette as they were by the infamous white and gold (or black and blue) suit from eight years ago.
In the image, the asymmetrical minidress appears to float over Watson’s body, with its neckline, both tapered and loose, floating without any visible means of support.
(Otherwise, Watson poses with her brother Alex, who is holding a bottle of Renais gin, a brand of spirits recently launched by their family.)
The optical illusion led some “Harry Potter” fans to ask Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the blockbuster films, whether the garment was the product of Hogwarts magic and not just fashion. “That dress said wingardium leviosa,” read the most widely read reply to Watson’s post, referring to a levitation spell used in the books and movies. Other less kind comments compared the piece to a broken umbrella, or what happens “when you try to fold a fitted sheet.”
Loewe’s Spring-Summer collection at Paris Fashion Week, which included the Watson dress, has been worn by A-Listers like Zendaya, Kendall Jenner and Gal Gadot. (Credit: Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)
But the magic of the dress lies in its cunning construction. Loewe, the Spanish label now run by fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, has experimented with illusion dresses to great success in recent seasons, from sweeping silhouettes that change depending on the angle from which they’re viewed, to trompe-l’ imagery. œil that can cause double looks. Watson’s minidress is from her Spring-Summer 2023 collection, which played with structure and shape, including several dresses with similar necklines.
Since then, the collection’s dramatic pieces have seen Zendaya, Emily Ratajkowski and Dakota Fanning rock looks featuring suggestive anthurium blossoms, while Gal Gadot opted for a more subtle black midi dress for a recent Tiffany & Co event. . In New York.
Jennifer Lawrence recently wore a playful cleavage by Loewe at the Madrid premiere of her latest film. (Credit: David Benito/WireImage/Getty Images)
Beyoncé kicked off her “Renaissance” tour in a custom Loewe bodysuit featuring a motif of black gloves and red nails that mimicked the superstar’s own arms, while Karlie Kloss announced her pregnancy on the Gala red carpet. from the Met in a body-hugging illusion pearl dress from the brand, and last week, Jennifer Lawrence walked the red carpet in Madrid for her new film, “No Hard Feelings,” in a nude Loewe gown with a floating sweetheart neckline. .
Loewe isn’t the only label that has tricked the eye with surrealally shaped gowns this season: when presenting its latest haute couture collection in January, Viktor & Rolf defied the laws of physics with ball gowns turned inside out and on their sides. , built on and around the models who wore them. At Cannes, model Elsa Hosk walked the red carpet in one of the more subtle (and spatially simpler) looks, which featured a second bodice seemingly misaligned from her body.
