Emma Watson’s Airport Outfit Features a Security-Friendly Shoe But Very Impractical Skirt for the Plane
Emma Watson landed at Cannes airport wearing a very chic look consisting of two of the year's biggest trends—one practical for travelling and one, well, not so much.


There are some celebrities who you seem to see all the time. Not in real life, of course (that is unless you're fortunate enough to share a postcode with them), but some are generally more visible than others. This is often down to who's taking on which projects—some require more comprehensive press tours than others, so it can end up feeling like we're seeing them on our screens, both big and small, all the time. Emma Watson, however, is not this ilk of celebrity. Often choosing quieter projects for herself, or refocusing her energy on other pursuits, she's just someone we don't see a lot of. Which is a shame as, when we do, she always delivers on the style front. Her recent arrival at Cannes Mandelieu Airport being no exception.
Jetting into town for the city's acclaimed Cannes Film Festival, Watson looked every inch the Hollywood icon thanks to her choice of outfit. However, as I took her outfit in, it dawned on me that this is likely what she wore to fly in, and I was all the more impressed.
Let's start from the bottom and work our way up, shall we? Swerving on high heels which, let's face it, aren't the easiest footwear to shuffle up plane stairs in, the actor instead opted for a chic pair of ballet flats; polished but also practical as you don't need to take this particular shoe style off to make it through security.
Next, however, was her skirt. Not jeans, not leggings, but a skirt—a lace one at that! While it was very pretty and the A-line silhouette did allow the movement a typical lace pencil skirt could never, my risk management senses still kicked in. Surely the open-weave nature of this skirt could get caught in those cumbersome arm rests? Or the zip on your bag snag it as you lift it into the overhead compartment! It's also white, which is a braze choice when a glass of red wine or orange juice is poured but there's the very real possibility of sudden turbulence kicking in.
This, however, doesn't take away from how chic she looked. Completing her look with a cute bouclé cardigan and superstar sunnies—you will never regret owning Ray-Ban Wayfarers, let me tell you—Watson has, at the very least convinced me to branch out from my typical leggings-and-trainers outfit for my next summer airport outfit.
Scroll on to browse my edit of chic ballet flats and lace skirts below—whether you wear the latter on a plane is entirely your call.
Shop Ballet Flats and Lace Skirts
This Dôen skirt looks so cute styled with the matching top.
Suede ballet flats are a key shoe trend this year.

Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s Deputy Editor and has over fourteen years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and authoritative content for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, talent interviews self-styled shopping stories and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, leads the editorial team in their search and keyword planning, works closely with the fashion and beauty team on strategy and continues to pen many of her own articles. Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine's contributed to publications including Grazia, InStyle Marie Claire, Elle and Look, amongst others.