There's a unique horror that sets in when you stumble upon photos of your first school disco (or other fancy-dress occasion). Odds are, your sense of what was elegant and mature has changed a lot since those days. And while earnestness with which we approached dressing up is very sweet, we can't help but cringe at those early #OOTDs. Turns out, it happens to the best of us: When confronted with a picture of her very first red carpet on Ellen, for the premiere of the original Harry Potter film back in 2011, even Emma Watson couldn't help but break into nervous giggles.
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The 26-year-old may be a very seasoned fashion girl now — to the point where she shares all her verifiably-sustainable outfits on Instagram — but it wasn't always that way. Watson walked her very first red carpet when she was just 11 years old. Back then, she didn't have a stylist. Instead, her mum helped her plan out what she'd wear for big nights, including this one.
"This was special," Watson told Ellen DeGeneres of the grey, capped-sleeve maxi dress she wore to the Harry Potter screening, accessorised with a purple feathered scarf and golden clutch. "This was my first-ever movie premiere, and my mum and I planned this for weeks. It doesn't look like it, but there's a lot of thought that went into it."
For the record, Watson was very into the look at the time: "I thought I looked amazing." Hey, if you felt good, you looked good — and you can't argue against the smile on grade-school Watson's face. We all have a treasure trove of cringe-worthy snaps, after all. Plus, Watson's red-carpet strategy may have gotten a little more sophisticated over the years, but her enthusiasm is still the same.
Watch Watson's adorably awkward stroll down memory lane, below.