The brightest witch of her age, Hermione Granger, was a Muggle-born witch, member of the Order of the Phoenix, and hero of the Battle of Hogwarts. She later worked at the Ministry of Magic, both in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where she became Deputy Head. Before all of that, she was a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she successfully navigated the academic and social scenes with her formidable intellect and a little help in the wardrobe department.
Below are ten hidden details about Hermione’s costumes you never noticed.
SHE GOT A MAKEOVER BETWEEN CHAMBER OF SECRETS AND PRISONER OF AZKABAN
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Most fans noticed a change in the Hogwarts dress code between the second and third Harry Potter movies. Since when did Hogwarts students wear Muggle clothes outside of class? And why do Harry and Ron look so disheveled?
For Hermione, the change meant a new hairstyle that was a little sleeker than the bushy brown hair she had in the books. While Emma Watson was happy to be rid of the character-defining frizz, there is no denying that the Hermione many fans had come to love based on J.K. Rowling’s description of her did not sport long, tousled, well-groomed locks.
HER MUGGLE CLOTHING WAS MEANT TO MAKE HER MORE RELATABLE
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One of Hermione’s best-known outfits is the pink hoodie she wore with jeans in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was part of a new set of Muggle clothing for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to make them seem more like relatable teenagers than characters from a fantasy world.
This was a controversial change because Hogwarts students wore their uniforms and robes at all times in the Harry Potter books, even when they weren’t in class. The new costume design also deviated from the more polished aesthetic of the first two movies. Because the actors, narrative, and fanbase were all maturing, the costumes also had to change to fit the new tone.
HER YULE BALL GOWN WAS YOUNG, FUN, AND “WITCHY”
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Hermione wore a pink chiffon gown to the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. One of her best looks, the floor-length gown had a tiered skirt that turned a deeper shade of pink with each layer. It was a youthful design with a touch of whimsy fitting for a magic ball. Hermione completed the look with her hair in an updo and a cascade of curls framing her face.
The Yule Ball was a turning point for Hermione. It was the first time anyone had seen her in dress robes and without her trademark frizzy hair. Not to mention it was at the Yule Ball that Ron first noticed she was a girl and not one of the boys.
SHE WORE SPLASHES OF PINK AND PURPLE
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Hermione wore a lot of pink and purple in the later Harry Potter movies. Beginning with her light pink hoodie in Prisoner of Azkaban and continuing with her pink ballgown in Goblet of Fire (which deviated from the book’s description of it as “periwinkle-blue”), movie Hermione favored feminine colors paired with denim in practical ensembles.
For instance, there was the pale pink cardigan she wore when casting the False Memory charm on her parents, and the fuschia sweater she donned under a jean jacket in Deathly Hallows. Splashes of pink also appeared on Hermione’s hats, mittens, and scarves in winter weather scenes.
HER RED DRESS COULD LIGHT UP PICCADILLY CIRCUS
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Hermione attended Fleur and Bill’s wedding in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows wearing a gorgeous red cocktail dress that would be impossible to miss in a crowd — even if that crowd was in Piccadilly Circus among double-decker buses. The custom-made dress featured a floral detail at the waist with ruffles running down the skirt. It is possibly the most mature of Hermione’s costumes and a much stronger color than she usually wears.
The wedding is notably Hermione’s last moment of glamour before disaster strikes, and the movie keeps her in more functional clothes as she searches for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron.
EMMA WATSON WAS CONTRACTUALLY OBLIGATED NOT TO CUT HER HAIR
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Emma Watson caused a stir when she appeared at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows with a pixie cut. She was contractually obligated to keep her hair long for the duration of her time as Hermione Granger and celebrated the contract’s end by chopping off her brunette locks after filming for the last film wrapped.
A drastic haircut is widely interpreted as a desire for change and severing ties from one’s past. After nearly a decade of working on the Harry Potter films, it was no wonder that Watson wanted to kick off a new chapter of her life with a fresh hairdo.
SHE HAD GREAT TASTE IN COATS
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As she grew older, Hermione became more adventurous fashion-wise. She developed a sense of style that was quite apparent in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where she dressed in classic tailored pieces with simple accessories and pops of color. A great example is the gray wool peacoat that she coordinated with a pink beret and gloves, adding a touch of brightness and femininity to her look. In another scene, she loses the hat and layers the peacoat over a beige sweater that just peeks out over her collar. The peacoat bears a striking resemblance to a coat Hermione wears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire — perhaps it’s a longtime closet staple?
…AND SWEATERS
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Hermione wore many cozy sweaters and scarves in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The knits were especially prominent when the trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron camped in the woods. Hermione wore a soft grey sweater with a fair isle pattern and accessorized it with a scarf and multicolored, fingerless gloves.
The colors from the pattern, scarf, and gloves contrasted nicely with the dreary grey and blue tones of the rest of the scene. Harry and Ron also dressed in chunky knits for this part of the story, and while the trio was scared and uncertain of the future, they at least looked warm and snug.
BUT SHE ALWAYS KEPT HER LOOK CASUAL AND PRACTICAL
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Whenever she was in school, Hermione wore her compulsory Hogwarts uniform and robes with Gryffindor colors. Whenever she was not in school, she switched out the uniform for one of her casual ensembles, which were typically a blouse or sweater in a feminine color paired with skinny jeans and practical shoes. Hermione’s outfits were accessible and comprised of pieces any teenage girl could pick up at the mall. Compare this to Emma Watson, who became a Chanel muse and was photographed by Karl Lagerfield and other big names in the fashion industry as a teen — not so relatable!
SHE WENT THROUGH MANY, MANY ROBES
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While the Hogwarts school supply list called for only three sets of plain work robes, Emma Watson went through at least twenty robes during her time in the franchise. In fact, the costume department provided more than 20,000 robes in total for the entire cast across all the Harry Potter movies. This was necessary due to the sheer size and diversity of the cast as well as the adjustments that needed to be made when working with rapidly growing children. For the final battle at Hogwarts alone, each kid went through 10-15 robes per day as they kept tripping and ripping them during filming.