The film adaptation of "Wuthering Heights", directed by Emerald Fennell, is currently a focal point of public discussion and fashion enthusiasts. Emily Brontë's original novel was first published in 1847, with the story's timeline continuously intertwining between 1801 and the 1770s.

Typically, period films set in rural England during the Georgian era are associated with dark costumes, suitable for wild, muddy, and cold, windy, rainy landscapes. However, under the direction of Jacqueline Durran – the costume designer who won two Academy Awards for "Anna Karenina" and "Little Women", and a BAFTA for "Vera Drake" – the film offers a distinct approach.

Director Fennell, designer Durran, and lead actress Margot Robbie create a world of fashion that is exaggerated and provocative. While some experts describe Durran's costumes as outdated and visually incoherent, Vogue magazine describes them as "wild and wonderful".

According to Elle, director Emerald Fennell did not aim to faithfully recreate the book, but rather ambitiously sought to create something "truly terrifying, sexy, and horrific". This perspective aligns with modern trends in screen costume design, where chronological accuracy is often secondary to creative expression.

The director spent over one year collecting images from various eras. The film's wardrobe is a distillation of late 18th-century attire, combined with contemporary fashion, fairytale imagery, and Hollywood films from the 1930s to the 1960s, such as "Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz". The styles of legendary fashion houses like Alexander McQueen and Thierry Mugler also served as major inspirations for Durran's designs.

Cathy's costumes combine fashion styles from various historical periods. Photo: Warner Bros.

A highlight of the film is Cathy's (Margot Robbie) wardrobe, featuring 45-50 outfits throughout the work. Robbie's Cathy is a vibrant, blonde young woman. Her clothes feature a dominant ruby red and crimson color palette, standing out against the gray-brown farm setting. She also wears many intricately hand-embroidered corsets, plaid skirts, and peplum vests.

Cathy's two most striking designs are her wedding dress and honeymoon outfit. Although the story is set in the 18th century, the protagonist's wedding dress blends Victorian and 1950s fashion, inspired by paintings by artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter and Charles James's 1951 Haute Couture gown. Her honeymoon dress, on the other hand, is crafted from cellophane, a material not invented until 1908. This idea originated from a 1950s photograph of a woman wrapped like a gift with a bow tied around her waist. This detail conveys the message: Cathy transforms herself into a gift on her wedding night, offering herself in a shimmering wrapper.

Cathy's wedding dress is noted for its resemblance to modern attire. Photo: Warner Bros.

Cathy's dissatisfaction, feelings of entrapment, and internal pain are also conveyed through the use of synthetic materials. A prominent example is the red dress made from glossy fabric treated with synthetic resin. This design blends with the matching rubber floor, creating a suffocating yet alluring sensation.

In the scene where she returns to Wuthering Heights to visit her alcoholic father during Christmas, Cathy walks through the white snow in a red velvet cloak, wearing a silver dress with a cracked pattern underneath, evoking a sense of coldness. In many other scenes, she wears white, but this is not a symbol of innocence; instead, it signals depletion, embodying the ghostly imagery of the story.

Thanks to a collaboration with Elsa Heizmann, Chanel's global director of cinema relations, Durran gained access to the brand's archives to source rare vintage jewelry. Many of these pieces were sewn into the actors' hair and costumes.

In the film, Margot Robbie wears oversized straw hats and distinctive Russian fur hats. Photo: Warner Bros.

According to Vogue, Cathy's jewelry is not merely decorative; it functions as a protective armor. As she enters the wealthy Linton family, her appearance undergoes a transformation through a series of flowing outfits paired with pearl earrings and crystal tiaras. The large necklaces she wears evoke chains or handcuffs, symbolizing her self-imprisonment within a golden cage devoid of love. Cathy's request for her maid, Nelly, to tighten her bridal corset is also a metaphor for confinement, resembling the scars on Heathcliff's (Jacob Elordi) back from the beatings he endured protecting her as a child.

Many of the character's accessories also carry a satirical, incongruous quality. The appearance of tiny sunglasses, enormous straw hats adorned with comet shapes, and Russian-style fur hats all create a glamorous and absurd look, reflecting Cathy's feeling of not belonging.

Heathcliff remains loyal to his long black coat and white shirt. Photo: Warner Bros.

Alongside a radiant Cathy is the infatuated Heathcliff. His wardrobe closely adheres to the historical period of Georgian England in the 1800s. His style is built upon the archetype of the Byronic hero in English literature, with a classic "bad boy" cinematic edge. Heathcliff consistently wears dark colors, featuring a long black coat and a white shirt unbuttoned, reminiscent of his days as a stable boy. This detail highlights the character's consistent style, much like his unwavering love for Cathy. Heathcliff's social ascent is marked by a gold earring, a pinky ring, a well-tailored suit, and a gold tooth, transforming him into a Regency-style aristocrat, embodying the romantic and classic aesthetic of the English Regency period (1811-1820).

Vogue notes that the costumes of the supporting characters are also exaggerated. Edgar Linton (Shazad Latif), a newly rich textile merchant, wears a vest with a cut typical of Victorian aristocracy, made from glossy fabric, flaunting his wealth. In contrast, his sister Isabella (Alison Oliver) embodies a fussy, eccentric style from the 1860s. Her wardrobe is awash in candy pink, with elaborate dresses adorned with ribbons, lace, and bows, creating the image of a childish, naive doll.

Elle magazine argues that Jacqueline Durran's brilliance lies in her refusal to soften the brutality of the original work with fashion. The glittering surfaces of the dresses, the ostentatious expense, and the bold color palette all serve to deepen the cruelty, vanity, and lust that can transform humans into wild beings.

Sao Mai