Jacqueline Durran, known for her outstanding costume design in “Little Women” and “Barbie,” was in charge of creating the beautiful looks seen in the new “Wuthering Heights” movie starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie. While a potentially controversial choice, Durran chose not to follow exact historical accuracy, but to combine modern fashion with historical clothes worn during the 1800s. When blended together, the modern twist on the older fashion adds a flare to the movie, making it unique and unlike any other “Wuthering Heights” adaptation.

Durran had many inspirations for her looks. She took ideas from things such as Empress Elisabeth of Austria and 18th century fashion looks featured at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She also took inspiration from designers such as Mugler and Dolce & Gabbana as well as looks featured in Vogue Germany.

Let’s start with Cathy’s looks. Her outfits while living at Wuthering Heights represent her position in society. In her first look, Cathy is wearing a Germanic milkmade-styled dress. This dress conveys to the audience that Cathy is middle class and cannot afford the nice jewelry and dresses that other women at the time in society can. The stitching on the corset and the blend of white to red fabric is beautiful. The puffy sleeves and plaid skirt add more Germanic detail to the dress and encapsulate what life was like at Wuthering Heights. For this outfit, Durran had pictures of Michèle Mercier as Angélique Sancé de Monteloup in the 1964 film “Angélique, Marquise des Anges,” and a Vogue Germany supplement cover from September 2010 on her vision board.

Cathy’s wealth and position in society rise after marrying Edgar Linton, played by Shazad Latif, and this is perfectly portrayed through her costuming. On this look in particular, the modernized look with the red sunglasses and the giant gold cross on the corset are just spectacular. The dress with the intricate squared neckline, the little embroidery of the sleeves and skirt and the hint of red in the lining that matches the glasses prove how much effort and attention was placed into these designs. This dress is also seen in another clip of the movie where Cathy is having a picnic. During the scene, she wears an enormously large hat and is eating an abnormally large strawberry, which both emphasize how her wealth has grown. Next to her sits Edgar, wearing an outfit just as sensational. The gold stitching on the tan undercoat with the large top hat and flowers represent a peak in rich society during the 1800s.

Durran also decided to add outfits with unique fabric that seem out of place within the time period, but work in the context of the film.The dress with the red skirt Cathy wears when Heathcliff returns is an ultra shiny, synthetic, plasticized contemporary fabric made to mimic latex. Then there’s Cathy’s wedding night dress made from cellophane and wrapped in a bow around the waist. By far the most modern look of the film, the dress intends to represent Cathy being “wrapped like a gift.” The cellophane dress was very controversial for fans of “Wuthering Heights” with many feeling that it was too modern and was unfit for the story. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Durran’s take on adding a modern flare to historical fashion was the right choice. Another controversial fabric seen in the film was the moonlight dress made with high-shine fabric. Worn during a moonlit scene, the blueish-black shiny fabric makes it look like Cathy is expelling that moonlight too as it reflects off the dress.

One of the best details featured on many of Cathy’s looks is the bejeweled crosses that adorn her dresses. As previously mentioned, we first see this detail on her white picnic gown where a large gold and red cross hangs from her corset. Durran continues to use this detail on multiple other outfits, a stand out being the blue and silver gown with a flowing red cape and white fur mitt that features a silver cross decorated with green and red stones. Another example is Cathy’s outfit to her father’s funeral. Cathy wears a Victorian style black dress with a flowing black veil and, you guessed it, a gold cross centered on her chest. Durran looked at portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and a cross-embellished vest from Dolce & Gabbana’s spring 2017 collection to inspire these looks.

Cathy isn’t the only one who wears great outfits in the film.The outfits that Isabella Linton, played by Alison Oliver, wears are beautiful, intricate and utilized to emphasize her youth and innocence. Isabella wears many dresses with bright colors, lace and lots of frills. This one yellow dress in particular is the first outfit we see her in and one of the best. The yellow stitching sewed with the white lace, the frilled sleeves and the flowers are impeccable and represent an exaggerated take on what young girls would have worn in the 1800s. Durran does a great job using her outfits to portray and play into her naivety. Another one that stands out is Isabella’s rainbow dress which features a more grown up neckline and shape as well as a beautiful blend of pastel colors layered onto a light pink base. The dress is covered in tulle and the neckline features a little pop of shiny silver. The change in style and neckline reveals Isabella growing into a woman as well as her desire to dress more maturely around Heathcliff.

While it is true that these costumes occasionally lack historical accuracy, Durran’s designs are beautiful and perfect for Fennell’s interpretation of the story. Instead of copying clothing from the time period exactly, she chose to add subtle modern elements that made the costumes feel fresh and visually interesting. This approach helps the audience connect more easily with the characters while still keeping the overall historical atmosphere. The soft colors, unique fabrics and updated shapes make the clothing stand out and help express the personalities and emotions of the characters. Because of this, the costumes feel creative and intentional rather than simply traditional, and they help bring the story to life for a modern audience. Overall, Durran did an excellent job adding modern touches to historical clothes, bringing “Wuthering Heights” to the 21st century.