Costume designers favour spectacle over historical accuracy

Emerald Fennell’s retelling of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights finally hits cinema screens this weekend. Since the first photos were released, the costumes’ anachronisms have dominated conversation; Diet Prada called the designs a “freaky mix of Oktoberfest corseting meets 1950’s ballgowns meets futuristic liquid organza meets … Barbie?” Viewers will soon see Oscar-winning Jacqueline Durran’s vision, with Cathy’s wedding dress made from a material resembling cellophane, as if she’s been giftwrapped for her husband.

Durran told Vogue, “We’re not representing a moment in time at all.” Her mood board pulled from Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen, German milkmaid-style and Elizabethan, Georgian, Victorian and contemporary fashion, and the challenge was to distill those references into looks that told the story Emerald wanted.

Storytelling and spectacle, rather than a quest for historical accuracy, led to bold choices such as the cellophane-like bridal gown. The approach sits within a broader move away from strict period fidelity.

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