On duty, she loves Magda Butrym, Dilara Findikoglu, Alaïa and, of course, Chanel, given her seven years as an ambassador. Just two days after seeing Matthieu Blazy’s debut collection in Paris, she was on the Vogue shoot, swaddled in his fresh-off-the-catwalk feathers. The French house also lent dazzling, maximalist vintage jewellery to the Wuthering Heights production, items that were then sewn into Robbie’s hair and ballgowns.
On screen, Durran promises a head-spinning fashion fantasia. Cathy alone wears about 50 looks and the costumer’s moodboards featured everything from Gone with the Wind’s Scarlett O’Hara and Romy Schneider in Sissi to Lina Lamont’s Marie Antoinette get-up from Singin’ in the Rain, seductive 1990s Thierry Mugler, camp 1950s calendar girls, Elizabethan portraiture, Dolce & Gabbana’s gilded ornamentation and White Christmas’s Vera-Ellen shimmying to “Mandy”. On the Vogue set, Robbie gravitated to pieces – puff-sleeved Vaquera, sculptural Margiela, ruffled Schiaparelli, giant Givenchy earrings – that have the same extravagant, renegade spirit.
A retelling of Wuthering Heights is Margot Robbie’s ambitious new project, which she thinks will have the same impact on modern audiences as Titanic did for her time. The analogy points to a vision for an expansive, poignant epic that combines iconic literature with powerful visual effects.
The famous 1847 novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is renowned for its deep romance, dramatic settings, and tumultuous relationships—elements that have influenced several adaptations over the years. Robbie’s intention to bring the narrative up to the scope and cultural impact of the Titanic indicates a creative strategy that prioritizes grandeur, emotional nuance, and wide audience appeal.
Robbie’s involvement has already piqued the excitement of aficionados of both contemporary cinema and ancient literature, even if there are still little facts available about the project.
Naturally, as with Barbie, there’s much red-carpet method dressing to come, courtesy of Robbie’s stylist Andrew Mukamal, who visited the Wuthering Heights set, absorbed Durran and Fennell’s countless references and collected vintage copies of Wuthering Heights from eBay for inspiration. Expect custom designer pieces alongside showstoppers pulled from the runway. “It’s good timing too,” says Robbie, flashing me a cheeky smile. “The couture shows are in January. So we can see what comes out of that.”
Mukamal also needs to find her an outfit for another special occasion. Robbie’s friends, she tells me, are throwing her a Cathy-themed “bachelorette” party to mark the film’s release. We’re back at lunch and Robbie is looking slightly apprehensive. “I have no idea what we’re going to do. I’m normally the planner in our group, but they’re like, ‘We’ve got this.’ I said, ‘Just tell me where to be and what to wear.’”
As she packs up her leftovers and slides on her rectangular Ray-Bans, ready to return to the studio, I picture all the possibilities: a hairy-chested stripper dressed as Heathcliff, a steamy bread-making class, fishy canapés, and matching corsets and hoop skirts. Godspeed.
Cover look: embroidered satin corset dress, Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood. Hair: Bryce Scarlett. Make-up: Pati Dubroff. Nails: Ama Quashie. Tailor: Della George. Set design: Max Bellhouse. Production: Holmes Production. Digital artwork: Magnus Bergqvist. With thanks to Firle Place, East Sussex.
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