When the four-hour epic Cleopatra premiered in 1963, audiences and critics were divided. On the one hand, people enjoyed the Elizabeth Taylor vehicle for its madness and opulence, which only a big-budget historical epic can have. Others hated how indulgent and inaccurate the whole experience was. Sounds familiar? Well, Emerald Fennell and Margot Robbie can probably relate.
Over 60 years later, a similar reaction – except this time amplified by the existence of Instagram, TikTok and Reddit – unraveled as the photos of costumes for Fennell's ‘Wuthering Heights’ emerged online one particular dress, an iridescent pink gown with a flouncy bustier and a pink satin ribbon, caused a full-on revolution as costume-loving netizens declared their disgust for this new take on the Brontë classic.
One of the milder comments read: “The upcoming Wuthering Heights film has committed many sins, but none as atrocious as this dress.” (@isafrankenst3in on X) Over on the ‘Bronte sisters’ subreddit, user @wodsowlonk also chimed in: “I'm usually pretty relaxed about adaptations that take liberties (loved GDT's Frankenstein, for example), but this is giving me hives.” Without going further, you probably get the gist – those with strong opinions on costumes and a passion for period stories almost unanimously came out against Jacqueline Durran's designs for Fennell's personal interpretation of the romantic tragedy.
But what did people expect? A film that, even in its casting, prioritised a Hollywood approach instead of trying to project the most rigorous version of the novel, was always going to be about pushing the boundaries of the Venn diagram between truthfulness and fantasy. If our favourite brat Charli xcx is smashing out her signature auto-tune on the soundtrack, why are we so enraged at Victorian-era Margot Robbie wearing red latex? Do we want a toothless version of Cathy just because oral hygiene was limited at the time? When it comes to finding a balance between period accuracy, creative freedom and making a piece of art people will want to engage with, it's interesting to consider where this line falls.
The much-anticipated “Wuthering Heights” was released last week, while upcoming films like “The Odyssey” and “Sense & Sensibility” continue to generate buzz. And then there's the TV and streaming world, where a booming line-up of historic dramas continues to win audiences and scoop awards – Bridgerton, The Gilded Age, A Thousand Blows, Agatha Christie's Seven Dials… the list goes on and on, and confirms that we are indeed living in a golden era of period stories backed by major studio budgets. But how important is period accuracy to the success of a project?
Probably the best place to start is Bridgerton, the mega-popular Netflix show based on a book series that explores an alternate Regency-era world. To enjoy its stories, you need to suspend your disbelief, as you do with reality franchises like Real Housewives or classic British soaps. Yes, the stories are set within a time period that has specific style guidelines, but their narrative is entirely fictional. There are progressive views on race and sexuality that probably (definitely) didn't go down during that period, and as a result, audiences seem much more accepting of its over-the-top, stylised take on period dressing.
“For womenswear, we are constantly researching ideas. These vary from Regency fashion plates and portraits, to contemporary couture, and everywhere in between,” says George Sayer, Bridgerton's Assistant Costume Designer of Women's Wear. He also reminds that their designs are a “period fantasy, and not a history lesson.”
Building on the push and pull of past and present, the show's fourth season also included pieces created in partnership with Pandora, which became shoppable at the same time the episodes dropped on Netflix. For the characters' wardrobes, they also used modern footwear and prints created by contemporary textile designers. Dougie Hawkes, the show's Associate Costume Designer for Menswear, notes that this past season also went a step further to celebrate its period, explaining that they worked “closely with the last remaining silk weavers to reproduce 200-year-old designs using original methods.” In this sense, period costuming can go beyond just accuracy that is visible to the eye. They can help preserve history while also breaking certain rules.
Clearly outlined as a work of imagination, John Glaser's costumes for Bridgerton are widely recognised as outstanding, having been nominated for multiple awards and recreated by many. When a trailer for each new season drops, fans get excited about the style instead of criticising the exactness of the empire waist or the fullness of a skirt. But that's probably thanks to the show's frothy tone. It seems audiences are happy to accept creative freedom when the project is imbued with a tone of humour and lightness.
On the opposite side of that coin, the HBO drama The Gilded Age is an ambitious recreation of forgotten parts of history. As the name suggests, the show explores the transformative period of US history at the end of the 19th century, and it does with style. While it definitely feels like an educational programme at times, the show's Emmy-nominated costume designer, Kasia Walicka-Maimone, is adamant about the importance of creative freedom in the process.
“My primary job is to respond to what's on the page, and what is on the page is not a documentary. It is a story that is deeply steeped in history and deeply influenced by it. But we have composite characters who are based on several real-life people. We often touch upon real events, but those also get manipulated and enhanced, and our purpose is to […] create entertainment.”
In our conversation, Walicka-Maimone keeps returning to the idea that the period the show showcases is one of “extraordinary excitement.” This era marked many shifts in society, birthing major inventions we still use today. With three seasons done and a fourth in the making, the creative teams who work on the show have access to a vast image library of the period that not only helps them understand it but also allows them to be creative in showcasing aspects people might not even know about. With that element of play in mind, what is a line the Gilded Age's costume designer wouldn't cross?
“We don't break the silhouette; it's what grounds it continuously. We don't break the rules of society unless the character calls for it. […] As long as it's rooted deep in history, it resonates with history. But we, of course, veer off from it because there are multiple characters that need to be differentiated from each other,” says Walicka-Maimone.
As a show with an extensive wardrobe in incredibly rich, saturated hues, Walicka-Maimone says that the use of colour in period storytelling can sometimes pose a challenge for audience perception. “I think that our brains often rely on the safety of black and white photography. Thus, we don't think about the periods in such colourful dimensions. But there wasan endless amount of colour, and I do have proofs for it.” In terms of highlights, she acknowledges the feeling of success that comes from the period being celebrated by the fashion industry, quoting the 2022 Met Gala theme and a 2025 collection from Ralph Lauren inspired by the ‘Black elite’, which plays a big part in the show's storyline.
Fast-forwarding to the 1920s, Netflix's most recent hit Agatha Christie's Seven Dials sits somewhere between the aforementioned two projects. On one hand, it remains within the silhouettes of its set time, but on the other, it explores fictional locations imagined by the celebrated crime author. Amy Roberts, the show's costume designer, confidently plays with modernity in her stylish interpretation, never veering into total madness. However, her references come from contrasting places – from the realness of photographer Jacques Henri Lartigue and the Bloomsbury Group to the surreal imagery of Claude Cahun. But Roberts insists it's about “real people doing real things in a stylish way.”
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In the costumes for the show's heroine, Bundle Brent, played charmingly by Mia McKenna-Bruce, Roberts effortlessly mixed in contemporary pieces, including a Guernsey knit, turn-up trousers and a pair of canvas Mary Janes. Her interpretation is bold at times, but it never derails from following the plot. This is the case with all the costume designers I spoke to – and great costume design in general. Whether totally imaginary or as accurate as a history book, the key is to follow the tone rather than break away from it and stand out as a sore thumb. That's unless the project asks for it.
You might end up having a pair of lilac Converse shoes in a scene where Marie Antoinette plays dress-up and walk away with an Academy Award for costume design. But thanks to the totality of its singular vision – modern soundtrack and all – Sofia Coppola's loose interpretation of the French queen made total sense, building a mass cult following in the two decades that followed. But then there are shows like Pam & Tommy, which not only took a questionable approach to interpreting events but also shoved a Givenchy Nightingale bag from 2006 into a scene set in 1995. When individual pieces are recognisable and synonymous with certain periods, it's probably best to stay away from them as you try to paint your own version of real-life events. Ryan Murphy knows this too well, because after the collective outrage over the first look at his new show Love Story, he brought in a new costume designer to dress the characters of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, both iconic for their recognisable looks.
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As a parallel to ‘Wuthering Heights’, that's probably where the ‘issue’ lies. People have been building an image of Catherine for generations, and that vision (probably) didn't include iridescent pink chiffon or micro sunnies. But as a story that's based on local legends and Emily Brönte's own imagination, why can't a 2026 version look like its own world?
Instead of trying to replicate the realness of Ancient Egypt, the 1963 version of Cleopatra's story had a heavily stylised, '60s feel to them that most purists rejected. However, its flashy style was undeniable – Taylor set a Guinness World Record for the most costume changes in a film with 65 looks, and its designers, Renié, Irene Sharaff, and Vittorio Nino Novarese, won the Oscar for Best Costume Design. The film's visuals, which included 24-karat gold capes, are still referenced today by fashion designers for their aesthetics and film theorists for the way they ushered in a new era of stylised on-screen events that forego truth in place of strong visual impact.
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Although it's not in the running for this year's Oscars, ‘Wuthering Heights’ is bound to make its own impact on the real world style thanks to its modernity. A historic romance heroine in red latex? Whether you like it or not, it's bold, unapologetic and follows the formula of world-building established by Cleopatra in 1963. And you know what? I bet Elizabeth Taylor would be a massive fan.
Margot Robbie’s version of Cathy is basically a period-crossing fashion Pinterest board.
