Margot Robbie recently donned a stunning white off-the-shoulder wedding dress on the set of Wuthering Heights, sparking discussions about historical accuracy and fashion evolution. The gown beamed with its detailed embroidered puffy sleeves and basque corseted bodice. This iridescent, pleated, billowy ballgown full of sexy Spanish flamenco-with-pixie flare made it a visual stunner. Paired with a cathedral veil anchored by a tiara and a bouquet of roses and hydrangeas, Robbie's bridal look was undeniably captivating. The decision to go with a white wedding dress has left history buffs and literature purists scratching their heads.
When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, she made the custom of white wedding dresses fashionable. This epochal decision ingrained white as the default wedding color among white folks. Leading up to this, wedding dresses had no set color. Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is set around 40 years before this fashion change. Given this timing, it’s unsurprising that much of the criticism has focused on the historical inaccuracy of Robbie’s costume. By the time period that Brontë wrote about, the neoclassical style had taken over, with soft gowns that featured empire waistlines.
Robbie's choice of dress has been a point of contention for English majors and history buffs, who argue that it does not accurately represent the fashion norms of Brontë's era. Contrast her bizarre anachronistic style with the historical context of Wuthering Heights. During that period, loose-fitting gowns with high waistlines were all the rage. Details like these have some Tolkien purists fuming, because they feel it loses the spirit of the original story.