Fashion houses far and wide jumped at the chance to create something custom for Margot Robbie's Wuthering Heights press tour. So far, Schiaparelli, Chanel, and Thom Browne debuted ballgowns and cinched corsets on par with the novel's themes of forbidden love and restrained passion. But on February 5, Dilara Findikoglu's braided naked dress stripped it back, featuring major ties to the film's biggest themes.
Since Emily Brontë's 1847 novel takes place on the moody English moors, stylist Andrew Mukamal knew to pull out all the stops at the London premiere. He tapped Turkish designer—and naked dress extraordinaire—Dilara Findikoglu to craft a lingerie-inspired gown for Robbie. Like most of Findikoglu's naked designs, an elongated, bone-in corset served as the Victorian-coded foundation, before tulle turned it into a nude, floor-length number.
It was the most streamlined bustier of Robbie's press tour so far, which has included velvet, brocade, and lace decorated corsets from Chanel, Roberto Cavalli, and Thom Browne, respectively. Findikoglu's braided embellishments, on the other hand, added visual, method-inspired interest on top.
Step aside, Schiaparelli hair neckties. Robbie's London red carpet look said we're wearing hair all over now. Braids so dark blonde they're almost green—featuring a subtle, freshly-washed sheen—outlined the skintight silhouette, beginning in a trio of knots along the dress's halter neck. Once the hair reached the corset's lace-lined empire waist, plaits crisscrossed atop her bodice and fanned out like feathers around each off-the-shoulder strap. Strands cascaded down the corset's hip-hugging boning, where the décolletage's knots returned. Braids intersected again, this time as if they were ropes around Robbie's calves.
Who needs jewelry when you have glossy braids adorning your body from top to bottom? Even so, Robbie couldn't resist bespoke garnet, diamond, and pearl earrings from Jessica McCormack, the same jeweler behind Zendaya's engagement ring.
The ruffled choker—Robbie's fifth for Wuthering Heights—hailed from Findikoglu's studios. Zoom in to see the same green-ish hair woven like a picnic basket between the tulle trim. Meanwhile, Boucheron's archives loaned Robbie a circa-1920 brooch tacked to her choker, which matched the 126-year-old pin atop her neckline.
What's more, Robbie's blink-and-you'll-miss-it bracelet actually belonged to Emily Brontë's sister, Charlotte. It was a replica of a bracelet crafted from Emily and Anne Brontë’s hair, as was custom in Victorian mourning jewelry at the time.
Why the braids, you ask? Early screenings of Emerald Fennel's adaptation report Robbie's Cathy puts ribbons in her pleated hair for many of the standout scenes. (The trailer teased this consistent motif around the two-minute mark.) Marie Claire's senior fashion news editor, Halie LeSavage, (who's seen the "bodice-ripping crowd-pleaser") says the use of braids and corsetry "reference both Cathy and Heathcliff having to show restraint" throughout the story.
You'll have to wait until February 13 to appreciate it on the silver screen, but expect similar styling—both in and out of Robbie's hair—during future press stops.
