Margot Robbie’s Wuthering Heights wardrobe divides nations with inaccuracies.
How important should historical costume accuracy be in tv and film?
Have you ever been sat watching a period drama and thought to yourself, “Surely, they didn’t wear that during that period.” or “Why has she got a smoky eye, this is supposed set in the Regency era?”
Well, you’re not alone.
Every time a period drama comes out, there are floods of people critiquing the historical inaccuracies, specifically with the costume designs.
The most recent project to fall victim to the backlash, is Emerald Fennel’s adaptation of the classic novel, Wuthering Heights.
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Award-winning, British costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, widely known for designing Kiera Knightley’s iconic emerald Atonement dress, was the designer for this project, and while there is no doubt that the costumes were incredible, many viewers weren’t too pleased with them not aligning with the period it is supposed to be set.
Both Fennel and Durran have been very open about the choices put into not only the costume design, but the adaptions as a whole, stating that it is not supposed to be historically accurate, but rather how Emerald had interpretated the book when reading it as a teenager.
At a discussion at the V&A, Durran said: “We designed it, really, based on feeling and instinct and tangential connections.”
Films often take liberties, sacrificing authentic costumes, for a more stylized, modern look to appeal to a modern audience.
Looking at Cathy’s costumes, more so at the start of the film, you can see a slight hint of historical inspiration, especially when looking at a painting of the period side by side.
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Jazmine, the Curator for a Fashion Museum based in Malvern, weighed in on the debate of whether historical accuracy should be at the forefront of period pieces.
She said: “I think historical accuracy doesn’t necessarily matter.
“With Wuthering Heights, I think that because it is so purposefully out there and it’s kind of a pastiche of all these different areas thrown together and it’s supposed to be a bit subversive, I think that when it’s done well, costumes can really be used as a tool in the storytelling…
“but I think if it’s a film where they’ve really gone through a lot of accuracy with most things, and then there’s a couple of things that feel off and they’re sort of like glaringly modern, then I think that can detract from the overall sort of world that you’re in, I suppose, and it can kind of take you out of it.
I also think that it’s more important if they’re maybe a bit like Anne Lister, and Gentleman Jack, if they’re doing a film that tells a true story.”
A historical accurate garment at the Bowes Museum, from close to the time Wuthering Heights is set. Photo Credit: Sophie Airson
Costumes in tv can also tell the viewers a lot about the time they were made in, like the difference between a period drama made in the 1970s versus one made in the 1980s, each perceiving the past in a different light.
It can tell you about the political landscape at the time, and the type of audience they are trying to please.
Corset tight tightened, Photo credit: Sergey Meshkov //Pexels.
Corsets seem to a reoccurring theme of what tv, and film always get wrong.
They are often portrayed as instruments of patriarchal oppression, rather than the supportive undergarment that they were.
Jazmine said: “I think corsets do kind of irk for me when, there’s these extreme tight lacing scenes, with the classic bedpost trope and there’s a maid that’s got like her foot on her back and they’re tightening it and she looks like she’s going to faint…
“I understand what they’re doing, but I think it’s just when it’s, you know, especially a film where everything else is very accurate or that you can see that that’s what they’re trying to go for.”
Something as simple as corsets are used to add another layer to the storytelling, and like previous period dramas, in Wuthering Height the tight-lacing (extreme tightening) corset scene had a deeper meaning.
The scene is of Cathy (Margot Robbie) having her corset tightened happened in preparation for her wedding to Edgar (Shazad Latif), signalling that she is about to be trapped in a loveless marriage.
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One of the most critised costumes of the entire film, also shared a similar meaning, the iridescent dress resembled a somewhat of wrapping paper, and gesturing to Cathy being a present giving to her husband to possess.
Collage of Historical Garments at the Bowes Museum, Photo Credit: Sophie AirsonJohn Paul Green, an academic at the University of Sunderland for film and media, has also spoken on whether historical accuracy in film and media should be at the forefront, he said: “All history is a perspective so difficult to have complete authenticity/ accuracy…
“Characters and situations can be changed to accommodate the flow of the narrative or dramatic purposes…
“Storytelling is key to drama – in the sense that while it may have a moral responsibility to demonstrate some fidelity to facts, its main purpose is to entertain.”
Next time you’re watching a period drama, remember that historical accuracy might not have been the intent of those making it.
