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Recall the summer of BarbieCore? Welcome to the winter of BrontëCore. The Emirates Lit Fest might have come to a close, but from Hamnet to “Wuthering Heights”, big-screen adaptations of literary classics are proving potent fashion inspo.

I hark back to the summer of 2023 regularly in this column. Gentle reminder: it was the moment that Barbie turned everything pink. The perfect illustration of a fashion mega trend that has nothing to do with designer brands, catwalk shows, or luxury creatives. Instead, prompted by Mattel’s plastic pied piper played by Australian actor Margot Robbie, we unanimously decided that we were all Barbie girls. From Aldo to Zara, and everywhere in between, fashion was deluged by around 30 official Barbie collabs and numerous unofficial homages, as the industry jumped on the all-pink bandwagon. Leading the charge, Robbie’s tireless globe-trotting promotional tour in an epic rollcall of Barbie-inspired red carpet looks paved the way for films to embrace visual storytelling on the red carpet.

With Robbie back in the driving seat as Brontë’s doomed heroine, Catherine Earnshaw, the “Wuthering Heights” promotional tour is at fever pitch. Hitting cinema screens for Valentine’s Day, is the colour red about to enjoy the same success as its more saccharine sister experienced in 2023? Red is a key motif in director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel. While the book is set in the late 1700s Georgian era, Fennell’s interpretation eschews historical accuracy for a mashup of costuming running riot from German milkmaid to Scarlett O’Hara. On screen, corsetry, billowing sleeves, lace, chokers and ball skirts punctuated with high-shine red, create a gothic fever dream of costumes choreographed by two-time Oscar-winning designer Jacqueline Durran (who also costumed Barbie). Off-screen, Robbie’s stylist Andrew Mukamal has thrilled observers with a press tour no less intentional, coded, and Easter-egg-packed than its pink predecessor.

Looks are inspired by lines from Brontë’s text—Cathy tearing feathers from a pillow translates to a Victoria Beckham feathered dress, while the line “I’d rather be hugged by a snake” prompts a red snakeskin mini. The duo of Robbie and Mukamal use every appearance on the press tour to heighten excitement. A red-dipped tulle ball-skirt by Schiaparelli for the world premiere last week was accessorised with Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal necklace and a cape the star wore for the 1970s film version of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. A masterclass in using the medium of fashion, this blend of literature and filmmaking will surely propel “Wuthering Heights” to pop-culture phenomenon status.

Below are some of our top picks:

‘Rebellion’ silk dress, Dh6,485, Zimmermann at MyTheresa.com

Feather dress, Dh1,074, Poca & Poca at Galeries Lafayette

Brocade corset, Dh878, Marques Almeida at Farfetch

Wuthering Heights book clutch, Dh7,992, Olympia Le-Tan

‘Heart on Biladi’ diamond ring, Dh10,300, L’Atelier Nawbar at Ounass

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