I Dressed as Cathy to See Wuthering Heights—Here’s What Happened

Let me start by saying that I’m a big fan of Emerald Fennell as a director. Her macabre, eat-the-rich Saltburn left me panting over Jacob Elordi while munching on chocolate-covered strawberries during a Galentine’s Day get-together in 2024. It was one of the most disturbing films I’d ever seen, so when I heard she would be steering the ship on an adaptation of Emily Brontë‘s Wuthering Heights, I knew to expect the unexpected.

Enter “Wuthering Heights,” an adaptation that has strayed so far from its original storyline as to warrant quotation marks in its title. Directed by Fennell, the film reimagines Brontë’s 1846 novel, one of literature’s most tortured love sagas. The events of the narrative take place in the 1740s on the desolate moors of Northern England, detailing the lifelong affair between Heathcliff and Cathy and its catastrophic aftermath.

At the Brontë Women’s Writing Festival, Fennell mentioned wanting to capture the “primal” feeling she had reading the original story as a 14-year-old girl. That got me thinking: what did I like to do when I was 14? Play pretend, of course. So I went to see the adaptation dressed as Cathy. If I channeled the windswept heroine for the night, would that impact my viewing experience? There was only one way to find out.

The outfit: Velvet, dark and moody

For inspiration, I scoured my closet and took to Instagram, where my algorithm had been serving me “Wuthering Heights” teaser content for weeks. This Prada coat is a prized hand-me-down from my mother, who found it at Holt Renfrew 20 years ago. The soft suede exterior and shearling lining brought to mind black sheep on the moors and Heathcliff as the adopted outcast at Wuthering Heights estate.

For the main event, I selected a velvet boatneck dress that I’d purchased last year. The high collar and luxe fabric harken to the constraints of the Victorian era from which Brontë wrote. Then came opaque Wolford tights that I’m convinced are indestructible, since they’ve been my go-to pair for years without a single rip.

Margot Robbie wore some stunning chokers on the press tour, so I bought a tulle lace pick from Amazon for $6. It’s more ’90s than Victorian Gothic, but hey, who doesn’t love a good remix? I went with almond-toe, patent leather loafers for a more refined silhouette. The pièce de résistance: my Alexander McQueen envelope clutch. The creamy leather offset the moody black and red hues, while the crocodile skin disrupted the smooth texture of the shearling and velvet. There’s a tiny jewelled skull on the front of the bag that fits the gothic vibe, too. Its envelope shape felt like a relic from a time when love unfolded slowly in letters instead of IG Story replies.

The vibe: A most thrilling pre-movie meal

I catch the subway from Toronto’s Queen West neighbourhood, feeling a sort of fierceness that’s caught somewhere between daring and self-conscious. This is not the kind of outfit or colour scheme I’d wear normally, and as I’m walking through Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas), I’m immersed in a sea of black and beige outfits. Blending in is not on the agenda tonight.

My date chose the perfect spot for this particular evening. Established in 1959, Barberian’s Steakhouse is an Elm St. landmark just minutes from the theatre. Dark wood panelled walls accented by maroon paisley wallpaper, crisp white tablecloths, flickering candlelight, a red velvet curtain that matches my dress—it’s a Victorian fever dream in here, and I’m thrilled to be playing the part.

I’m scribbling in my notebook as my date arrives, looking suave in a navy suit. We’re both carnivores, and he orders for us before I can say a word: Chateaubriand for two, a 20-ounce chargrilled beef tenderloin complete with sides and garlic bread. Meanwhile, he’s looking at me like I’m the other red meat that’s not on the menu. It’s a feast worthy of the Thrushcross Grange estate we’re set to see on screen.

The main event: A sexy Wuthering Heights I can get behind

I studied and taught the original novel, and I still wasn’t prepared for the adaptation. Watching on in my best Cathy Earnshaw cosplay, I was struck by how the Wuthering Heights costumes reject period purity. Emerald Fennell’s reimagining is chock-full of anachronisms—that’s the point. It’s the “feral girl” archetype we see all over TikTok, with Margot Robbie sporting ensembles that more closely resemble what was worn in brothels at the time. Meanwhile, when Heathcliff vengefully returns years after Cathy agrees to marry Edgar Linton—complete with a fortune of mysterious origins—he’s styled more like a wealthy pirate than a budding nobleman. And honestly, I’m all for the historical inaccuracies because art.

The costumes in "Wuthering Heights” are, above all, a fantasy of intensity. The film is a sensual smorgasbord from beginning to end. Margot Robbie’s looks range from alluring peasant blouses—nailing the devil-may-care milkmaid look—to elaborate floor-length gowns and heirloom jewels. By the end of the film, she’s consumed by excess, but she cannot have the love of her life. (And then the random-yet-perfect Charli xcx soundtrack guts you for good measure.)

Lounging in a plush brown leather armchair in a VIP theatre, I’m struck by how we’re all still dressing for love like it may ruin us. We’re all a bit emotionally windswept in this brutal era of swipe-left culture. In the age of situationships and emotional disposability, we’re still searching for “the one.” Dating now feels like getting lost on a haunted set of moors—ghosts of partners past trailing behind us wherever we go.

Perhaps that’s why pop culture seems fixated on gothic, doomed-from-the-start relationships. Nosferatu, Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights all paint a similar forbidden-romance picture. The moors will never go out of style because we don’t want calm love. We want love that feels cinematic. And if we can’t find that, we can certainly dress the part.