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From Heathcliff to High Fashion: How Wuthering Heights is Sparking a Romantic Style Revolution
There's something stirring on the moors, and it isn't just the wind. With Emerald Fennell's sumptuous adaptation of Wuthering Heights generating serious cultural buzz, a wave of romantic dressing is sweeping through dark, damp Britain. For those of us who grew up reading Brontë by torchlight and still remember the seismic impact of the 1992 Ralph Fiennes film, it couldn't have come at a better moment.
Fennell (the director behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn) has a rare gift for making the gothic feel urgent and contemporary. Her take on Emily Brontë's tale of wild passion and brooding obsession is visually sumptuous. Think windswept landscapes, candlelight, and clothing imbued with the passion of heady emotion. Fashion editors have already taken note. The result? Romanticism has been elevated from period-drama costume into something we actually want to wear.
Why Romanticism Resonates in 2026
We live in strange, noisy times. After years of normcore minimalism and the relentless practicality of athleisure, there's a collective hunger for beauty, for softness, for feeling something when we get dressed in the morning. Romanticism in fashion, think ruffles, frills, luxurious fabrics, statement collars, and a certain unapologetic femininity, offers exactly that.
This isn't the romanticism of a Jane Austen ingénue waiting to be chosen by some bloke with big sideburns. It's something altogether more hard-won and self-possessed. The kind of dressing that comes from knowing your own mind. We've moved through the power-dressing decades, survived the tyranny of 'logomania' and quietly endured the years where "clean dressing" became a euphemism for invisible. Now there's a growing appetite for beauty which is rich and deliberate, clothes that feel like a choice rather than a concession.
Romanticism also suits a more considered, investment-led approach to dressing. These aren't trend pieces to be discarded next season. A well-made ruffle shirt, worn with tailored trousers and loafers, is as timeless as Bronte's work and far more fulfilling than chasing whatever is on the fast fashion carousel this week.
How to Wear It: Three Shirts Fit to Play Romantic Lead
The easiest and most wearable entry point into romantic dressing is through the blouse. A beautifully crafted shirt with feminine detailing does the heavy lifting, allowing you to build an entire outfit around a single statement piece.
The Shirt Company's new arrivals are practically a masterclass in the art. The Constance White Ruffle Neckline Blouse in Cotton Poplin is the sort of shirt that would look entirely at home in a Fennell film. A quietly dramatic piece that reads as polished at a board meeting and genuinely romantic at dinner.
For those who prefer a softer silhouette, the Lottie Ivory Easy Fit Blouse with Pleated Exaggerated Cuffs threads the needle between structure and romance beautifully. It's tailored enough to feel professional, but the delightfully playful swooshing cuffs offer unmistakably feminine flourish. Perfectly cut, and suffused with a kind of luminous drama — it's everything a romantic heroine might reach for.
The Mathilde Easy Fit Pussy Bow Blouse in Pink Heritage Check brings a touch of Victorian sensibility to a thoroughly modern fabric. The pussy bow collar, long associated with women who mean business, is having a significant moment, and rightly so. It frames the face and lends gravitas without effort.
The Real Magic: Confidence as the Ultimate Accessory
What Emerald Fennell understands is that true romance isn't about helplessness or fragility. Catherine Earnshaw is not a passive figure; she is a force of nature. The fashion inspired by this moment in culture reflects the same energy: feminine, yes, but also assured, deliberate, and entirely on its own terms.
The moors are calling. You might as well dress for the occasion.