By lowering her neckline and her hemline, actress and producer Margot Robbie raised the unofficial dress code for a damp and sultry summer’s night in Sydney at the premiere of “Wuthering Heights”.
For most Australians the littlest of black dresses or a sniff-tested band T-shirt is enough to get the blood pumping, but Robbie chose layers of history over material brevity for her red carpet appearance at the State Theatre.
Robbie was laced into a bridal cream corset dress with sheer sleeves, a delicate train and Miss Havisham cuffs from Saudi Arabian designer Mohammed Ashi’s label Ashi Studio.
“The dress in rusted écru evokes 18th-century corsetry, the bodice is hand-painted to appear centuries old,” Ashi Studios posted to their social media. “Artfully distressed tulle sleeves and skirt are completing the look.”
Ashi Studios was founded in 2007 and has been worn by Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé, Cardi B, Lady Gaga and Teyana Taylor. The business moved to Paris in 2018 and has been on the official haute couture calendar for Paris Fashion Week since 2023.
For his haute couture show last month, Ashi was inspired by the Victorian era, through the story of Dracula in Nosferatu, rather than Wuthering Heights’ Heathcliff and Cathy.
“I started digging into the Victorian and Edwardian eras trying to understand the feeling of fashion and the aesthetics of the time,” Ashi told the Federation de la Haute Couture de la Mode. “I came up with this image of a woman as she progresses from moving from her bed in the morning, taking that first breath, the sunshine hitting her face.”
“There’s always this dark romance in my work too.”
On the “Wuthering Heights” press tour Robbie has worn dramatic outfits from Schiaparelli, Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu, Chanel and Alexander McQueen, all tapping into the film’s bodice-ripping aesthetic. Sydney is the final stop, with Robbie and her stylist Andrew Mukamal having repeated the themed approach to dressing they refined on the Barbie press tour in 2023.
“It creates a lot of excitement and anticipation when you’re leading up to a release,” Mukamal told The Zoe Report in December.
While Robbie’s outfit was more suited to a Saturday trip down the aisle, beauty entrepreneur and model Hailey Bieber mined more familiar territory for a steamy Sydney night out in a black sheer lace dress with a deep neckline and flared sleeves.
Conveniently for Bieber and Robbie, they share the services of Mukamal as a stylist.
The night and day approach of Robbie and Bieber’s premiere outfits is part of Mukamal’s styling strategy.
“There are moments where you’re more attention-seeking, while others you’re more low-key.”
On the tour, Robbie’s co-star and countryman Jacob Elordi has been consistent with contemporary tailored looks from Chanel and Bottega Veneta.
In a double-breasted boxy blue-grey suit, Elordi took a tonal approach in a matching shirt and tie. A dash of Sydney eshay flair was added with a gold tooth cap and white dress shoes.
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