The Moment
Margot Robbie did not just walk a red carpet in Los Angeles – she borrowed from the jewelry box of Hollywood heaven.
At the Wuthering Heights world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the 35-year-old Oscar nominee arrived in a sculptural Schiaparelli couture gown and then casually layered on Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary Taj Mahal diamond necklace, a heart-shaped stunner long pegged in the multi-million-dollar range.
The piece sat high at Robbie’s throat, the gold chain trailing down her back, turning the whole look into a very expensive love letter to Old Hollywood. Soft romantic bun, flushed cheeks, barely-there eye makeup – it was less “Barbie pink” and more “Liz in a period drama if Instagram existed.”
Then came the extra fan fuel: Robbie’s co-star Jacob Elordi, 28, who plays Heathcliff opposite her Catherine Earnshaw in Emerald Fennell’s new, R-rated spin on Emily Bronte’s classic. The two posed together, held hands on the carpet, and generally behaved like the marketing department’s dream version of doomed soulmates.
Red carpet photographers got the shot: one of the biggest actresses of her generation wearing one of the most famous necklaces from one of the biggest actresses of all generations, standing next to one of the internet’s current tall, tortured crushes. Subtle it was not.
Margot Robbie arrives at the ‘Wuthering Heights’ premiere in custom Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry, styled with Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal diamond necklace, a jewel steeped in devotion, loss, and cinematic history, perfect for the film’s storyline.https://t.co/EnFbbnCjnp pic.twitter.com/vD5A0z6SVz
— Red Carpet Fashion Awards (@Fashion_Critic_) January 29, 2026
The Take
We are officially in the era of method accessorizing. Wearing Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal necklace to promote a tragic romance is like borrowing Sinatra’s tux to sing at a Vegas residency: bold, theatrical, and absolutely done on purpose.
The symbolism writes itself. Taylor’s necklace was a birthday gift from Richard Burton, one-half of the most dramatic, on-again-off-again love story Hollywood ever produced. Robbie is playing Catherine, the original queen of “if he wanted to, he would” chaos. Of course, the team reached for a piece of jewelry that literally comes with its own love story baked in.
Is it a tribute? Yes. Is it also a marketing move so sharp you could cut glass with it? Also yes.
Robbie isn’t just dressing up; she’s plugging herself into a lineage. Elizabeth Taylor didn’t just wear diamonds, she used them as autobiography. Every stone had a man, a movie, or a scandal attached. By stepping into that Taj Mahal necklace, Robbie is quietly saying, “I belong in that same conversation about screen legends and iconic roles.” And frankly, after I, Tonya and Barbie, she’s earned the audacity.
There’s a nostalgia play here, too. If you grew up watching Taylor’s violet eyes on TV or paging through coffee-table books of her jewelry, seeing a younger star literally carry one of those pieces down a modern red carpet is weirdly emotional. It’s like a time capsule cracked open under LED step-and-repeat lighting.
As for Robbie and Elordi holding hands? That’s where I start to see the stitches in the dress. It might be real chemistry, it might be savvy PR, and it’s probably a healthy dose of both. Hollywood has been selling “are they, aren’t they?” since Clark Gable first raised an eyebrow. These two are just doing it in 4K with better styling products.
My read: the necklace is the story. The hand-holding is the hashtag.
Receipts
Confirmed
- Margot Robbie attended the Los Angeles premiere of Wuthering Heights at the TCL Chinese Theatre alongside co-star Jacob Elordi on January 29, 2026, as shown in event photography and attendee social posts from that evening.
- Robbie wore Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal diamond necklace, a heart-shaped pendant on a gold chain, recognizable from decades of published images of Taylor’s collection.
- The Taj Mahal necklace was a 40th birthday gift to Elizabeth Taylor from Richard Burton and has been widely documented as part of her famed jewelry collection, including in Taylor’s own writings.
- Past auction materials and coverage have valued the necklace in the multi-million-dollar range.
- Robbie and Elordi posed together on the red carpet and held hands in front of photographers during the premiere.
Unverified / Reported
- Any suggestion that Robbie and Elordi are romantically involved offscreen remains unconfirmed; at this point, their hand-holding is a promotional moment, not a public relationship announcement.
- Behind-the-scenes details about how long the Taj Mahal necklace was out of the vault, who insured it, and exact security protocols around the loan have not been made public.
Sources
- Event imagery and eyewitness descriptions from the Wuthering Heights Los Angeles premiere, TCL Chinese Theatre, January 29, 2026.
- Elizabeth Taylor, My Love Affair with Jewelry, Simon & Schuster, 2002.
- Christie’s “The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor” auction catalog, December 2011, documenting the Taj Mahal diamond necklace and its provenance.
Backstory (For Casual Readers)
If you’re not already steeped in the lore: Wuthering Heights is the 1847 novel by Emily Bronte, a gothic love story about Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff that basically invented the “toxic but unforgettable” romance template. Emerald Fennell, the writer-director behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, has mounted a new, adult-rated film version with Robbie and Elordi in the lead roles.
Jacob Elordi is the Australian actor who broke out as Nate on Euphoria and went prestige with roles like Elvis in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Margot Robbie, of course, has climbed from Neighbours to full-blown A-list, producing and starring in hits like I, Tonya and Barbie.
Elizabeth Taylor’s Taj Mahal necklace, meanwhile, is its own celebrity. Burton reportedly presented it to her for her 40th birthday, turning a historic heart-shaped diamond – believed to have origins linked to Mughal India – into a piece she wore often and discussed fondly. After her death, it was included in the blockbuster sale of her jewelry collection, cementing its myth as one of the most famous necklaces in Hollywood history.
So on this carpet you’ve got a modern screen queen, a rising leading man, a fresh take on a classic romantic tragedy, and a literal jewel from the Taylor-Burton saga all converging. That’s not styling; that’s storytelling with gemstones.
What’s Next
The obvious next chapter is seeing whether the movie lives up to the jewelry. Fennell is known for twisting the familiar into something darker and sharper, and Robbie taking on Catherine suggests they’re aiming for a version of Wuthering Heights that will actually get people arguing on group chats, not just in English class.
Expect the studio to keep leaning into this Old Hollywood-meets-modern-it-couple energy in the rollout: more joint interviews, more carefully curated “are they obsessed with each other or just in character?” moments, and, if the insurance gods allow it, possibly more archive pieces walking modern carpets.
As for the Taj Mahal necklace, it’s almost certainly headed straight back to secure storage, where it will continue to live as a legend that occasionally steps out for a breathtaking cameo. If awards buzz builds – for the film, for Robbie, or for Fennell – don’t be shocked if this red carpet moment is replayed all season as proof that they came to play in the big leagues.
The bigger trend to watch: will more A-listers start reaching into the vaults of departed icons for premiere nights? We’ve seen archival dresses; now we may be entering the age of archival diamonds, where every gem comes with a story older – and maybe juicier – than the movie it’s promoting.
Your turn: does Margot wearing Elizabeth Taylor’s necklace feel like a beautiful tribute, a savvy PR costume, or both – and would you want more stars borrowing from Hollywood’s ghosts on the red carpet?
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