by Arietta Pouliou*
A journey into the glamorous world of France’s most fashion-obsessed monarch, whose influence continues to define style and popular culture more than 250 years later.
She was a fashion icon long before the term even existed. Remembered for her extravagance -from the lavish spending that earned her public scorn to the infamous and perhaps apocryphal line «Let them eat cake», Marie Antoinette dazzled with her impeccable sense of style, her love of luxury, and her ability to turn every appearance into an act of performance. The last queen of France before the Revolution, wife of Louis XVI, and the woman who transformed the court into a stage of audacious innovation, met a tragic end beneath the guillotine but her influence on fashion, beauty, and culture has endured ever since, as potent and alluring as ever.
That lasting influence forms the beating heart of the much-discussed -and now blockbuster- exhibition Marie Antoinette Style at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the world’s leading museum of applied art, design, and performance.
- From Versailles to South Kensington
As visitors quickly discover, Marie Antoinette’s influence transcends time. More than 250 years of creativity, fashion, cinema, and art have drawn inspiration from the legendary queen who both defined and defied the spirit of her age. This landmark exhibition -the first of its kind in the UK and only the third outside France- vividly demonstrates how the multifaceted, enigmatic Archduchess of Austria, who became Queen of France at just 14, remains an enduring symbol of youth, style, and controversy.
Supported by another icon of style, luxury shoemaker Manolo Blahnik, the exhibition masterfully blends archival research with design innovation and fashion history -fields where Marie Antoinette left an indelible mark. It’s no coincidence that Blahnik himself designed a pair of pink satin mules named Antonietta in 2005, or that Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film «Marie Antoinette», starring Kirsten Dunst, remains celebrated for its sumptuous costumes and pastel-hued opulence. In 2020, a silk shoe that once belonged to the queen fetched €43.750 at auction at Versailles -but visitors to this dazzling show are treated to an even richer array of treasures that once adorned the most extravagant woman in Europe.
- Splendour, Ceremony, Grandeur and the Art of Excess
Entering the exhibition feels like stepping through a looking glass into the glittering heart of 18th-century Versailles. Silk walls shimmer beneath chandeliers, powdered wigs and embroidered corsets revive a vanished world where appearance was everything – and fashion, a language of power. Marie Antoinette’s world was one of ritualised splendour, but also of subtle rebellion. Behind the layers of brocade and lace, she was redefining what it meant to be a queen: not merely an emblem of monarchy, but a curator of identity, taste, and emotion.
Through more than 200 rare artefacts, paintings, garments, and objects -from her famed pastel gowns and towering pouf hairstyles to delicate porcelain, and from diamond jewels to elaborate fans- the exhibition unravels the craftsmanship that shaped the image of an era. The Queen’s signature colour palette of sky blues, soft lilacs, rose blush, and ivory, finds new life here, reflecting her desire to merge fantasy and modernity. «To be fashionable was to be alive», she once declared in a letter and indeed, the rooms hum with vitality, a sense of a woman whose aesthetic instincts anticipated modern branding and celebrity culture by centuries.
But Marie Antoinette Style isn’t just about opulence, it’s about theatre. Each gallery has been designed as a scene in a play, where her life unfolds like an operatic performance. The sound of rustling silk seems to accompany you as you move between spaces dedicated to court life, private retreats, and the revolution that would forever end her reign. However, it’s important to state that the dresses exhibited didn’t belong to Marie Antoinette herself, they simply represent the style she established. Since not a single one of her dresses has survived intact – after the French Revolution her wardrobe was looted, the fabrics were cut and sold, and all her personal belongings were scattered- the exhibition was curated by studying catalogues of her favourite fabrics, designs, and preferred silhouettes, as well as paintings and prints depicting her. Central to this research was her personal «Wardrobe Book» of 1782, a unique artifact containing 101 samples of silk fabrics and handwritten notes.
Yet, the exhibition also features objects that truly belonged to her, imbued with character, glamour, and history, recognizable in their display cases by Marie Antoinette’s distinctive monogram. Among these are a delicate black lace collar, a pair of elegantly embroidered shoes, and two components of court dresses designed to shimmer in candlelight, offering a vivid sense of the extraordinary splendour of her wardrobe.
- Precious Stones – Rare Fragrances
The unparalleled brilliance of her precious jewels and the olfactory signature of the young queen form the central theme of the next section of the exhibition. It is worth noting that in 1781 she is believed to have spent £750.000 -the currency of the time- on diamonds and nearly a million pounds on porcelain, while the average daily wage of her subjects was only £3. As Marie Antoinette’s personal jewellery was secretly smuggled out of France and preserved by her sole surviving daughter, Marie-Thérèse, the exhibition reunites some of these pieces for the first time since the queen’s death with the exquisite jewellery cabinet she received as a wedding gift in 1770, as well as a small, entirely gold box engraved with her monogram. Observing her portraits alongside dazzling items such as the diamond buckles for her shoes -she acquired four new pairs each week– one can see how the choice of stones, their cuts, and the designs -like the iconic bows- harmoniously complemented and highlighted her personal style.
Another defining element of her unique aesthetic was her elaborate hairstyles, vividly revealed through the exhibition’s dedicated section on her hairdresser and stylist. Both played a crucial role in shaping her voluminous wigs, which, although criticized even by her own mother and lampooned in caricatures, became a trend. The following display cases are equally rich with remarkable details: fans, the must-have accessory of the 18th century, adorned with precious stones, 18th-century animal print panels, and letters written by Marie Antoinette herself. A separate section is devoted to nature and recreates the intimate atmosphere of the neoclassical Petit Trianon, -her private sanctuary within Versailles- where the queen abandoned formal attire for flowing muslin gowns and straw hats, seeking freedom in simplicity long before «casual chic» was born. Surrounded by floral fabrics, porcelain tableware, and Toile de Jouy designs, the visitors can also see the piano she loved to play, as well as gardening tools used exclusively for staged representations of idyllic rural life.
The way fragrances are brought to life—a further distinctive obsession of hers—is truly ingenious. Visitors learn that at Versailles Marie Antoinette would burn fragrant substances in her room and literally scent herself from head to toe, using perfumes procured from select Parisian perfumers as a means of projecting her charm and status. Four busts infused with different fragrances narrate her story, inviting us to lean in, smell, and fully immerse ourselves in her world. First, a combination of beeswax, smoke, and oak transports us to a masked ball in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles. The second bust, emitting notes of iris, rose, lavender, tuberose, violet, and musk, leads us directly to the queen’s boudoir, evoking the scent of the powder and rouge she used, while the third fragrance captures the dreamlike atmosphere of her Petit Trianon garden, with aromas of fresh grass, lilac, roses, and honeysuckle. The fourth bust, however, shocks and prepares us for the dramatic conclusion.
- From the Bloody Guillotine to the Glamorous Eternity of Fashion
Leaning over the fourth scented bust, the stench almost makes you recoil. Mold, stone, seaweed, and the polluted waters of the Seine transport us to Marie Antoinette’s dark prison cell, accompanied by a hint of cedar that was burned to mask the unbearable odour. Alongside a series of satirical and derogatory publications portraying her as a deranged hyena and unstable satyr, a red corridor foreshadows her grim fate and leads us to the final act, written in 1793 when the queen was just 37. Her last note, pleading for mercy and worried about her children’s future, together with a pendant containing a lock of her long hair and a guillotine of the period, accompany the authentic, simple white nightgown she wore in prison. It is the only complete garment of hers presented in the exhibition and seems to compel us to imagine her in those final moments.
Yet the exhibition closes on a lighter, colourful, and sparkling note, as the last two rooms focus on Marie Antoinette’s style legacy. The first explores how the queen’s image was celebrated and revived from the Victorian era through the 1940s, featuring two stunning Art Deco evening gowns from the 1920s, inspired by her and designed by Jeanne Lanvin. Then comes the show stopper of the exhibition: a spectacular showcase of the grand halls filled with evening dresses and the fashion extravaganzas for which the V&A is renowned. On one side, Kate Moss poses as a modern Marie Antoinette, dressed in a blue Alexander McQueen gown, photographed by Tim Walker for Vogue magazine. On the other, a display features the original shoes and designs created by Manolo Blahnik specifically for Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette.
Around them unfolds a panorama of sartorial inspiration: Oscar-winning costumes by Milena Canonero for the same film, haute couture creations by Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior from the BBC series «Marie Antoinette», a silk gown worn by the legendary Norma Shearer in the 1938 «Marie Antoinette» film, and the signature red Toile de Jouy dress worn by Elle Fanning in «The Great». The queen’s influence on contemporary fashion is further confirmed by dazzling haute couture creations by John Galliano for Dior, intricate lace pieces by Vivienne Westwood, bold Moschino ensembles including the colourful «Cake dresses», romantic ruffles by Erdem, a design by Alessandro Michele for Valentino and a stunning bow-adorned set by Meadham Kirchhoff. Standout pieces include an exquisite Karl Lagerfeld design for Chanel, created for Kirsten Dunst’s photoshoot inspired by Marie Antoinette in the September 2006 issue of Vogue, as well as miniature macaroon towers and Ladurée pastries as a nod to the pastel palette of Coppola’s film.
The striking installation «Marie Antoinette’s Folly» by artist Beth Katleman -a luxurious, intricately detailed wall relief made up of 4.500 handmade porcelain pieces, commissioned specifically for the exhibition- provides the backdrop that completes the experience spectacularly. Above all, the impression visitors leave with, accompanied by the timeless influence of the most «en vogue» queen to have ever existed, confirms the words of her mother, Empress Maria Theresa, on April 21, 1770, just before her daughter was crowned Queen of France: «All eyes will be upon you».
Victoria & Albert Museum – Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW7 2RL – Exhibition runs until March 22, 2026
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*Arietta Pouliou is a Travel journalist, Fashion lover, Foodie Dreamer, Arts and Sculptures lover, Ice cream addict, Wine enthusiast, you name it. A great contributor to allaboutshipping.co.uk on very special issues accompanied by great photos!
