The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has unveiled a landmark new exhibition that promises to reshape our understanding of one of history's most infamous figures. 'Marie Antoinette Style' is the UK's first major showcase devoted to the 18th-century French queen and offers a profound exploration of the fashion and mythology that defined her life and legacy.
Beyond Madame Déficit: Re-examining a Queen
The exhibition, which is only the third of its kind to be staged outside France, deliberately moves beyond the queen's notorious reputation for excess. It poses a compelling question: was her villainous image as 'Madame Déficit' truly deserved? Visitors are invited to reconsider the monarch, who was executed by guillotine in 1793 alongside her husband, King Louis XVI, at the height of the French Revolution.
The journey begins in a powder-pink room, its chequered floors inspired by Versailles. Here, a portrait by her favoured artist, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, captures a 22-year-old Marie Antoinette draped in silks and bows. The experience then transports guests back to 1770, with a grand, mirrored gallery evoking the sparkling world of the 14-year-old archduchess as she arrived at the French court.
This space is filled with whimsical gowns featuring exaggerated skirts adorned with elaborate florals, embroidery, and cascading ruffles. It is important to note that these dresses were not owned by Marie Antoinette herself but represent the styles she popularised. A standout piece is the detailed brocaded silk wedding gown, threaded with silver, worn by Hedwig Elisabeth Charlotte of Holstein-Gottorp for her 1774 marriage.
A Troubled Wedding & Enduring Influence
The exhibition delves into the fascinating and fraught story of Marie's own marriage. Aged just 14, she technically married the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, by proxy in Austria before ever meeting him. Her formal wedding dress, made in Paris to estimated measurements, was too small when she finally tried it on at Versailles. With no spare fabric for alterations, the young queen walked down the aisle in a gown that could not fully close, revealing her corsetry beneath.
Despite this inauspicious start, Marie Antoinette became a formidable trendsetter. The exhibition dedicates galleries to her iconic, towering hairstyles—sometimes reaching three feet high—created by hairdresser Monsieur Léonard and stylist Rose Bertin. These are displayed alongside original fabric swatches, lace trimmings, and decorative fans.
A major draw for visitors is the stunning display of jewellery. While much of her personal collection was smuggled out of France by her only surviving child, Marie Thérèse, many pieces are on public display for the first time since her death, including dazzling diamond necklaces and brooches.
From Opulence to the Guillotine
The tone shifts dramatically as the exhibition approaches its chilling conclusion. A red corridor leads to a room documenting the queen's final days in 1793. This poignant space features sketches of her imprisonment and execution, her final prayer book note, a guillotine blade, and a medallion containing locks of her hair. The centrepiece is her simple white linen prison chemise—the only complete garment of the queen on display—its stains rendering the scene hauntingly real.
The exhibition culminates on a note of lasting influence, showcasing Marie Antoinette's impact on fashion through a breathtaking array of gowns. A welcome and fitting collaboration sees the show sponsored by luxury footwear designer Manolo Blahnik, who has created an exquisite collection of shoes inspired by the queen, also on display.
'Marie Antoinette Style' runs at the V&A in London until 22 March 2026. It presents everything one might hope for: breathtaking gowns, glittering jewels, elegant portraiture, and rare objects from Versailles, weaving together a complex narrative of style, power, and tragedy.
