The V&A’s Marie Antoinette Exhibition Has Arrived – Here’s What To Expect

One of the most important events in the city’s fashion calendar took place last weekend – no, we’re not talking about London Fashion Week (although you can catch up on the highlights from that here). The V&A’s long-awaited exhibition dedicated to the life, style and influence of Marie Antoinette has finally opened its doors, welcoming visitors to gaze upon the inner world of the indomitable French queen. Ahead of the show’s official opening, Millie Ellis stopped by the museum to walk a mile in the royal’s (rather stunning) shoes.

First Look: Marie Antoinette Style At The V&A

Like Marie Antoinette, the V&A has never been one to shy away from starting a trend – and with its latest exhibition, it does just that and more. Sarah Grant curates Britain’s first exhibition wholly dedicated to the controversial Queen that defined the 18th century of France, inviting us to step back into the sphere of plush opulence and daring femininity that Marie Antoinette embodied. With about 250 objects on display, with some reunited for the first time since either being looted or lost amidst the chaos of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette Style is one of the biggest exhibitions to hit UK soil this year.

From her idiosyncratic style as a teenager to the chemise she wore in prison before her execution, this exhibition traces the stages of the French queen’s fascinating and tragically brief life – and visitors are bound to be awe-struck when immersed amongst an abundance of decadent garments, monogrammed crockery and luminescent jewels.

Marie Antoinette Exhibition photographs, 15th September 2025

Marie Antoinette was only 14 when she was swept out of Austria to marry the Dauphin, Louis XVI. Her mother, Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa, warned the soon-to-be queen: ‘All eyes will be on you.’ (An understatement, considering the public scrutiny to come.) Following her arrival, Marie Antoinette would be relentlessly rebuked for her tone-deaf materialism and detached self-indulgence. Branded ‘Madame Déficit’, she faced the brunt of public blame for France’s spiralling financial problem. The resentment was hardly surprising as, while the people of France suffered severe poverty and hunger, she was rumoured to order four new pairs of shoes a week (and a whopping 300 dresses a year). Her foreign background and whispered tales of debauchery only fuelled further hostility.

The regal life imposed on her in Versailles granted her a luxurious yet ultimately pitiful life. Marie Antoinette’s transactional marriage left her isolated and bored. In turn, she delved deep into the sumptuous world of textiles, furniture, jewellery and art, with an army of helpers including ‘Merchandes de Modes’ – Parisian fashion merchants – like Rose Bertin. Exhibition curators capture her status as an early modern style fashion icon, and how she outshone the rigid conventions associated with court-life. She took inspiration from overseas, with silhouettes of various European styles, fabrics like muslin from India, and animal prints or patterns inspired by the wildlife of Africa and Asia, in sync with the expansion of European colonies. She remains an emblem of self-expression and originality, equating her with today’s experimental fashionistas.

And it’s continuing fascination with Marie Antoinette that makes her the perfect topic for the V&A newest fashion exhibition. Wondering what to expect from a visit? These are the highlights you won’t want to miss.

5 Things Not To Miss At The V&A’s Marie Antoinette Exhibition

1. The Queen’s Silver Splendour

Marie Antoinette was, of course, known for her impressive collection of gowns and dresses – it’s thought that the French queen ordered up to 300 a year – but none shone quite as brightly as her wedding dress.

The first mirrored display room of the V&A Marie Antoinette Style exhibition pays homage to the royal’s shining bridal moment by displaying an intricate silver dress worn by Duchess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta for her Swedish wedding in 1774. While not the exact outfit worn by Marie Antoinette, the regal gown – with its shimmering brocaded silk and widening panniers – is an almost exact replica the silver wedding dress Marie Antoinette donned for her own nuptials. And it is nothing short of hypnotic.

(c) V&A

The extensive width of the dress would’ve ensured a grand double-door entrance (if not a very awkward squeeze), while the cinched waist reflects the unbelievable beauty expectations of the time and also reminds us of the young age of both royal brides. The delicate fabric picks up the glistening, overhead lighting above, making it completely captivating. The surrounding gowns further encapsulate the style of the time – from the casual Robe à la polonaise day-dress, which is still a head-turner of a design, to the elaborate French Grand Habit. All together it offers a vivid glimpse into this ornate high society, setting the tone for the rest of the exhibition.

2. An Affair To Remember

No ensemble of Marie Antoinette’s was complete without jewellery. At the heart of the exhibition is a replica of her most lavish possession of all, known as the ‘Diamond Necklace Affair’. Adorned with bows, pearls and diamonds – totalling an impressive 2,842 carats – it is the definition of a lavish statement piece. The neighbouring jewellery casket crafted by Martin Carlin and owned by Marie Antoinette herself, highlights how this would’ve been part of a vast collection of jewels. Although dazzling and extravagant on its own, it was the scandal surrounding the original necklace that really gives the item its allure.

(c) V&A

The original necklace was commissioned by Louis XV for his mistress Madame de Barry. Following his death, it was then offered to Marie Antoinette. But the queen refused; some said she simply didn’t need it, others murmured it was her distaste for du Barry. Con artist Jeanne de la Motte took advantage of these forgotten jewels and cunningly managed to acquire them under Marie Antoinette’s name. Although completely innocent, the queen’s already tarnished reputation was blemished further as she was accused of defrauding the Crown’s jewellers over France’s most expensive necklace. The repercussions of the crime were nothing to scoff at either: the rumoured betrayal only hurried the population’s declining opinion the Bourbon monarchy, which (as we now know) fanned the flames of the French Revolution.

If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, Marie Antoinette’s surely stabbed her in the back.

3. A Perfumed World

Exhibition curator Sarah Grant truly transports visitors back in time with her olfactory installation, consisting of four fake-marble busts of Marie Antoinette, each imbued with a different smell of 18th century France.

The sensory experience begins with notes of beeswax, smoke, oak and body odour to replicate the essences of a ball. Next, a potion concocted to resemble the queen’s signature scent of rose, lavender and musk, sprinkled on during her morning routine. And then lean into the floral smells that capture the gardens at the Petit Trianon. These three fragrances are placed in startling contrast with the fourth and final scent: the stench of damp mingled with mildew that would’ve lingered in Marie Antoinette’s prison cell. Traces of juniper recognise the Queen’s desperate attempt (but prove mostly unsuccessful) to mask the foul smells.

(c) V&A

4. The Convict’s Chemise

While the high octane opulence of the French queen’s wardrobe might be the glossy opening of the V&A’s meditation on the life of Marie Antoinette, it also dives deeper into the dark historical events that led to her eventual demise. And this is perfectly illustrated by the prison garments worn throughout her final days.

After the royal family’s failed Flight to Varennes in 1791, Marie Antoinette was arrested and the monarchy abolished the following year. In 1793 she then faced the Revolutionary Tribunal where she was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death aged just 37.

(c) V&A

In sharp contrast to the grand and ostentatious attire dominating most of the exhibition, her plain white linen temple prison dress is a miraculous survival that acts as a sobering reminder of the queen’s dire circumstances in the confines of a cell. Located in a more morose corner of the exhibition dedicated to her final days, the blood red walls and the ominous piano melody playing in the background heighten the eerie sense of tragedy. Alongside her chemise, other poignant relics survive – including her final hand-written note, scribbled with anguish in a prayer book. It begins with ‘My God, have pity on me!’, only stirring more pathos towards Marie Antoinette’s fate.

5. A Lasting Legacy

But her life was not without influence – even several hundred years after her death. Marie Antoinette is one of the most enduring symbols of creative innovation in pop culture; her role as a patron of the arts, of interior design and fashion is felt to this day through the work of artists who continue to use the French queen as a point of reference for their own work.

Balancing the array of 18th century decorations and detailed gowns are the playful contemporary fashion pieces in the final room. The two-level dress display features everything from Dior and Vivienne Westwood dresses with modern twists, to the costumes worn by Kirsten Dunst for Sofia Coppola’s landmark biopic. These sit alongside a special collection of Manolo Blahnik footwear that departs from the label’s lively Sex and the City look, and instead adopts 18th century refinement.

This visual display is a modern ode to Marie Antoinette, contrasting the mocking cartoons and caricatures that ridiculed her during her time on the throne. Perception towards Marie Antoinette has been re-written by historians and scholars, recognising that more than anything she was a scapegoat for the revolution, whose flaws were exaggerated and used as propaganda. And as of 2025, there are over 30 films and series based on the queen.

As the V&A emphasises, she remains ‘a cultural muse; forever in vogue, forever reimagined.’

(c) V&A

BOOK

Marie Antoinette Style will run at the V&A from Saturday 20 September 2025 until Sunday 22 March 2026. Tickets start from £23 on weekdays and £25 on weekends; members go free. vam.ac.uk