Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A: A Must-See Exhibition of Fashion, Legacy and Tragedy
- Nina Kay
- 14 hours ago
- 3 min read
Ever since I got back from Paris, I’ve been floating in this dreamy little Paris-era bubble — you know that post-trip glow where everything reminds you of cobblestones, cafés, and couture? So it only feels right that my next post is dedicated to the ultimate French fashion muse: Marie Antoinette.
And yes… before anyone calls me out, I know this exhibition came out weeks ago. I went the very week it launched, and then life, travelling, and a million distractions got in the way — so this post is fashionably (and very appropriately) late. But trust me — these photos were worth the wait, because the exhibition was genuinely breathtaking. Beyond beautiful. It felt like stepping straight into Versailles with a backstage pass. And say what you want about her fate, but Marie Antoinette was that fashion legend. No one has ever done pomp, pastels, and controversy quite like her.
A Little Reminder: These Weren’t Actually Her Dresses
Before anyone gets too excited — none of the gowns on display were Marie Antoinette’s actual garments. Sadly, not a single full dress survives. After the Revolution, her wardrobe was looted, cut up, sold, and scattered to the winds. So what you're seeing is… echoes. Ghosts of what once was.
The curators did something really beautiful, though: using her favourite fabrics, silhouettes, and the notes from her own 1782 wardrobe book (which was on display!), they carefully selected pieces that mirror what she would have worn. Even the wedding dress isn’t an original — it’s a historically faithful recreation built from records and portraits. Honestly, it’s probably the closest any of us will ever get to seeing what Marie looked like on her actual wedding day.
The Original It-Girl
Long before Jackie O, Princess Diana, or any modern muse, Marie Antoinette shaped European taste like nobody else. She had this magnetic, rebellious sense of style that influenced everything — fashion, interiors, gardens, art, the whole decorative world. And then… well… all that extravagance became the perfect symbol for everything the people were fed up with.
Her popularity flipped into criticism, outrage, and eventually something far darker. And she couldn’t escape the guillotine.
But in death? Her legend only grew. Designers like Manolo Blahnik, Galliano, Gaultier, Westwood, and Lagerfeld have all pulled from her world. She basically lives rent-free in fashion history forever.
Inside the Exhibition — A Dreamworld With an Edge
The V&A’s Marie Antoinette Style exhibition is the first of its kind in the UK, bringing together around 250 objects — many of which have never left Versailles before. It’s a mix of historic pieces, decorative objects, film costumes (hello, Sofia Coppola), shoes by Manolo Blahnik, and modern designer interpretations from Dior, Moschino, Chanel, Erdem, and more.
Walking in felt like entering a rose-pink dream. You’re greeted by an early portrait from her favourite artist, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun — the queen looking impossibly young, soft, and silk-clad. Then you step into a mirrored chamber with dresses floating like ghosts of masked balls, all displayed on tiny mannequins with impossibly small waists, which honestly made the whole thing feel even more authentic.
But the glamour doesn’t last forever.
Mid-exhibition, there’s a chilling shift. At one point you’re smelling the recreated scent of her prison cell — mildew, damp stone, and the polluted Seine — all embedded in a faux marble bust. It’s claustrophobic and unsettling in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
The room that follows is even more haunting: sketches from her imprisonment, locks of her hair, the final note she wrote, and the guillotine blade itself. It hits you hard.
Thankfully, the exhibition ends not on tragedy, but on her legacy — the designers she inspired, the art she shaped, and the modern reinterpretations of her style. It’s a reminder that she wasn’t just a queen who fell; she was a woman who changed culture forever.
Walking out, I genuinely felt like I’d just stepped out of two worlds at once — the dreamy Versailles fantasy we all romanticise… and the harsh reality of a woman who paid the highest price for a crown she never even asked for. This exhibition is a must-visit if you’re in London. It’s stunning, emotional, and honestly one of the most beautifully curated shows I’ve seen in ages. You don’t just learn about Marie Antoinette — you feel her story. Her style, her power, her downfall, and her legacy that refuses to fade.
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