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5h ago

V&A Opens 'Marie Antoinette Style' Exhibition Tracing the Queen’s Fashion Legacy

Rare Versailles loans alongside recreated scents drive a design-led reassessment of her image, with Manolo Blahnik as sole sponsor.

In reference to the infamous quote "let them eat cake," which was misattributed to Antoinette but quickly became synonymous with her image, Scott designed wearable frosted frocks.
Image
Jeremy Scott has designed two collections inspired by Marie Antoinette. First for his eponymous brand in 2008, and second for Moschino Fall-Winter 2020, shown here.
Marie Antoinette has provided inspiration for countless designers, including John Galliano. Galliano recreated Rococo French finery and piled-high hair for his Fall-Winter 2000 couture show at Dior.

Overview

  • The UK’s first exhibition devoted to Marie Antoinette runs September 20, 2025 to March 22, 2026 at the V&A South Kensington.
  • Roughly 250 objects are on view, including personal items, jewels, silk slippers and Petit Trianon tableware, with rare loans from Versailles.
  • Multi-sensory displays feature recreated fragrances of court life and incarceration to contextualize the spectacle and its realities.
  • Late-life artifacts include the stained prison chemise and a guillotine blade, whose exact attribution is reported inconsistently across outlets.
  • Manolo Blahnik is the sole sponsor, unveiling a capsule collection and hosting a private gala, as the show spotlights fashion reinterpretations from Dior, Chanel and Moschino and is reported to be slated for a U.S. tour after London.