This lavish exhibition really showcases the infamous queen as a style icon but also just how our continued fascination with her life continues to inspire.
From the second that you step into this regally designed exhibition, it feels like you are stepping into a different era, with every section curated to perfection.
While very few of her personal items of clothing are still in existence due to the events of the French Revolution, there is still plenty of items on display that give a sense of her style. This includes a charming black choker that highlights just how slender her neck was, while the shepherdess dresses that she wore offered a bit more of a risqué and boldness to her style. All the items which belonged to her are clearly marked by her monogram.
Divided into three sections, firstly taking a look at her life, then focusing on how her style was revived after her life ended and thirdly more modern interpretations of her style. It has all been carefully thought out – but I did feel that further detail could have been used in places. One example is the reference to the infamous Affair of the Diamond Necklace (of which a replica of the original necklace is on display) which feels slightly overlooked and is actually a key part to her story.
The dresses on display are incredible and it is clear very well preserved. In particular, one of the first items on display is the wedding gown of Duchess Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta which bears (we are told) similarity to the one that Marie Antoinette wore on her own wedding day. It dazzles with its detail and surrounded in the same room with other dresses of the period that highlight the subtle changes in fashion.
But the exhibition also highlights the excesses and somewhat ridiculousness of her style – namely the increasingly flamboyant hairstyles that began to be displayed that was soon copied by many – highlighted in drawings on display. This moment is one of many which captures the danger the queen was putting herself in by her extravagance which became an increasing source of resentment for the French people.
This exhibition doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of her story and the tone of the display changes powerfully as we move into the section in which revitalises her persona as a stylish individual. But first there is a section in which shows her reputation being tarnished via pamphlets (many of which are quite sexually explicit – even coming with a warning) that shows just how far she feel in the public’s estimation. It is a vicious but powerful moment that shows just how drastically her story and influence changed.
This darkness is enhanced further in the following room which contains the shift that she wore in prison – alongside the blade of the guillotine that ended her life and her prayer book in which she scribbled ‘My God, have pity on me; my eyes have no more tears to cry for you my poor children…adieu, adieu’ which provides a poignant moment in the show.
The exhibition really attempts to bring the era in which she lived to life – highlighted particularly through the use of four busts of the queen with different scents capturing various aspects of her life from the smell of a ball (armpit and beeswax), or the Queen’s English garden (roses, lilac), or her prison cell at the Conciergerie (mildew and sewage) – which is particularly distinctive. The soundscape in the background grows increasingly ominous as the show develops.
Marie Antoinette Style finishes on slightly more positive note, capturing just how she is still seen as influential in the world of style to this day. While the primary focus is the Sofia Coppola film, there is plenty of work from a variety of designers who have reflected her style to pleasing effect – showcased to impressive effect in the way in which this final room has been designed.
Overall, this an exhibition that dazzles and captures its subject well but a little more depth to certain aspects would have enriched the experience further – particularly for those less familiar with the history of Marie Antoinette. Her story as well as her style deserves recognition.
By Emma Clarendon
Marie Antoinette Style is on display until the 22nd March 2026.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️