Marie Antoinette Style Exhibition Set to Go on Display at the V&A Museum 2025 and Sponsored by Manolo Blahnik

Marie Antoinette Style V&A Exhibition

In a landmark first for the UK, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London will present Marie Antoinette Style a major exhibition dedicated to the fashion legacy and cultural impact of France’s most enigmatic queen. Opening on 20 September 2025 and running until 22 March 2026, the show will explore how Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe became both a political flashpoint and a source of enduring inspiration.

Exhibition Details

• Dates: 20 September 2025 – 22 March 2026
• Venue: V&A South Kensington, Galleries 38 & 39
• Tickets: From approximately £23, with concessions available [SHOP TICKETS HERE]

What You’ll See

Featuring over 250 rare objects, including exclusive loans from the Château de Versailles, many of which have never left France, this exhibition will trace the evolution of Marie Antoinette’s image through the garments she wore and the mythologies that followed her. Among the highlights:

• Intricately embroidered court dresses and personal items from her early years at Versailles
• Her famed silk shoes, jewels, and objects from her Petit Trianon estate
• A recreation of the diamond necklace from the infamous scandal, alongside the original Sutherland necklace from the V&A’s own collection
• The final note written by Marie Antoinette before her execution

Exhibition Themes

Organised in four key sections, Marie Antoinette: Style will explore:

1. The Origins of a Style (1770–1793) – Her early influence on court fashion, navigating the rigid rules of Versailles while forging a new visual identity
2. The Birth of a Style Cult – How Empress Eugénie and 19th-century artists revived her image
3. Enchantment and Illusion – The romanticisation of Marie Antoinette in art, interiors, and decorative culture
4. Marie Antoinette Re-Styled – Her influence on modern fashion and film, with designs by Dior, Chanel, Vivienne Westwood, Erdem, Moschino, and more

The exhibition will also feature costumes from Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006), as well as a curated scent experience inspired by the Queen’s personal fragrances.

A Fashion Icon Reconsidered

Far from being simply a symbol of decadence, the exhibition aims to reassess Marie Antoinette as a powerful influencer of aesthetics, style, and femininity. “This is not about myth-making—it’s about reclaiming her legacy as a tastemaker and understanding how her image has been shaped, shattered, and restyled over the centuries,” says curator Sarah Grant.

Sponsored by Manolo Blahnik, Marie Antoinette Style promises to be one of the V&A’s most visually captivating and culturally resonant exhibitions to date.

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Read more:

• 10 Questions with Victoria and Albert Museum Jewellery Buyer Anna Chase Roberts
• Dame Zandra Rhodes Founder of The Fashion and Textile Museum in London
• Louvre Museum to Host First-Ever Fashion Exhibition in 2025

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