Review: Marie Antoinette Style, V&A

If you’re visiting London with teens who love fashion or history, the fascinating new Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A in South Kensington is unmissable.

With some of the rare items owned by the Queen herself, as well as pieces from the 18th century, it’s a chance to learn more about her life and her influence on style at court and today.

And for anyone who dismisses fashion as frivolous should be prepared to change their mind, with everything from politics and cultural values woven through the exhibition – as my Marie Antoinette Style review goes to show, the fact we’re still talking about the 18th century Queen today proves what an impact she had.

From perfume and jewels to dress and music, the exhibition traces her life right up to the end, including the scandals she was implicated in and the lies spread about her.

And beyond her own tragic end, there’s a whole section on her enduring influence, from fashion to movies and more. All beautifully presented, it’s a reminder that more than two centuries later, her legacy lives on.

The exhibition starts with a portrait of the princess, with a quote from her mother, saying ‘All eyes will be on you’ – a prescient comment given how much scrutiny faced Marie Antoinette through her lifetime.

But you’ll also see other portraits – the more formal looks you might associate with the French court, but also Marie Antoinette with two of her children, as well as a more informal look from later in life.

It all goes to creating a picture of the actual woman, rather than the scandals and legends which have followed her through history, a reminder that behind the Queen was still a person.

If you’re all about the fashion element, the exhibition launches straight in to the style too – a fabulous glimmering silver extravaganza worn by the future Queen of Sweden, with giant skirts and tiny waist. A style also worn by the teenage Marie Antoinette, her sister-in-law was married in a very similar dress too.

Needless to say, there are very few items actually belonging to Marie Antoinette which survived the Revolution and the centuries, with most looted and cut up as souvenirs, but the V&A has gathered many of them together, which makes this particularly special.

Marked with her monogram, it’s easy to tell what was a rare royal possession – such as a remnant of lavishly embroidered sparkling fabric and beaded shoe – and what might date from a similar time but belonging to someone else. And there’s a genuine thrill to see items which the Queen would have handled.

With twirling gold decorations in the ceiling, it’s easy to feel like you’ve walked into a gilded world and the dresses on display are genuinely works of art.

Designed to show the different levels of formality required for different situations at court, there’s also a chance to see some of the particular fabrics and prints which Marie Antoinette loved, as well as to marvel at how much work must have gone into these gowns.

No surprise, then, that the wearers wanted to make the most of the impact on other people, often concealing their dresses under a voluminous domino cloak (also on display), before emerging to show off their latest creation to its best effect.

It’s tempting to linger, soaking up every detail, but this is still very much the beginning, with so much more to see.

Not least Marie Antoinette’s jewellery. The Queen loved sparkle, bringing some of her own jewels with her on her marriage, as well as having access to the French crown jewels. Some of her own pieces do survive, such as a pearl and diamond set, with her jewels smuggled out of the country and eventually given to her daughter.

Exhibited alongside her jewellery casket, it’s the first time some of these have been reunited for over 230 years.

But as ever with Marie Antoinette, there are more stories to be found beyond the surface style – bejewelled shoe buckles a reminder of the lavishness of every aspect of court, compared to a country where many lived in poverty.

However, there are also reminders that many of the scandals which plagued the Queen weren’t of her own making, including the Diamond Necklace Affair, where a conwoman used Marie Antoinette’s name to make off with a fortune – blackening her reputation without her actually being involved.

There’s a replica of the necklace itself on display, but even more fascinating, two sets of jewellery using diamonds thought to have come from the opulent diamond necklace at the heart of the scandal, broken up and taken out of the country where they ended up in the hands of the British nobility.

With the scene set, the exhibition then moves through the Queen’s evolving style, from trends like Anglomania and animal print (a legacy of French colonialism), to her patronage of Sevres china.

Plus more on her impact, whether that was celebrating a French victory with a model ship in her extravagant towering hair, or her adoption of Rousseau’s ideals about the superiority of nature, even popularising breast-feeding.

Of course, this still left her living miles from the everyday reality for most people in France. While she may have had her ‘informal’ palace of the Petit Trianon to escape to in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, it was hardly a rural idyll, as shown by the ornate armchair and gardening tools designed to be accessories.

But the exhibition also shows you her style evolving, embracing informality over the rigid etiquette of court, plus one of the few interactive sections where you’re transported to 18th century France via scent.

There’s a chance to sniff a recreation of her perfume and room scents among others, with the reminder that the gilded Versailles would actually have stank. And to finish, another reminder of what was to come, with the scent of her cell in the Conciergerie prison in Paris.

Because the gilded surface was already cracking. In the background, the propaganda of her enemies painted her as sexually depraved, corrupt and a symbol of all that was worst about the court – there is a small section showing some of the cartoons, although you can skip it if you’re visiting with kids, for example.

And eventually, inevitably, the Revolution – which came with its own fashions, from tricolore cockades to show your support, and simpler fashions based on male riding dress in contrast to lavish court dress – a style which, ironically, Marie Antoinette had been a fan of.

No-one visiting Marie Antoinette Style will be surprised by the last chapter of her story, and it’s presented with all the drama and pathos of her end, with a blood-red tunnel leading you into the room focused on her imprisonment and execution aged only 37.

The guillotine blade on display seems the most shocking item at first, possibly even the one which executed the queen. But looking more closely at the other personal items of this woman we’ve come to know is even more moving.

A locket with a lock of her son’s hair and a braid of her own has astonishingly survived, an emotional reminder of her children. And starkly simple, one of the last items of clothing she wore – a simple white chemise, an undergarment which she would have used in prison, a world away from the spectacular fashions of earlier in the exhibition.

But while this marks the end of her life, it’s far from the end of her story. The following rooms look at the way her fashions were mirrored over the centuries to come, and how she was remembered, including by Empress Eugenie of France, who collected her belongings and even dressed in a similar way to her royal predecessor.

And more than two centuries on, she’s still inspiring designers to create catwalk looks, as well as movies, such as Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette.

The last, bigger room is packed with these pieces for some serious wow factor – Manolo Blahnik’s Marie Antoinette-inspired collection, dresses by John Galliano and Moschino, outrageous skirts and pastel macaron shades.

What would the Queen herself have thought of it? I imagine pleased to know history has treated her more kindly than her own time – and first in the queue to try everything on.

Should you visit Marie Antoinette Style with kids?

This really isn’t an exhibition to appeal to younger kids. Although there are a few fun interactive elements, visitors do need to be old enough to appreciate the items on display, and have the patience to stop and read captions.

The dresses are glorious, but even little ones who are obsessed with princesses are going to lose interest quickly.

However you can definitely visit Marie Antoinette Style with kids once they’re a bit older, particularly if they’re interested in fashion, design or history.

There’s very little which is inappropriate: a small section on the sexual slurs used to blacken the Queen’s name is easy to bypass, and well signed so you won’t stumble into it by accident.

And while there is a guillotine blade on display, unless your child is particularly sensitive, it’s unlikely to unnerve those old enough to be interested in the exhibition – you could also take that room quickly if so.

Otherwise, it’s going to come down to your child and their interests. A 9-year-old who’s fascinated by design would love the chance to visit and enjoy it more than a teenager who’s looking for a more immersive attraction.

As a rule of thumb, I’d say it’s best suited to older tweens and teens – but don’t rule it out as being for adults only.

Marie Antoinette Style: Need to know

The exhibition is running until March 22, 2026, at the V&A South Kensington. Tickets cost from £23 for adult weekday entry, from £13 for age 12-17 (and students with appropriate ID), while children under 12 enter free.

With limited numbers, unless you’re a member, tickets have been snapped up quickly for the opening months, so it’s well worth booking ahead.

The exhibition is held in galleries 38 and 39 on level 0. The Cromwell Road entrance is slightly closer (just go straight ahead through the shop and turn right) or it’s at the opposite end of the building from the tunnel entrance/Exhibition Road entrance.

Allow at least an hour to explore – as one of the first in at 10am, the exhibition wasn’t particularly busy when I visited (and entrances are staggered) but I could easily have spent longer inside if I had been able to. I’d suggest allowing around 90 minutes to make the most of the displays without rushing.

Images copyright MummyTravels

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