Marie Antoinette, most fashionable queen in history

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a friend who is possibly the Marie Antoinette re-incarnated. I do have such a friend.

I glided along to the exhibition titled Marie Antionette Style at London's Victoria & Albert Museum together with my dear friend Karen-Marie-Antoinette-Schneid (founder of Ooh La La Confectionary) — obsessed with that period is putting it lightly. The excess, the rituals, the symbolism stitched into every ribbon and bow. Some eras deserve to be witnessed with someone who truly gets it!

The exhibition opens gently, then pulled us deeper into a world where clothes were never just clothes. The historic dresses are extraordinary — towering silk gowns in pastel shades, heavy with embroidery, metallic threads catching the light, bodices engineered to perfection. We could almost feel the physical weight of them, and by extension, the expectations placed on the woman who inspired them.

But what makes this exhibition particularly compelling is how it bridges past and present. Alongside the 18th-century garments are dresses inspired by Marie Antoinette’s enduring influence — from cinema to couture. There are pieces referencing Sofia Coppola’s cult film Marie Antoinette, where historical accuracy meets modern irreverence, and designs by fashion houses and creatives who continue to mine her aesthetic for drama and romance.

You see echoes of her style in corseted silhouettes, exaggerated skirts, soft pastels, and unapologetic femininity — from designers like Dior to the punk-inflected rebellion of Vivienne Westwood. It’s fascinating to realise how one woman’s image still shapes how we think about luxury, excess, and feminine power centuries later.

The artwork woven throughout adds emotional depth — portraits that feel staged and performative next to more intimate objects that hint at the woman behind the myth.

This exhibition really invited us to linger, to question, to look again, and again taking it all in.

We took our time, drifting from room to room, lapping up every bit of information and stitch.

There was something deeply moving about seeing history not as something frozen, but as something alive — influencing fashion, film, and how we tell stories about women.

This exhibition isn’t just about Marie Antoinette the queen. It’s about image, influence, and the complicated legacy of beauty. Lavish, layered, and surprisingly human — exactly my kind of history. 🍿✨

(showing until 22 MArch 2026)

Like my post? Why not buy me a coffee?