Opening on September 20th, 2025 and running until March 22nd, 2026, the Marie Antoinette Style exhibition at the V&A South Kensington promises to be one of the most anticipated cultural highlights of the year. With more than 250 pieces on display, the show reexamines the life, influence, and legacy of the most fashionable—and ill-fated—queen in history.
The exhibition will include rare loans from Versailles, such as silk shoes, jewelry, and porcelain from the Petit Trianon, alongside contemporary reinterpretations by Dior, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood. Visitors can expect a layered narrative that presents Marie Antoinette not only as a political figure but as a style icon whose influence still shapes design and fashion today.
Marie Antoinette Style exhibition
The Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A will be divided into four sections tracing the queen’s journey from Versailles to her reinvention in modern culture. Highlights include the Sèvres porcelain bowl shaped like a breast—once used in her personal service—and Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning costumes for her 2006 film Marie Antoinette. Photography by Tim Walker and works by artists such as Beth Katleman will connect the queen’s legacy to contemporary fashion and art.
Curator Sarah Grant explained that the exhibition aims to reinterpret “the most fashionable, most scrutinized, and controversial queen in history,” showing how her story has been retold and reinvented through each generation.
V&A museum events
As part of its wider 2025 programming, the V&A Museum events calendar will feature talks, digital programs, and an exclusive Zoom lecture for members to further explore the themes of the exhibition. Sponsored by Manolo Blahnik, the show will also include some of the designer’s footwear alongside couture and artworks, emphasizing Marie Antoinette’s enduring presence in fashion imagination.
Through immersive displays, multimedia installations, and even an olfactory experience evoking her court perfumes, the exhibition invites visitors to reconsider the queen’s reputation, moving beyond myth to reveal a woman who defined an era and continues to inspire today.
