For those whoโre visiting London with teenagers who love style or historical past, the fascinating new Marie Antoinette Fashion exhibition on the V&A in South Kensington is unmissable.
With among the uncommon gadgets owned by the Queen herself, in addition to items from the 18th century, itโs an opportunity to study extra about her life and her affect on model at courtroom and at this time.
And for anybody who dismisses style as frivolous ought to be ready to vary their thoughts, with all the pieces from politics and cultural values woven via the exhibition โ as my Marie Antoinette Fashion evaluate goes to point out, the very fact weโre nonetheless speaking concerning the 18th century Queen at this time proves what an influence she had.
From fragrance and jewels to decorate and music, the exhibition traces her life proper as much as the top, together with the scandals she was implicated in and the lies unfold about her.
And past her personal tragic finish, thereโs a complete part on her enduring affect, from style to films and extra. All superbly introduced, itโs a reminder that greater than two centuries later, her legacy lives on.
The exhibition begins with a portrait of the princess, with a quote from her mom, saying โAll eyes can be on youโ โ a prescient remark given how a lot scrutiny confronted Marie Antoinette via her lifetime.
However youโll additionally see different portraits โ the extra formal appears you may affiliate with the French courtroom, but additionally Marie Antoinette with two of her youngsters, in addition to a extra casual look from later in life.
All of it goes to creating an image of the particular girl, somewhat than the scandals and legends which have adopted her via historical past, a reminder that behind the Queen was nonetheless an individual.
For those whoโre all concerning the style aspect, the exhibition launches straight in to the model too โ a wonderful glimmering silver extravaganza worn by the long run Queen of Sweden, with big skirts and tiny waist. A method additionally worn by the teenage Marie Antoinette, her sister-in-law was married in a really related gown too.
Evidently, there are only a few gadgets truly belonging to Marie Antoinette which survived the Revolution and the centuries, with most looted and reduce up as souvenirs, however the V&A has gathered a lot of them collectively, which makes this notably particular.
Marked along with her monogram, itโs straightforward to inform what was a uncommon royal possession โ resembling a remnant of lavishly embroidered glowing cloth and beaded shoe โ and what may date from an identical time however belonging to another person. And thereโs a real thrill to see gadgets which the Queen would have dealt with.
With twirling gold decorations within the ceiling, itโs straightforward to really feel such as youโve walked right into a gilded world and the clothes on show are genuinely artworks.
Designed to point out the completely different ranges of ritual required for various conditions at courtroom, thereโs additionally an opportunity to see among the explicit materials and prints which Marie Antoinette cherished, in addition to to marvel at how a lot work should have gone into these robes.
No shock, then, that the wearers wished to benefit from the influence on different individuals, typically concealing their clothes underneath a voluminous domino cloak (additionally on show), earlier than rising to point out off their newest creation to its finest impact.
Itโs tempting to linger, absorbing each element, however that is nonetheless very a lot the start, with a lot extra to see.
Not least Marie Antoinetteโs jewelry. The Queen cherished sparkle, bringing a few of her personal jewels along with her on her marriage, in addition to getting access to the French crown jewels. A few of her personal items do survive, resembling a pearl and diamond set, along with her jewels smuggled in another country and finally given to her daughter.
Exhibited alongside her jewelry casket, itโs the primary time a few of these have been reunited for over 230 years.
However as ever with Marie Antoinette, there are extra tales to be discovered past the floor model โ bejewelled shoe buckles a reminder of the lavishness of each facet of courtroom, in comparison with a rustic the place many lived in poverty.
Nonetheless, there are additionally reminders that lots of the scandals which plagued the Queen werenโt of her personal making, together with the Diamond Necklace Affair, the place a conwoman used Marie Antoinetteโs identify to make off with a fortune โ blackening her fame with out her truly being concerned.
Thereโs a reproduction of the necklace itself on show, however much more fascinating, two units of jewelry utilizing diamonds thought to have come from the opulent diamond necklace on the coronary heart of the scandal, damaged up and brought in another country the place they ended up within the fingers of the British the Aristocracy.
With the scene set, the exhibition then strikes via the Queenโs evolving model, from tendencies like Anglomania and animal print (a legacy of French colonialism), to her patronage of Sevres china.
Plus extra on her influence, whether or not that was celebrating a French victory with a mannequin ship in her extravagant towering hair, or her adoption of Rousseauโs beliefs concerning the superiority of nature, even popularising breast-feeding.
In fact, this nonetheless left her residing miles from the on a regular basis actuality for most individuals in France. Whereas she might have had her โcasualโ palace of the Petit Trianon to flee to within the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, it was hardly a rural idyll, as proven by the ornate armchair and gardening instruments designed to be equipment.
However the exhibition additionally exhibits you her model evolving, embracing informality over the inflexible etiquette of courtroom, plus one of many few interactive sections the place youโre transported to 18th century France through scent.
Thereโs an opportunity to smell a recreation of her fragrance and room scents amongst others, with the reminder that the gilded Versailles would even have stank. And to complete, one other reminder of what was to come back, with the scent of her cell within the Conciergerie jail in Paris.
As a result of the gilded floor was already cracking. Within the background, the propaganda of her enemies painted her as sexually wicked, corrupt and an emblem of all that was worst concerning the courtroom โ there’s a small part displaying among the cartoons, though you’ll be able to skip it in case youโre visiting with youngsters, for instance.
And finally, inevitably, the Revolution โ which got here with its personal fashions, from tricolore cockades to point out your assist, and less complicated fashions primarily based on male using gown in distinction to lavish courtroom gown โ a mode which, satirically, Marie Antoinette had been a fan of.
No-one visiting Marie Antoinette Fashion can be shocked by the final chapter of her story, and itโs introduced with all of the drama and pathos of her finish, with a blood-red tunnel main you into the room targeted on her imprisonment and execution aged solely 37.
The guillotine blade on show appears essentially the most stunning merchandise at first, probably even the one which executed the queen. However trying extra carefully on the different private gadgets of this girl weโve come to know is much more transferring.
A locket with a lock of her sonโs hair and a braid of her personal has astonishingly survived, an emotional reminder of her youngsters. And starkly easy, one of many final gadgets of clothes she wore โ a easy white chemise, an undergarment which she would have utilized in jail, a world away from the spectacular fashions of earlier within the exhibition.
However whereas this marks the top of her life, itโs removed from the top of her story. The next rooms take a look at the best way her fashions had been mirrored over the centuries to come back, and the way she was remembered, together with by Empress Eugenie of France, who collected her belongings and even wearing an identical solution to her royal predecessor.
And greater than two centuries on, sheโs nonetheless inspiring designers to create catwalk appears, in addition to films, resembling Sofia Coppolaโs 2006 movie Marie Antoinette.
The final, larger room is full of these items for some severe wow issue โ Manolo Blahnikโs Marie Antoinette-inspired assortment, clothes by John Galliano and Moschino, outrageous skirts and pastel macaron shades.
What would the Queen herself have considered it? I think about happy to know historical past has handled her extra kindly than her personal time โ and first within the queue to strive all the pieces on.
Do you have to go to Marie Antoinette Fashion with youngsters?
This actually isnโt an exhibition to attraction to youthful youngsters. Though there are a number of enjoyable interactive parts, guests do should be sufficiently old to understand the gadgets on show, and have the persistence to cease and browse captions.
The clothes are wonderful, however even little ones who’re obsessive about princesses are going to lose curiosity rapidly.
Nonetheless you’ll be able to positively go to Marie Antoinette Fashion with youngsters as soon as theyโre a bit older, notably in the event that theyโre fascinated with style, design or historical past.
Thereโs little or no which is inappropriate: a small part on the sexual slurs used to blacken the Queenโs identify is simple to bypass, and effectively signed so that you gainedโt stumble into it by chance.
And whereas there’s a guillotine blade on show, except your baby is especially delicate, itโs unlikely to unnerve these sufficiently old to have an interest within the exhibition โ you possibly can additionally take that room rapidly if that’s the case.
In any other case, itโs going to come back all the way down to your baby and their pursuits. A 9-year-old whoโs fascinated by design would love the possibility to go to and revel in it greater than a youngster whoโs on the lookout for a extra immersive attraction.
As a rule of thumb, Iโd say itโs finest suited to older tweens and teenagers โ however donโt rule it out as being for adults solely.
Marie Antoinette Fashion: Must know
The exhibition is operating till March 22, 2026, on the V&A South Kensington. Tickets price from ยฃ23 for grownup weekday entry, from ยฃ13 for age 12-17 (and college students with applicable ID), whereas youngsters underneath 12 enter free.
With restricted numbers, except youโre a member, tickets have been snapped up rapidly for the opening months, so itโs effectively price reserving forward.
The exhibition is held in galleries 38 and 39 on stage 0. The Cromwell Street entrance is barely nearer (simply go straight forward via the store and switch proper) or itโs on the reverse finish of the constructing from the tunnel entrance/Exhibition Street entrance.
Permit a minimum of an hour to discover โ as one of many first in at 10am, the exhibition wasnโt notably busy once I visited (and entrances are staggered) however I may simply have spent longer inside if I had been in a position to. Iโd counsel permitting round 90 minutes to benefit from the shows with out dashing.
Photographs copyright MummyTravels
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