Marie Antoinette: Fashion icon or extravagant Royal?
If we look at Marie Antoinette’s fashions in isolation, apart from her political and social views, her personal style could be deemed radical for the time and circumstance in which she lived.
That may be why an exhibit entitled, Marie Antoinette’s Style, currently on view at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum through March 22, 2026, elicits such interest.
Marie Antoinette’s daring wardrobe, her unique millinery choices, wigs and pouf headdresses were counter to established court dress of late 18th century France, according to the exhibit’s curator, Dr. Sarah Grant.
When most women in court sought clothing that flaunted their social status, Marie Antoinette chose to express her personal style with near abandon. With the help of her stylist and dressmaker, Rose Bertin, she developed a personal brand to became a fashion icon of her day.
Chemise à la Reine, a simple, unstructured dress made of white muslin and tied at the waist with a ribbon sash, marked a dramatic departure from royal dress. Invented
by Bertin in 1781, the chemise-style gown took off widely in France and England after it was worn by Marie Antoinette.
The queen’s flamboyant aesthetic, as depicted uniquely in the hats she wore – fluffy, sherbert-colored creations with fresh flowers, live caged birds, models of sailing ships, fruit, feathers, bows and pearls, and all types of ornamentation – are still a subject of curiosity today.
To become an influencer, Marie Antoinette, sat for portraits by the painter, Vigeé Le Brun. Replicas of her fashions were shipped all over Europe and beyond. Her style choices circulated through plates in magazines well beyond France. The French queen was one of the first women to create a brand by flaunting her personal style in this way.
Marie Antoinette was rumored to have 300 dresses made for her yearly, never wearing the same dress twice. From her beaded pink slippers, evening shoes that looked more like confections than footwear, and dresses resembling elaborate cakes: lavish, voluminous gowns with intricate embroidery, brocades with floral detail, ruffles and lace, her tendency toward excess was notorious. It was her extravagant style that set a new standard for court fashion.
Her “Book of Fabrics” created between 1775 and 1780 contains swatches and descriptions of the fabrics she wore.
Marie Antoinette’s style has inspired some contemporary designers who mimic her costuming. It seems, haute couture today is more costume than couture anyway.
Her influence is evident in the fashions of contemporary designers like Vivienne Westwood, Versace, Dior, Alexander McQueen and others who often trade couture for costume.
Is what dominated fashion in late 18th century France relevant today? Probably not. Extravagance aroused curiosity then as it does now. Is it excessive? Definitely.
Should couture be costume. Definitely not. Should it be "one-of-a kind"? Certainly.
A nod to nostalgic style or retro fashion: love the idea. Revisiting rococo style or the excesses of Versailles court dress ? I’d suggest we leave the pomp and circumstance to the royals, both those from the time of Marie Antoinette and now.
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