Marie Antoinette’s legacy is coming to London, rarely-seen treasures, big-screen style, and Manolo Blahnik, all in one landmark show at the V&A.

Marie Antoinette’s style, extravagant, unapologetic, and undeniably influential, is heading to the Victoria and Albert Museum this September, and Manolo Blahnik is behind it. The famed shoe designer will sponsor the exhibition, titled Marie Antoinette Style, opening September 20 and running through March 22, 2026.
Featuring 250 objects, many never before displayed outside France, the exhibition includes intimate items from Antoinette’s life: delicate silk slippers she wore, jewels from her private collection, even the last note she penned before the Revolution sealed her fate.
Fashion remains central, with contemporary designs from Dior, Moschino, Chanel, and Vivienne Westwood illustrating how the queen’s style persists. Blahnik himself is an obvious partner, known for the pastel footwear he designed for Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, helping to recast the queen’s image for a new generation. Those iconic shoes will feature prominently.

The V&A’s approach isn’t limited to fashion. Curator Sarah Grant emphasizes Marie Antoinette’s enduring influence in design, interiors, and even fragrance, visitors will encounter sensory installations recreating scents from Versailles, including the queen’s preferred perfume.
Timed to coincide with the exhibition is Christie’s sale of the Marie-Thérèse Pink Diamond, a jewel once owned by the queen, expected to fetch as much as $5 million. Like Antoinette herself, the diamond’s enduring allure highlights the lasting intrigue of her complicated legacy.
For the V&A, this show isn’t merely historical tribute. It’s a chance to remind us exactly how far, and how powerfully, the queen’s style still resonates today.