Now open at the V&A South Kensington in London and presented by luxury accessories brand Manolo Blahnik, Marie Antoinette Style, curated by Dr. Sarah Grant, is the first exhibition in the U.K. to explore Marie Antoinette’s impact on fashion and design. As a designer, Manolo Blahnik has been inspired by Marie Antoinette for countless collections over the years, and he created the shoes for Milena Canonero’s Oscar-winning costumes in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, Marie Antoinette. “She is one of the original fashion icons, using style as a form of power and also as a performance,” says Blahnik. “She was very opulent and lived a life that was like a dream. I was taken with the way she could live such an extraordinarily beautiful life while being so misunderstood.”
The exhibition, which includes over 250 objects, showcases a selection of the Marie Antoinette–inspired styles Blahnik has designed over the years alongside his original sketches. “She was the ultimate patron of beauty and craftsmanship; she embodies the timeless pursuit of elegance that has always driven my work.” The partnership marks an exciting full-circle moment, as Blahnik’s design process for the candy-colored pairs began by studying 18th-century shoes in the archives of the V&A.
Alongside the exhibition, Blahnik has designed an exclusive capsule of 11 styles that will be available exclusively in Manolo Blahnik boutiques. “I wanted to reflect the richness of the era, which I did through the embroidered fabrics,” says Blahnik. “I also chose pastel colors that were inspired by her makeup and the feminine spirit she was so notorious for. It was important for me to capture the authentic spirit of Marie Antoinette and all her extravagance, while making it appealing to the modern woman and not feeling like a costume. I wanted it to feel modern, yet original to the time; intricate but also refined. This is fitting, since Marie Antoinette herself was a woman of such contradiction.”
