MARIE ANTOINETTE: FASHION ICON

A new exhibition explores the enduring style of the infamous 18th-century French queen

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Marie Antoinette, the deposed queen of France, was executed by guillotine at Place de la Révolution in Paris on 16 October 1793. Prior to the downfall of the monarchy during the French Revolution, she had enjoyed a life of unfettered glamour and luxury. But her expensive tastes drew intense criticism from the long-suffering French and ultimately contributed to her demise nine months after her husband King Louis XVI was beheaded. Now, a glitzy new exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum explores the influence of Marie Antoinette on style and fashion trends over the last 250 years.

The United Kingdom's first exhibition on the French queen, sponsored by luxury shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, Marie Antoinette Style brings together 250 objects from her own possessions and from the collections of designers who have been inspired by her.