"Her "job" as queen was, in part, to be a walking mannequin for the French fashion industry, dazzling in public while bolstering Parisian trade. The opening rooms revel in this spectacle, showcasing extraordinary gowns, jewels, and accessories. Cleverly, mirrors behind each dress allow you to admire every embroidered hem and sculpted sleeve - one gown even appears to double as an ingenious armrest."
"But glamour has its shadows. Alongside the sparkle lies the infamous Diamond Necklace Affair: a con that had nothing to do with Marie Antoinette, yet ruined her reputation irreparably. In pre-revolutionary France, even being the victim of a scam was seen as proof of aristocratic decadence. The exhibition also explores her attempts to escape the suffocating rituals of court life, such as creating an English-style countryside retreat at Versailles - an indulgence that only deepened public contempt."
Marie Antoinette combined dazzling public fashion influence with intense political vulnerability, acting as a walking mannequin for Parisian couture while bolstering trade. Spectacular gowns, jewels, and mirrored displays emphasize court spectacle and crafted persona. Scandals such as the Diamond Necklace Affair, despite her innocence, irreparably damaged her standing. Attempts to escape court rituals with an English-style countryside retreat only deepened public contempt. Lurid pamphlets weaponized contradictory slanders and misogyny. The narrative culminates in prison prints, the plain linen dress she wore, and a guillotine axe that confront observers with the brutality that ended her life and the monarchy.
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