Marie Antoinette, the most glamorous exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum

Hailed by creatives of every generation, the figure of Marie Antoinette emerged as the first influencer ante litteram 'art director and manager' of her own brand, who had her monogram imprinted on every object that belonged to her as an identity emblem. Marie Antoinette had relied on milliner Rose Bertin to take care of the image and Léonard Autiè for the hairstyles. In order to reconstruct the most faithful version of such a complex and multifaceted personality, curator Sarah Grant drew on the biography written by Antonia Fraser.

The rooms of the V&A echo with evocations of the Austrian, as the French preferred to call her, perhaps believing they were offending her, declined through styles and fragrances that characterised her. The first section The Origin of a Style, traces her life, recounts the birth of her style and the influence she exerted on the arts and fashions of the time. The sovereign was also interested in 'technological' innovations and a modern approach to motherhood. Among the iconic personal effects is a fragment of a court dress from a petticoat with embroidery and handcrafted decorations. X-rays of the fabric revealed that the sequins were made of solid silver and gold.

Acknowledged as the queen of the Toile de Jouy she jotted down impressions and pieces of fabric in the wardrobe book, which was also on display, and granted royal mandates and her stamp of approval to those who created for her. The shoes, the porcelain service from the Sèvres factory adorned with floral motifs dear to her, the travel nécessaire, the perfume cruets, the silverware, the piano, the herb burner decorated with neoclassical symbols. The chair made by Sené, one of the court's leading cabinet-makers, and decorated by Chatard, a master gilder, was part of a refined set whose pieces belong to private collections as well as the Louvre and the MET, and entered the V&A in 1956. Restoration has restored it to its original splendour.

He was renowned for his love of precious stones. During his reign they began to be worked in such a way as to emanate every possible lustre. On display are some of his jewellery recovered by his daughter Marie Thèrése, together with the casket that held them, which has never been exhibited since his death. The diamond brooch depicted in Drouais' painting, also on display, and the pearl and diamond pendant, a gift from Louis XV. Impossible not to mention the 2842-carat scandal necklace, shown here in its replica made in 1960.

Among the absolutely significant objects are the prayer book that contains her last writing; an invocation addressed to the Lord for herself and her children; a medallion in which her hair and that of the dauphin of France, who died prematurely, are entwined; and the linen shirt, the last garment she wore, which from the red of the room appears as if a wind was blowing it around.