(16 Feb 2020) LEAD IN
Nearly 250 years since Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI, which led to her becoming the last Queen of France, her flamboyant image lives on.
From glittering diamonds to extravagant clothes and of course champagne, the lavish legacy of France's royal, who was executed during the French revolution, is celebrated to this day throughout Paris.

STORYLINE
A dress fit for a Queen.
Not worn by the Queen, Marie Antoinette herself, it was infact worn by actress Diane Kruger in one of the many films about the iconic royal.
In 1774 the 14 year old Austrian Archduchess married Louis XVI and would later become Queen of France the last before the French Revolution. Since then people throughout the world have remained fascinated by Marie Antoinette, emulating her through fashion, film, art and literature.
Here at The Conciergerie in Paris, the former palace which became the prison where Marie Antoinette was held before being executed for high treason in 1793, historians are exploring her morphing style and interpretations in an exhibition called: 'Marie Antoinette, metamorphosis of an image'.
"She set trends with her wigs, her extravagant clothes. In the exhibition itself we show the gazette of the Queen, the "gazette de la reine". It shows samples of fabric that she personally would choose which would then be confectioned into her court attire," explains Christopher Wride, Economic and Communications Manager at The Conciergerie.
The exhibition contains many paintings of the Queen, with dramatically different portrayals from the 18th century through to the present day. It also shows how Marie Antoinette's image has been used in advertising, and even turned into a Barbie Doll.
But Wride says it's possibly Sophie Copolla's 2006 film version of Marie Antoinette which has most shaped modern perceptions of the Queen, which came just a year after John Galliano used her as his muse in his Spring Summer show for Dior.
Marie Antoinette's wedding changed history and has been lavishly portrayed in numerous films, but Wride says little detail is known:
"I'm terms of her wedding itself personally I don't have any particular image of the Queen, I don't recall any particular engravings of this and obviously eye witness accounts. But marriages were not grand affairs with the famous white dress that we see today. In the 18th century it was very different, she would have probably just been wearing a court dress."
The exhibition here is set to run until 26 January.
Throughout Paris, Marie Antoinette's influence is still apparent, as luxury products once used by the Queen proudly share their royal connection with their customers.
Mellerio is the oldest family run jewellers in France. Sitting next to Cartier in an exclusive part of the city, its pieces now sell for thousands of pounds.
But one customer still remains its most high profile:
"The first royal famous customer of Mellerio was obviously Marie Antoinette," explains Mellerio's Communications Director, DianneSophie Lanselle.
"The story goes that Mellerio was protected by all the Kings and Kings of France from Marie de Medici in 1630 and she granted privileges to the Mellerios and from that date every King or Queen of France reattributed this privilege to the Mellerios up to Louis XVI."
Although Marie Antoinette would never have personally signed one of their client order books, many of her friends, family and staff's names can be found in their archives.
It's said to be typical of the Queen's preferred style:
'Le Secret' as it's called has gone on sale at Harrods with a 155,000 British pounds price tag.

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