Tasha Marks @avmcuriousities is an award-winning scent artist and historian who recreated the smells of Marie Antoinette’s life at the current @vamuseum exhibition Marie Antoinette: Style. In this fascinating interview, she tells us how she constructed the aromas this doomed Queen would have known - from powdered wigs and courtly balls at Versailles, the wildflower meadows of Petit Trianon, to her eventual damp-filled prison cell. 

We’re also following up our previous Patreon episode of ‘Would Marie Antoinette Wear Now (on a budget), by asking which niche perfumes she’d plump for in modern day (if money were no object). 

We discuss…

@maisonfranciskurkdjian á La Rose

À la rose eau de parfum is a tribute to femininity, a declaration of love translated into a fragrance. A light and sensual fragrance showcasing two exceptional roses: Damascena rose and Centifolia rose. They build on one another to bring you a musky floral perfume which is in turn subtle and exuberant. 

@parfumsdemarly Delina

Frivolously pretty peony & lily of the valley swoon to damascena rose, brightened by lychee & rhubarb

@officine_universelle_buly Rose de Damas 

Opulent rose bathes in milk spiced with hints of ginger, vetiver, cedar & musk for decadent beauty

@leseauxprimordiales Iris Palladium

Silkily powdered, yet threaded with a silvery backbone, this shimmers with cardamom & violet atop the warmly woody base

@byredo Blanche

"Blanche explores the dynamic nature of the senses with an edge of floral freshness. Inspired by the delicacy of bodies slipping between fresh sheets, the crisp comfort of clean laundry, and the romantic whisper of heady florals. The scent opens with top notes of aldehydes and intoxicating rose centifolia. It then softens into vibrant peony and violet before settling into a base of soft musk accented with earthy sandalwood. A veil of scintillating scent awaits."

@akrofragrances Bake

"A gourmand fragrance made up of Tart Lemon notes, followed by sweet Vanilla and rich, nutty Praline."

@dsanddurga Cognac Reign

Baroque ‘n Roll via rouged cheeks, clouds of powder, ribbons of caramel, bergamot & toasty oak over rivers of fine French spirit

Suzy also mentions some incredible historical costume accounts to follow, if you’re interested in seeing more of Marie Antoinette’s fashion influence: 

@asta.darling - who recreates the most exquisite gowns and attends lavish 18th Century balls in them at Versailles 

@americanduchess - who make period accurate shoes and accessories, plus post videos on everything from wig-dressing techniques to how women wore those corsets and ultra-wide skirts in everyday life.