About the Project:
I was commissioned to make a series of wigs for the “Marie Antoinette Style” exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum which opened on 20th September 2025 and runs until 22nd March 2026. The wigs featured on this page were the final three of twenty-four I made and were coined the “Contemporary Wigs”.
Initially, the brief for this style wasn’t going to end up with any complete wigs, but instead six “Contemporary Head Treatments”. The description was quite loose being: “A small head treatment for the contemporary objects that tie in with the wigs. Curls were the preferred inspiration from the curators.”
Towards the very end of the install, the decision was made to create three full wigs instead in much more contemporary styles that I called the “Wild Wig”, the “Half Up-Half-Down Wig” and the “Low Bun Wig”. These wigs were part of the group not used in the South Kensington exhibition, and will instead be utilised during the subsequent tour that will have this exhibition to six different venues between now and 2029 (so they will get plenty of exposure!).
THE “WILD WIG“
THE “HALF-UP, HALF-DOWN WIG“
THE “LOW BUN WIG“
About:
- The wigs were made to fit onto 3D printed “Marie” mannequin heads.
- The wigs were constructed onto frames made of Rigiline boning.
- Dress netting was used to create a base layer upon which to attach the crinoline
- They were built up in many layers and shaped using stitches to match the hairstyle in reference images I was given of contemporary models.
More details about the project as a whole and how I made these wigs can soon be read in a blog post here.
The exhibition is currently touring and will next be on display at The Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan from August 1st – November 23rd 2026.