How the Glamorous Hairstyles on Marie Antoinette Tell Their Own Stories

When a character's hairstyle on a new show receives the royal treatment, you know it's going to bring the drama.

Marie Antoinette, a new series on PBS, follows Maria Antonia's marriage to the King of France Louis XVI and their extravagant lifestyle before diving deep into their downfall during the French Revolution in 1793.

And since the series showcases the inner workings of France's last queen (played by Emilia Schüle), what better way to highlight the style icon than by giving her, um, hair to die for? Head hairdresser Sébastien Quinet exclusively told E! News how he honored the late royal by staying true to the techniques and beauty ideals of the era.

"It wasn't just any time period with an insignificant character," he said. "It was the Marie Antoinette."

He pointed out the excessive elegance of 18^th-century France and how appearances were directly linked to social hierarchy, adding, "It symbolized wealth and power."

"In this case," he continued, "the greater the hair, the higher social status."

And this attention to detail is especially noticeable in Marie's character, as Sébastien intentionally switched up her looks the more she evolved into the queen of style—a title she earned during her reign.

"They become more stylized and greater with her popularity and rise to power at court," he said of the ever-changing looks. "Under Louis XVI, women had hairstyles with little volume. It was Marie Antoinette who imposed the fashion of grander hair, little by little when she arrived in France."

And if you pay attention closely, you'll find that none of the other characters upstage Marie. As the hairdresser put it, "There is always one 'queen' headpiece that the other headpieces seem to adhere to."

Sébastien also explained that he not only studied paintings of the era, but he was also well-versed in the methods hairdressers used back then.

"They had hair irons that would be put over a flame," he explained of the old-school techniques. "Knowing the textures and tools they were working with, I could mimic what history emphasized when it came to Marie Antoinette's hair."

Of course, Sébastien put his own "inventive touch" to the larger-than-life headpieces seen throughout the show, like replicating the textures in the paintings he referenced and adding them to the looks. And it was no small feat either, as he made 56 wigs for the cast and rented 80 for the extras.

There's no mistaking that, for Marie, being able to put her best face forward wielded power. As Sébastien eloquently put it, "Amongst the French Court, fashion, hair and beauty were everything."