Step back in time
A dazzling new exhibition at London’s V&A Museum puts Kylie’s costumes in the spotlight, from the mechanic’s overalls she wore in Neighbours to those traffi c-stopping gold lamé hotpants
A unique new exhibition at London’s V&A Museum throws open the doors to Kylie’s closet, showing just how far the star has come since her soap opera days
AS A SINGER, actress, and performer, Kylie Minogue is peerless. She’s the complete package, even at her perfectly formed 5’ 1”. Despite the mild-mannered, friendly, girl-next-door image she exudes, she is the ultimate star. Not only that, the petite pop princess is the nation’s sweetheart. Most men will admit to having a soft spot for her. Women can’t help but adore her. The British public have undisputedly taken her to their hearts ever since she first appeared on our screens in Neighbours in 1986 – so much so that Kylie Minogue is now simply Kylie. On a par with the likes of Madonna, Beyoncé and Britney, Kylie has made such an impact and is so widely adored that she no longer needs to use her surname.
And that is in spite of all the different guises she has emerged in over the years. Grubby overalls, gold lamé hotpants, a white hooded jumpsuit… she has carried off a wide array of outfits. But Kylie didn’t simply carry them off. With each offering from her wardrobe, she transformed her image. And what an image. “She truly is one of the most vibrant figures of our time,” says renowned shoe designer Manolo Blahnik – quite a compliment from the highest echelons of the fashion world.
SHE STARTED AS the plucky tomboy Charlene in Neighbours, singing wholesome duets alongside fellow soap star Jason Donovan before developing into a sexy starlet singing with Robbie Williams. The 50p gold hotpants in her video Spinning Around ignited her sex appeal, which was then cemented with the white jumpsuit provocatively slit to the navel in her video for Can’t Get You Out Of My Head.
Then came her trendy London phase, when she started a three-year relationship with rising British model James Gooding back in 1999. Kylie became a staple of the London party scene, from West End premieres to the trendy bars across town. The more time she spent in Britain, the softer her Australian accent became. And as she adopted London as her home, the whole of the UK adopted her as their own.
More recently, she went for an image of French sophistication when she started her relationship with French actor Oliver Martinez, dressing more in the likes of Chanel with a Right Bank image. There have been a few variations along the way – her feisty look in the movie Street Fighter, a darker image for her duet with Nick Cave and the sexier Love Kylie lingerie range – but what stands out about Kylie is the fact that she is a showgirl. Whether walking up the red carpet or strutting about in a corset on stage, Kylie exudes a wholesome glamour.
Now London’s Victoria and Albert Museum is paying homage to the pop star’s status as a fashion icon. And, surprisingly, they haven’t left out the mechanic’s overalls she wore as Charlene.
Kylie is making history with the exhibition. This is the first time that the V&A has showcased a pop star. That isn’t to say she is not joining a very exclusive clan. The fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s career was celebrated at the V&A in 2004 – the woman credited with playing a pivotal role in the emergence of 1970s punk rock. The late Ossie Clark’s designs were also celebrated in the same year, his exhibition unveiled by Marianne Faithful with a string of celebrities in attendance including Kate Moss. There was also a major retrospective of the work of Gianni Versace in 2002. In fact, the only other woman whose wardrobe has been investigated is that of Queen Maud – the British Princess who became the Queen Consort of the newly independent Norway back in 1905. For a 38-year-old pop star in the prime of her career, it doesn’t get much better than that.
If you missed the diminutive diva in concert recently, with her many costume changes, don’t worry.
Here you can see 45 costumes on display among 200 objects including backstage video footage and designs showing preparation for Kylie’s tours. The Dolce & Gabbana outfits from her KylieFever tour, the Julien Macdonald creations from her On a Night Like This tour, the Galliano corsets – it’s all there. Creations by Manolo Blahnik, who has catered for Kylie on many of her red-carpet appearances, also feature.
“I feel honoured to have such an important part of my career, and something so personal to me, being recognised in this way,” said Kylie.
It is great to have the pop princess back in her adopted London – and not just for her fashion prowess. Kylie is back from a tumultuous 20 months following a diagnosis of breast cancer back in May 2005.“It’s like a prison sentence. I can’t quite articulate it,” Kylie said. “It’s a bit like being in an atomic explosion and people asking you how to describe it. ‘So, exactly how big is the hole?’ I don’t think anyone who hasn’t had it can understand it.”
The singer underwent a partial mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy. Even after she was told the treatment had been successful in January last year, she then went through six months of radiotherapy to prevent recurrence of the disease. On receiving the diagnosis in 2005, she was forced to abandon her Showgirl tour. She left her West London home and headed back to her parents – Carol, a former ballet dancer, and Ron, an accountant – in Melbourne, Australia, for support during her surgery. But another rock by her side through everything has been Martinez, her boyfriend of four years. Although questions were raised about his fidelity in the early years of their relationship (Kylie flew out to Canada in 2003 following speculation about a romance with his then co-star Angelina Jolie, and more recently faced rumours of an affair with Hollywood actress Michelle Rodriguez), in the end he came good.
While undergoing chemotherapy outside Paris, Kylie tucked herself up with Martinez and says she couldn’t have done it without him.
“Olli was there all the time,” she told Elle magazine. “He is the most honourable man I have Kylie – The Exhibition, which is sponsored by Evian, will be at the V&A Museum from 8 February – 10 June. Entrance is free.
ever met. He was incredible. He didn’t hesitate in cancelling work and putting projects on hold so he could be with me. On particularly dark days I’d be lying on the bathroom floor wailing and he’d say: ‘OK, honey, you can cry for just five minutes, then I’m taking you on the bike for a ride around Paris.’ I’d find myself thinking: ‘Hmm. Actually a ride on the bike sounds pretty good.’”
Kylie has come a long way from that point. “Since my cancer diagnosis my whole world changed. I have learned and experienced so much about myself and others,” she said. “It’s great to be able to make those first steps back into the life I knew before.”
There are comebacks in the showbusiness world and then there is Kylie’s comeback. In the 12 months since announcing the success of her treatment, Kylie has launched her own perfume, Darling, and she joined the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Kate Moss when she was the guest editor of the December issue of Australian Vogue – as well as being photographed for the cover by her former stylist William Baker. Wearing Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana, Kylie firmly cemented her comeback in the shoot, looking stunning with her short hair still growing back following the chemotherapy. In addition, she has written a children’s book, The Showgirl Princess. She also relaunched her Showgirl tour after making her first stage appearance following her treatment, surprising younger sister, singer Danni, 35, during her London concert in June last year. And to think that people call Madonna a workaholic.
“SUFFICE TO SAY there were months and months where I couldn’t do anything,” Kylie said. “But I must have been thinking in the back of my mind about doing these things. Now I get to see them through. They all seem to be happening at once. I’m not a year out of recovery and I’m recording and doing photo shoots and we’ve filmed new stuff for the screens for the show. I’ve hardly stopped.”
Of all her recent achievements the one that stands out the most for her has been her tour.
It had been one of Kylie’s primary goals to resume it after her treatment and there was no lack of interest. Her dates at Wembley sold out in a record six minutes. With the help of William Baker, the show was more of an extravaganza than ever, featuring eight new costumes from the likes of John Galliano, Dolce & Gabbana and others.
“A lot has changed in those 18 months,” said Baker. “Kylie is much more free these days, open to new things, and we wanted to contrast the dazzle and glitz with darker, more intense moments.
“I didn’t want everybody to think of her as a cancer survivor. I wanted people to remember how she is – strong and sexy.” There is no doubt of that. And as the V&A exhibition reveals, there never was.
