Kylie's memories show starts in London
Kylie Minogue’s dressing room has gone on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum – alongside treasures like her minuscule gold lame hotpants.
The exhibition features 200 objects and will allow fans to see just how tiny the Princess of Pop, 38, really is.
Highlights include the star’s white hooded jumpsuit from her 2001 Can’t Get You Out of My Head video.
The vintage gold hotpants, which cost just 50p but resurrected Kylie’s career, are from her Spinning Around (2000) video.
Kylie – The Exhibition begins in 1988 with the tomboy mechanic overalls she wore as Charlene in Neighbours.
There is also the white dress from the singer’s first single with Stock Aitken and Waterman.
The exhibition is brought up to date with her pink Galliano corset and Dolce & Gabbana leopard print catsuit from her Showgirl Homecoming tour.
The singer’s recent feather dresses and ostrich feather head-dresses are also on display.
The dressing room is based on Kylie’s backstage area at Wembley from her comeback Showgirl Homecoming tour, which followed her recovery from breast cancer.
Her dressing table is cluttered with make-up brushes, good luck cards, and a Kylie Says Relax mug while shelves are lined with teddy bears and shoes.
A silk screen dress, featuring many of her best known images, has been especially designed for the exhibition, for which the Victoria and Albert Museum has been criticised for dumbing down.
Kylie is attending tonight’s private view despite her heartbreak over her split with boyfriend Olivier Martinez.
She says: “The V&A is renowned for its superb fashion and performance collections and there isn’t a better place for this exhibition to be launched in the UK.
“I feel honoured to have such an important part of my career, and something so personal to me, being recognised in this way.”
Kylie adds: “What I imagine people will want to see is the wear and tear, the ingrained make-up after 50 shows, where the audio-pack rubs – these are the things that for me bring the costumes to life.
“The constantly frustrating thing about costumes, especially stage costumes, is how do you get in and out of them in 40 seconds, and getting your shoes on and off, and where does the pack go?”
Curator Vicky Broackes said: “We wanted to show that it’s not just fashion, it’s a working wardrobe.
“Her tour costumes have to be robust. They are washed up to 60 times and she has two of every outfit.
“William Baker (her stylist) came on the scene in 1995 and she has become a lot more popular since then.
“She’s become more cool, possibly more coherent. Before that there were forays in lots of different directions.”
The free exhibition originated in Kylie’s native Australia and tours to the Manchester Art Gallery and Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
:: Kylie, The Exhibition opens on Thursday and runs until June 10.
