From Kylie With Love
The story behind a powerful image and the costume that made it.
The Australian Performing Arts Collection (APAC) is enriched by the valuable insights of the performers it represents. When developing new collections, curators often work closely with performers to understand their body of work and its impact on Australian performing arts history, along with the very personal journey that sits at its heart.
In 2003 APAC welcomed an extensive donation of costumes from Kylie Minogue. This continued to grow in 2004 and formed the basis of an exhibition celebrating Kylie’s career as an internationally acclaimed recording artist and performer.
This story takes us back to the weeks leading up to the opening of Kylie: The Exhibition in 2005 and the unexpected arrival of an extraordinary costume. Kylie recently took some time to reflect on the inspiration behind this costume and how it was brought to life. She and her team shared their recollections with curator Margot Anderson.
"I wanted an image that would illustrate the history of the collection and my personal connection to it."
Identified as the Museum Dress, the costume was delivered to Arts Centre Melbourne wrapped in layers of tissue paper within a large box. This gift marked the end of the first instalment of Kylie’s costume donation. It was one of over 100 items that had been eagerly awaited and carefully unpacked since the first consignment landed on Christmas Eve in 2003.
Unlike famous items such as Kylie’s gold hot pants or her white jumpsuit, this addition to the collection wasn’t instantly identifiable. Its purpose became clear when it was established that this dress had been worn by Kylie for the exhibition’s signature image.
As Kylie’s collection continues to grow and reflect the many aspects of her remarkable career, the Museum Dress has come to symbolise the importance of costume and the role it plays in the process of recording and preserving Australian performing arts history.
"I loved being able to create something new which incorporated historical pieces. It echoed how a costume is often made up of various things, some remarkable and some entirely unremarkable, but when put together in the right environment, they can transcend into something other."
The Images
As one of the most photographed people in the world, Kylie’s image and her appearance on album covers, in magazines, video clips, social media and on stage is constantly changing.
Kylie mastered the art of transformation early in her career. She has commissioned the world’s leading photographers to capture her creative evolution, illustrating a body of work that includes 15 albums and concert tours over a career spanning five decades.
The Museum Dress gathers many iconic images, re-framing them in a colourful montage that acts as a kind of time machine, travelling through pivotal moments throughout Kylie’s career.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
The printed fabric stretched tight across the bodice samples images from her album covers while the skirt depicts Kylie on stage, in the studio and on location in a range of intriguing settings.
These moments are made more tangible with the addition of fabric samples and trims retained for backstage repairs on tour costumes.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
Combined with a handful of custom-made K and M pendants, this textured component adds a personal touch and another layer of nostalgia to the overall effect.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
Detail of the Museum Dress.
"For touring costumes there are usually extra pieces of fabric and trimmings for running repairs on the road, making doubles and even sometimes, triples! The pieces used in this image didn’t get the spotlight the first time around but they finally did with this image representing the exhibition!"
A Working Wardrobe
Just as the Museum Dress was designed to be worn for a photo shoot, every costume in Kylie's collection was created for a specific purpose. It's a working wardrobe that reflects the many aspects of Kylie's career.
The level of workmanship varies widely according to the purpose of each costume. Some have been created to be merely glimpsed in motion for video clips and are often less finished.
Kylie's last minute decision to cut the sides of her jumpsuit for the Cant Get You Out of My Head video left a raw edge up each leg. The movement it created gave the costume even more impact.
Video for "Cant Get You Out of My Head", 2001. Designed by Fee Doran for Mrs Jones.
Video for "Cant Get You Out of My Head", 2001. Designed by Fee Doran for Mrs Jones.
Costumes designed specifically for television have added detail for close-up filming and brighter lighting.
Unlike Kylie's tour costumes, they don't need to reach out to arena size audiences, so there is less call for reflective crystals and sequins.
Television show "An Audience with Kylie", 2001. Designed by William Baker, Fee Doran for Mrs Jones and Stephen Jones.
Television show "An Audience with Kylie", 2001. Designed by William Baker, Fee Doran for Mrs Jones and Stephen Jones.
Kylie has developed a keen eye for a single element that can enhance her performance and she often makes her own alterations in the lead up to a show.
The costume designed for Kylie's duet with Justin Timberlake at the Brit Awards in 2001 was originally a floor length gown. Hours before the performance, the skirt was cut dramatically, making the act a standout moment on the night.
Brit Awards, 2003. Designed by Julien Macdonald (altered by Kylie).
Brit Awards, 2003. Designed by Julien Macdonald (altered by Kylie).
Kylie's tour costumes must withstand months of rigorous performance and can require a duplicate set on stand-by.
Complex commissions can take several months to finish and require special consideration when being packed for travel between venues.
Kylie Showgirl: The Greatest Hits tour, 2005. Designed by John Galliano.
Kylie Showgirl: The Greatest Hits tour, 2005. Designed by John Galliano.
"The business of making costumes and looks for shoots for one of the world’s biggest pop stars was a fast and furious one. We would often work around the clock, weekends, evenings. This time was no exception."
The Construction
The Museum Dress came together in a frenzy of activity over a matter of days in 2004.
Two of its creators, Frank Strachan and Lisa King, were both starting out in the world of fashion, working as assistants on Kylie’s on stage and off stage wardrobe under the guidance of stylist William Baker. As Kylie’s ideas for the new image came together, King, Strachan and designer Edward Meadham set about realising her vision.
Strachan worked with Meadham on the construction of the dress and was tasked with gathering remnants of fabric from some of Kylie’s favourite costumes.
"My main memory, is of Kylie telling me on the phone that she had an idea, and then she did a sketch, and I waited by the fax machine for her drawing to come through - my recollection is that the sketch was literally in the pose that the final image ended up being."
(From left) Edward Meadham and Frank Strachan with Kylie Minogue during the photo shoot for the Museum Dress. Photography by Leanne Reyne, courtesy of Darenote Ltd.
(From left) Edward Meadham and Frank Strachan with Kylie Minogue during the photo shoot for the Museum Dress. Photography by Leanne Reyne, courtesy of Darenote Ltd.
King’s job was to create the fabric, digitally printing it with a selection of images reflecting Kylie’s career.
"Long before the days of WeTransfer and Dropbox, the artwork file had to go onto a CD-Rom via Royal Mail to the printer in Wales. I remember standing in the post office queue in my pyjamas, having not slept for three days, begging the postman to wait to take my ‘special delivery’ parcel with him.”
The team had less than a week to make the dress with the photo shoot already booked for six days time.
Kylie Minogue and the crew during the photo shoot for the Museum Dress. Photograph by Leanne Reyne, courtesy of Darenote Ltd.
Kylie Minogue and the crew during the photo shoot for the Museum Dress. Photograph by Leanne Reyne, courtesy of Darenote Ltd.
"The fabric was delivered on set to Frank, who constructed it into the gown there and then. I never saw the fabric until the dress appeared in the exhibition at the V&A in London years later. What an honour. The sleepless nights were sure worth it!"
“William Baker, Ed Meadham, Frank Strachan and Lisa King worked wonders to create this dress. It remains a favourite image of mine.”
The Result
Kylie: The Exhibition went on to tour in Australia and the UK, breaking new ground in 2007 as the first exhibition dedicated to a pop star at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.
In 2021 the Museum Dress was retrieved from storage at APAC and prepared to go back into the studio to be photographed for this story. Strachan’s last minute stitching was clearly visible where the bodice meets the skirt, making it fragile to handle, and there was a collective intake of breath as the dress was carefully laced up on the mannequin.
Although structurally delicate, the Museum Dress is a powerful costume representing the multi-faceted career of one of Australia’s most treasured performers.
We look forward to sharing this costume and more special items from the Australian Performing Arts Collection in our new storage, research and education facility opening in 2023.
Explore more costumes captured in the Museum Dress
