Kylie - The Exhibition Review

Victoria and Albert Museum, London

This is an excellent exhibition for both the dedicated Kylie worshipper and their companions. If you get dragged along thinking it won't be of interest to you I think you will be pleasantly surprised as I saw men and women, boys and girls, enjoying and remembering different times of Kylie's long career together. The adults smiled at Charlene's overalls and the children loved the huge wall image of Kylie and the costumes.

Pros

• See those gold hotpants! (Yes, they are in a special display case.)
• See costumes from Charlene's overalls through to recent tours.
• See behind the scenes footage you would not normally have access to.

Cons

• I didn't find any buggy or wheelchair access and the exhibition is up a flight of stairs.

Kylie has had a home in London since 1990 so it seems fitting that the UK tour of Kylie – The Exhibition starts here at the V&A.

Use the main Cromwell Road entrance of the V&A as Kylie – The Exhibition is just inside on the right. You enter a glorious world of all things Kylie.

The center of the main room is a costume display starting with the Museum Dress from 2004. This dress includes photos by Lee Jenkins, Juegen Teller, and Vincent Peters, and the fringing and trims are leftovers from some of Kylie's costumes such as those worn on the Intimate and Live tour. What strikes you first about all of the costumes is how petite Kylie must be. They are truly tiny! Other costumes include the ribbon dress, this outfit from the 'Spinning Around' video, and this animal print outfit.

On the right-hand side of the main room is a huge video screen playing Kylie videos for you to sing along to. On the left is a Timeline of photos, CDs, videos, and records from January 1988 to February 2007 - when this exhibition opened at the V&A. Above the Timeline are photos of Kylie showing her versatility of an artist and proving why she is one of the most photographed people in the world. On the wall above the photos is a quote from Kylie.

After the main room there is the Backstage film room which you could easily miss. It is on the right before the mirror ball and is a small room showing interesting filming of private moments you would never get to see.

There there's the Stage area including a replica of Kylie's dressing room from Wembley Arena for her Showgirl: Homecoming Tour in January 2007.

Kylie – The Exhibition also has costume drawings so you can see the design process, plus some of the many awards she has received.

The merchandise for Kylie – The Exhibition includes the beautiful exhibition book, jewelry, and this retro T-shirt.

After the Kylie merchandise, you think you have reached the end of the exhibition but go down the stairs to the opinion wall where you can write on a pink heart-shaped sticky note what Kylie means to you. "Most people have an opinion about what makes Kylie's performances so special. What is yours?" I liked the comment: "My girlfriend wishes she was your dress size"!

There has been public debate about whether Kylie – The Exhibition should be at the V&A. Kylie – The Exhibition received more publicity before it even opened than any other exhibition in the V&A's 150+ year history. The V&A houses artifacts as old as 3,000 years and as recent as this year. The museum was created to inspire British designers so has always kept abreast of design classics. Kylie is a design icon and is a style, or brand, as much as a person. I can't think of a better venue for Kylie – The Exhibition.

And finally...
Vital Statistics – Facts from the Showgirl: Homecoming Tour

• £1.25 million = Cost of the huge, Art Deco inspired stage
• 3,000 VIP wristbands
• 100 pairs of Porselli fishnets for Kylie
• Half a truck dedicated purely to the chorus line feathers!