
We all love a costume that speaks to the diva within and no-one does it better than Kylie. But what happens to those elaborate stage costumes once the lights go down and the road cases leave the stadium? Enter the textiles conservator. Costumes such as this black-feathered full-length gown designed by Dolce & Gabbana for Kylie Minogue’s 2011 Les Folies/ Aphrodite Tour are designed to dazzle the eye and to withstand the rigours of nightly performance. They are not designed with long-term storage in mind. Lay them flat and the elaborate boning under the skirt will warp, hang it and the skirt will lose its shape as gravity kicks in.
The solution? A custom-made aluminium pannier.

The pannier is placed over the all-important gold bodysuit around which the entire suite of costumes was designed …

Et voilà!
