At the turn of the decade, Kylie Minogue sang with Robbie Williams on their hit duet Kids. The theme of that song is now very much on her mind as the pop princess celebrates 25 years in the music industry. "Having kids would be marvellous," Kylie told Sunday Times Style magazine before admitting that marriage to her hunky Spanish beau, Andres Velencoso "would be lower on my list".
Explaining her reticence to tie the knot she said: "I need to know I can step outside this room, I won't, but I do need to know that mentally I have space and freedom. Others would want to know they had those strong foundations, but I'm just a different make-up I guess." It's logical that Kylie's thoughts turn to personal goals as her incredible professional legacy is secured. 2012 is the year the diminutive singer celebrates a quarter of a decade in the music industry, and a wave of celebrations are underway to mark her achievements. Since the Minogue phenomenon was born back in the neon haze of the Eighties, Kylie has honed her identity through two key strands – her music and her style. It is through those two same avenues that her anniversary is being heralded, with album The Abbey Road Sessions giving her greatest hits a grand orchestral makeover.
Kylie Fashion is the corresponding book which documents her evolving image over the years. All the fashion heavyweights complicit in Kylie's reinventions – from Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana and and Stella McCartney – have contributed. "This book charts my relationship with some of the most talented people in fashion throughout my career," the singer says. "It makes me very proud to see gathered together all the great designers and houses I've worked with over the years. Looking through my personal archives has been a real trip down memory lane and it is the fashion that brings back moments and memories of the last twenty-five years." Ms Minogue's success and sartorial style have always put her on a par with pop's other grand empress – Madonna. But the one thing she has, that neither Madonna nor any other of music's veterans can lay claim to, is innocence. Even after all these years – and heart-stopping hotpants – few people have the wide-eyed look of the first-timer about them that Kylie still retains.