Kylie Vs. Madonna: Whose style is aging better?
4th November, 2008 - By Colleen NikaPosted in Celebrities, Oops
Madonna may be “the queen of reinvention”, but her style is anything but evolved, according to rival singer Kylie Minogue’s stylist, William Baker.
As her stylist and “gay husband” of 17 years, Baker has been responsible for Kylie’s own high (hit-or-miss) wardrobe turnover rate. He claims that she has transcended a fashion threshold that Madonna hasn’t yet managed — a style that ages gracefully.
“Kylie’s gone high fashion”, he states.
Has she?
Meanwhile, Baker reserves harsh words for Madge:
“Over the years her concert clothes have always been really interesting but I didn’t think there was anything new this time.
“The camera shots of her are also still very crotch-centric and we’ve seen this all before,” he said.
In our opinion, it is ironic that Baker critiques Madonna on the heels of an era that musically, commercially, and yes, style wise, many claim to be among Kylie Minogue’s weakest. Fans and style critics have scorned her severely camp Pierrot and Showgirl costumes and the tacky visual concepts accompanying X’s promotional regimen. And we can’t help but mention that her “geisha” tour getup falls squarely into Madonna worship territory. Remember Madge’s own “Japonaise” phase a decade ago?
Contrary to what Baker suggests, while Minogue’s Gaultier tour wardrobe was met with lukewarm reviews, Madonna’s Riccardo Tisci’s custom Givenchy designs were often praised– often more so than the music she performed at the shows! Perhaps Baker needs to read a bit more press — including his own. If he did, he might realize that, on the whole, Kylie’s fans are sick of him.
Is Kylie’s stylist criticizing Madonna’s sense of style a case of the campy pot calling the kitsch kettle black? Or does he have a point?
Who has better style — Kylie at 40 or Madonna at 50?
November 5th, 2008 at 5:37 am
I don’t think much of Kylie’s ’style’.
I was shocked to hear that her costumes were displayed at the V&A.
Still kudos to her for still being around + well somewhat relevant…to some people.
November 9th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
definitely madonna’s way better.
she’s 50 - 10 years age difference
and kylie just looks scary and too old for a 40.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:48 am
@ Rita
Too old for a 40 year old? Get a reality check!
Baker said in an interview that his biggest influencer are Madonna and Boy George. Sometimes you just have to be critical. Even about your idols!
November 21st, 2008 at 6:42 am
You gotta get your facts straight. Kylie was doing geisha way back in 94 when she did German Bold Italic. A long time before madonna. Kylie looks amazing and her style is ever changing and fresh. Madonna does too… There is no denying the woman is legendary. However, kylie is a massive international megastar in her own right, does she need to copy madonna? I really don’t think so.
November 21st, 2008 at 7:03 am
GBI=1997, actually.
Madonna’s style veered towards the Japonaise right before the Ray of Light era (i.e. around that same time). Kylie’s GBI phase was mere coincidence. But the X era’s EXTREMELY camp version of the Geisha may reference Kylie’s own GBI phase, but in the pastiche context of her tour, it seemed as random as the Poiret looks. And the comparison to Madge’s own (obviously far more ubiquitous) Geisha imagery of 1997-1999 isn’t altogether unwarranted. It’s not Kylie herself that detractors/jaded fans are critiquing, but rather, William Baker’s own hypocrisy.
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 am
Kylies outfits border on the ridiculous and vile and to be honest are and have over the years taken much of their cue’s from Madonna’s. Why else would she be using Madonna’s right hand men? (Gaultier for Blond Ambition, Dolce&Gabban for the Girly Show). Baker really needs to shut his jealous vile mouth, Madonna turned him down to join her Blond Ambition tour years ago, i think he still is maybe a bit jealous. But turning Kylie into a “Madonna” muse is no way forward. And so what if Madonna’s lataest looks resemble some of Kylies work, its probarbly because it was Madonna’s in the first place, she preceeds Minogue by almost a decade, something idiots like Baker tend to forget!
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 am
…and as for the whole “Geisha” debate…Madonna was actually dressing Geisha way back in 1986 when she starred in Japanese advert for Tsing Toa beer and Mitsubishi dressed as….yep a bona fide Japanese Warrior/Geisha so eat it Kylie fans, Madonna wins hands down….by over a decade!
November 23rd, 2008 at 11:31 am
When did the whole kylie vs madonna argument start? Lets face it, they’re both pretty fabulous. And i don’t believe either one is copying the other. Baker sounds like a dick though. I just checked out kylie’s first geisha look on youtube, GBI and she looks amazing!
November 25th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Hey charley check out Madonna’s first foray into the world of the Geisha on youtube too, its harder to find but worth it, she looks amazing. Her costume was designed by Vivienne Westwood! And check out the shoes too. See…. what on EARTH is Baker on about?? Madonna has been doing “High Fashion” since she started, Kylie by his own omission has to be honest only got into “High fashion” since her Fever album in 2001. The Madonna video im referring to was shot in 1986!!!! She was using designers way before Kylies career took off! It grates on me how this idiot Mr Baker slates Madonna yet steals ALL her ideas to enforce onto Kylie, i mean take X Tour…its Confessions rolled over again with more than a nod to Madonna’s eastern influenced Re-Invention tour, instead of a disco-fied crucifix we get a disco-fied skull!! the thing is when its re-hashed by them it looks tacky and well…..er, a lame version. Nobody minds Kylie and her team doing this but please Mr Baker, dont slate Madonna when you are ripping her off! Theres too many things to list on here to be honest, a fine example is Mr Bakers use of Keith Harring prints on the male dancers in Kylies In My Arms video…..Keith was a very close friend of Madonna’s whom died of AIDS, he was famous for his graffitti style prints in the early 80’s on the NYC dance scene, Madonna actually endorsed them on her jacket for her infamous Like A Virgin performance on Top Of The Pops, wearing a shocking pink wig back in 1984. Mr Baker used these prints in Kylies video and later for the X Tour, not to mention theiving Mr Gaultier/Madonna himself! Madonna has and always will be a leader, at the cutting edge of fashion, Kylie is not. I simply refuse to hear Mr Baker put her down when Kylie in my opinion is a lesser artist. She has done nothing to push forward music, revolutionise the business or change the way female entertainers are accepted in this business. Mr Baker you are a prissy gay man who needs to put his claws away and accept that Madonna is more of an influence than you let on.
November 26th, 2008 at 5:39 am
Woa alzy, you feel pretty strongly about madonna don’t you. Maybe you should put your own claws away!
November 27th, 2008 at 4:40 am
Haha! Too right Miriam! Personaly I think Kylie is WAY more sassy and stylish than that wrinkled old yankie prune, who can’t even sing. And actually Madonna needs all the help she can get when she looks so bad! But seriously, why get so upset about it? Hehe, makes a good read though! Tx
November 30th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
alzy get a life you know madonna is nothing but a tramp who got all her ideas from her producers not herself just admit it when madonna is 60 and kylie is 50 kylie will always be alot better and more beautiful than madge. Madge now has a bad reputation and kylie doesnt want her USA success kylie enjoys the anonymity in the usa. so sucked in you IDIOT!!YOU MUST BE GAY!!
January 8th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Dean Kylie sucks up to the pink pound but does sweet nothing for the homo crowd whatsoever, Kylie is a lame madonna impersonator, i saw X and it had so many references to Madonna tours of old that it was, by and large a sheer farce!! Showgirl tour??? Didnt Madonna do cabaret and the like decades before with The Girly Show?? Kylie is unable to transcend tacky camp because she is not a credible artist, Madonna can and has because she sits with the likes of legends and uses her own instinct and talent, shes the biggest selling and most succesful female artist of all time, her work ethic and blue print for “how to be a celebrity” is copied the world over….madonna was making hits when Kylie was at school!!!! Besides for Kylies first major image shake up from girl next door Kylie to Sex Kylie with the album Rythm Of Love in 1990, Kylie chose to work with Madonnas song writers, photographers and fashion designers…….yeah, shes really not influenced by the queen at all is she!! And Madonna….cant sing?? Who was it back in the day the press referred to as the “Singing Budgie” ??? she still sounds as out of pitch and nasal now as she did back then, she cannot sing live at all!!! As for Madonna using others to forward her own career……i would say its more a meeting of creative minds, Kylie has to resort to some bitter old gay man to make her relavent, well in this case X fell something short of a laugh, she looked like a drag queen, Kylie cant do serious whatsoever, shes pop lite fun, end of and her fashion changes of late have been nothing short of a disaster……the only time she was hot was during the Fever era, when Wil Baker had nothing to do with it, Madonna remains hot and current all the time, end of!