It was 20 years ago, back in 2004 when Kay Heeley was approached by Jane McDonald to produce some costumes for her upcoming UK tour. Kay was working as a bridal seamstress at a local bridal boutique at the time, and at the age of 21, Kay was just starting out as a Bespoke dress maker and establishing her own business Angel Couture.
'It was a dream come true to design for someone as high profile as Jane especially when I was just starting out establishing a name for myself.' Kay started designing 3 outfits for Jane's up coming 2004 tour, but over the coming months, that led to an on-going relationship that now spans 20 years, and hundreds of gowns later.
Angel Couture by Kay Heeley is now firmly established brand in the heart of Yorkshire with a huge portfolio of clients from all over the UK and overseas. Kay runs her production studios with a small team of skilled people and has had her designs featured on many high-profile clients, celebrities, on TV shows and featured in leading glossy magazines. 'I owe such a lot to Jane, she helped me so much as a young up-coming designer, she put me on the map!'
So, what exactly goes into Jane's costumes?
'It's a lot of work' says Kay. 'Jane needs maximum impact from the moment she walks out on stage. Her fans have come to expect Jane to look as amazing as she sounds, so the costumes have to have the wow factor!'
The initial meetings consist of Kay and Jane having their initial design appointments, where Jane sets out what she requires, colours and themes for her show. Kay normally brings along some gowns for Jane to try for style, and from there the designs are adapted. Kay will take notes and then once back in her design studios in Thurlstone, Kay will sketch out her ideas in the form of fashion illustrations.
'some designers use design soft wear now to create their sketches, but I still favour the good old-fashioned pen and paper, and produce all my designs as hand drawn pieces.' The dresses are a piece of art, so the sketches should be as well, and Jane has kept numerous original drawings that Kay has produced over the years. Kay will normally produce a few sketches and after such a long-standing relationship, Jane puts total trust in Kay. 'Once the designs are finished, I will present them to Jane for her to say 'Yes to the dress' and then the development process and the real creative fun can begin.'
Most of Jane's outfits are made by hand, but other times, Kay will use one of her suppliers to send over designs and then these are adapted and altered. 'My Bespoke gowns start at £1600 plus VAT and with the level of intricacy of a Jane McDonald gown, the cost is much higher... thousands, so sometimes I suggest buying in from other brands, to try and keep cost down and then we make the dress fit perfect for Jane's every need.'
'Zips get removed and replaced with heavy duty fastenings as Jane requires quick costume changes, plus multiple concert dates meaning the outfits must withstand very high wear and tear.'
Jane will always insist on at least one Bespoke gown and that's normally for the opening number, or the section that she calls 'her Diva' moment where she belts out huge ballads in a beautiful ballgown.
The second half of the show is normally in a trouser suit or jumpsuit, which Kay has previously styled using designers such as Nadine Merabi or Jacques Azagury. 'Jane loves a tailored suit, and this look allows her to move freely on stage and dance alongside her backing singers.'
The final part of the show is always the disco section, where Jane will come back on stage for an on-core in either a flapper style fringed dress, or another trouser suit. 'Jane has great legs, and I always encourage her to try and get her legs out in this section of the show. It also shows her fun side, and her versatility as a singer giving her audience literally every genre of music.'
So, what can the fans expect this year?
'Each year we try and do it bigger and better, giving the fans more glamour, more crystals, more wow factor... this year will be no exception.' Kay is currently working hard to create 4 new looks for Jane, featuring an opening dress that will literally 'out of this world' as her signature gown for the 'Diva' section which will be an exclusive design from Kay's brand-new bridal collection, 'Kay Heeley for Perfect Bridal'
'Each gown can take hours from initial concept to finished piece, so starting early is key. I normally require at least 6 months before any show on this scale, to factor in alongside all my other commissions.' On average Kay can have anything from 100-250 clients in the space of 12 months, so long hours and dedication is paramount.
With over 20 year's experience in design and dress making, it's no wonder Jane keeps returning to Kay year on year, and as one of Kay's longest standing celebrity clients, Kay will equally show that loyalty to Jane when it comes to her tours.
'The theme for this show is Love, so colours will be bold and with lots of sparkle... The fans really will 'Love' what Jane and I have worked on together.'
