Japanese-style: Kylie Minogue dresses as a Geisha in promotional shots for her upcoming tour. (Photo: chinadaily.com.cn/Agencies)

She looks like she's just stepped out of a Tokyo teahouse.

With her elegant kimono, bird's nest hairstyle and porcelain pale complexion, this lady is classic geisha material.

But underneath the white foundation and heavy eyeliner is Kylie Minogue experimenting with her latest look.

The singer - known for her stunning costume choices - looks breathtaking in a red kimono as she poses as a geisha in a shoot to promote her forthcoming world tour.

The tour begins in Paris on May 6th and will reportedly cost more than 10 million U.S. dollars to stage.

It includes shows in Greece, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Luxembourg, Russia, Latvia and Spain, and has already taken over half a million in sales.

KylieX2008 is the singer's first major tour since her battle with breast cancer.

It opens in the UK in June at the Belfast Odyssey Arena before moving to Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester ending at the O2 Arena in London.

Meanwhile Kylie is said to have abandoned plans to crack America after her latest attempt failed.

She reportedly told a friend, "I gave it my best shot. I won't try again."

Kylie appeared on numerous U.S. shows to promote her album X including "The Today Show," "Dancing With The Stars," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "The Late Late Show."

But despite her attempts the record sold only 6,000 copies and debuted at number 139 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

(China Daily/Agencies May 1, 2008)