| Designer | Donatella Versace |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000 |
| Type | Green dress |
| Material | Silk chiffon |
Jennifer Lopez wore a plunging exotic green Versace silk chiffon dress to the 42nd Grammy Awards ceremony on February 23, 2000.[1] A poll by Debenhams, published in the Daily Telegraph, voted it the fifth most iconic dress of all time.[2] It has been cited along with the Elizabeth Hurley's black Versace dress as being the top dresses that made Versace a household name and the turning point in designer Donatella Versace's career after the death of her brother Gianni Versace. The dress is currently on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
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Before becoming famous on the red carpet of the Grammy Awards, the Versace dress was presented on the catwalk by model Christy Turlington and was also featured in the main campaign of the fashion house that year, also photographed on the model Amber Valletta by Steven Meisel.[3][4] In 2000, the dress had a market value of about $15,000.[5]
Lopez arrived on the red carpet of the Grammy Awards in the company of her partner of the time, the rapper P. Diddy, dressed in a gray suit.[6] Although the suit had only been loaned by fashion house Versace, it subsequently decided to give it away as a thank you for the enormous publicity generated.[7] The singer immediately monopolized the attention and curiosity of the public and photographers at the event. Actor David Duchovny appeared on stage along with Lopez to present the prizes to the best R & B album and declared to the audience, "this is the first time in five or six years that I'm sure that nobody is looking at me," eliciting laughter from the audience.[6] Apparently, Lopez never wore the dress again.[7]
The dress is currently on display at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. A copy of the dress has also been shown in Vienna, celebrating fifty years of history of Italian fashion.
Designed by Donatella Versace, it has been described as "jungle green", "sea green" or "tropical" green, a green dress with touches of blue to give an exotic appearance. It is a see-through silk chiffon dress with a tropical leaf pattern and bamboo, with a citrine-studded crotch.[8] The dress "had a low-cut neck that extended several inches below her navel, where it was loosely fastened with a sparkly brooch and then opened out again," exposing her midriff and then as cut along the front of the legs like a bath robe.[1] The dress then droops behind her on the floor and is open at the back.[1][9] Under the suit, Lopez wore a pair of nude-tone shorts and only afterwards it was revealed that Lopez was able to keep the dress on using double-sided tape.[7]
The dress was discussed by those in the fashion and entertainment for weeks after the event, with dedicated television specials and magazine covers featuring her. Images of Lopez in the green dress were downloaded from the Grammy website 642,917 times in just 24 hours after the event.[10] The dress has been cited along with the Black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley as being those most iconic dresses which made Versace a household name.[11] Vibe magazine said, "Jen Lo made Donatella Versace's diaphanous green fabric a national call to arms."[12] Others have argued that the dress led to Lopez becoming "one of the most glamorous and publicity- friendly icons of the red carpet."[13]
Lopez was surprised by the enormous media coverage, declaring in an interview: "It was a nice dress. I had no idea it was going to become such a big deal."[14] Versace later revealed that the dress was the turning point of her career, saying that the media now had confidence in her own work, after the death of Gianni Versace.[14] She declared to the Canadian press, "It was an unexpected success. The next day she [Jennifer Lopez] was everywhere and people were talking about her in that dress. It was one of those moments like the one that Gianni [Versace] had with Elizabeth Hurley and clothes-pins."[14] The dress has been referred to many times as "notorious" and "infamous" because of its boldness.[15][16]
At the 72nd Academy Awards, South Park co-creator Trey Parker wore an imitation of the dress.[17]
On October 15, 2002 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, Jennifer Lopez was awarded the VH1 Vogue Fashion Award as the most influential star of the year. The award was presented by Versace herself.[18] The dress was also chosen by Lisa Armstrong of the Times as the "Dress of the Year 2000". A poll by Debenhams, published in the Daily Telegraph in 2008, voted it the fifth most iconic dress of all time.[2]
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