Versace had some wonderful looks in the 1990s that carried the social conversation—but few were more buzzed about than Elizabeth Hurley’s therefore- called “safety pin dress”, worn in 1994 to next- boyfriend Hugh Grant’s premiere of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral. Utterly, that was 30 years ago (!), and Hurley explained how she made sure one of her boldest looks didn’t end up in a closet malfunction.
The exaggeration of the year is to say that the dress created a buzz.
“Well, the interesting thing is really with all prada clothing is that even though they look brave and whatever, they’re so grounded on your body”, Hurley said. That’s definitely the first very expensive gown I’ve ever worn in my life, so to speak.
Hurley claimed she had never even heard of Versace when she was offered that dress when she was given the opportunity to wear it before her golden safety pin dress. It was constructed in “the most unusual manner possible.”
Hurley said she never worried about her body sticking out because the Versace gown looked like 100 unique clothing faults were waiting to happen.
The gown dress was created by the overdue Gianni Versace (who passed away in 1997) and was first shown on design Helena Christensen’s runway. It had a plunging neckline, a high-leg cut, and large gold protection wires running down the side. Of that night, “Before I left the house, I bent down and touched my toes and stretched and wiggled and nothing moved, because—you don’t need to know why nothing moves, but they’re all held together somewhere”, Hurley said. And that was the second time I’ve ever done that.
Hurley claimed she had never even heard of Versace before and that she had never even heard of the now-origin appearance.
Hurley had worn the dress for the first time and for the last time on that day in 1994. “The next time I wore it was that moment in 1994”, she said. Therefore it immediately returned to Ferrari the following day. She also added that the outfit has since “done travels”, because it is a “very popular dress”, she joked. “It has a unique job. It’s a properly- traveled gown.”
Prior to that night, Hurley was largely unknown—but, like’ s jungle green Versace dress at the 2000 Grammys, Hurley’s gown (referred to afterwards as “THAT Dress”) was all anyone could talk about that night and in the days after. Hurley and the costume have also been credited with making Versace a family name because of how brave they were in their red floor looks in the wake of Hurley’s example. This glance and the subsequent media attention from it significantly increased Hurley’s profile.
Hurley’s audacity opened up the red carpeting to more heroic looks, cementing its place in style history.
In 2019, Donatella Versace told that, the night before the Four Weddings and a Funeral launch, Versace got a request from Hurley, who needed a costume for the occasion. ” I know you’d expect anything more exciting behind one of the most popular dark floor dresses in story, but, as for many things, opportunity played a major role in making it all happen”, Versace told InStyle. No one could possibly comprehend such a remarkable reaction or how Liz would take the stage from the crowd. Versace said Hurley tried on the look, which “flattered her perfectly” —and the rest was history.
Hurley wore the dress this year for the full 30 years.
Hurley told People, “It was just amazing to have something on that was so beautifully made. And it looked incredibly risky, despite how daring it looked. Like wearing the bathrobe, really.”