Fans are upset that Jennifer Lopez was overlooked for this year’s Oscar nominations, but Academy recognition or not, she still has some award-winning pop culture moments that outshine any golden statue. For example, consider the green Versace dress, which created fashion history when Lopez first wore it in 2000 and then again on the runway 20 years later. In a recent Vanity Fair interview, J.Lo discussed what it’s like to wear this now-iconic outfit.
“The first time I wore it, I actually didn’t have another dress,” she added. “Usually, I have choices. It was a last-minute change that resulted in an unanticipated sensation.”
Things were somewhat different when she wore an upgraded version to a Versace presentation last year. “The second time was very planned out,” she went on to say. “It began at the Met Ball when Donatella [Versace] said, ‘You know, this year is the 20th anniversary of the jungle dress,’ and I said, ‘No, I didn’t.'” And she says, ‘I think I’m going to do an entire program on it. Would you come? And I replied, ‘Of course. Just call me. You know, it’s all about timing—schedules and whatnot. And then she called and said, ‘I want you to walk at the end, and you should come out in the dress.’ ‘Is it the same dress?’ ‘Same dress. “We will make a new one for you.”
Jennifer Lopez had just turned 50 when she put it on again, which made the occasion even more memorable. “The second time I wore it and walked out there, it was such an empowering thing,” she went on to say. “Twenty years had passed, and I believe it resonated with women to know they could still put on a dress 20 years later. It felt like, ‘Yes, you know, life is not done at 20!'”
Hear, hear. Fingers crossed she wears a different version of this outfit during awards season. Or maybe her Super Bowl halftime show. How awesome would that be?