by Jennifer Lopez’s Iconic Green Versace Dress: A Look Back at Her “Stupidest Thing”
In 2000, Jennifer Lopez made headlines when she arrived at the Grammy Awards wearing a sheer green Versace dress that featured a plunging neckline down to her navel and a high leg slit. The risque dress immediately sparked controversy, with many deeming it inappropriate and too revealing for an awards show. Now, nearly 20 years later, Lopez says that wearing that dress was “probably the stupidest thing” she’s ever done.
Speaking in a recent interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1, Lopez reflected on her fashion faux pas. “I just remember being so uncomfortable,” she said. “The dress was so tight, I couldn’t sit down, and I was just thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’ It was the worst experience ever.”
At the time, Lopez was still a rising star, becoming increasingly famous after starring in hit films like Selena, Out of Sight, and The Wedding Planner. So when she arrived at one of music’s biggest nights wearing the attention-grabbing green dress, designed by Donatella Versace, she instantly became the talk of Tinseltown.
While the dress hugged every curve and showcased Lopez’s fit physique, she now admits she wishes she had felt more self-assured to handle the inevitable backlash.
“I just wish I had been more comfortable in my own skin,” Lopez said. “I was so young and insecure, and I just let the pressure get to me. I think if I had done it all over again, I would have worn something that I felt more confident in.”
The Revealing Design That Shocked Viewers
At the time, Lopez was 30 years old and in the prime of her career. But the revealing design of the green Versace dress – sheer, down to the navel, and featuring a slit up to the hip – was quite shocking for a major awards show.
On the red carpet, Lopez strutted and posed with confidence. But she’s now revealing she felt quite the opposite.
“I think people were just shocked,” she said. “They weren’t used to seeing something like that on the red carpet.”
The dress immediately sparked controversy and criticism. Some media outlets questioned if Lopez was desperate for attention while others pondered if the ensemble was appropriate for a live broadcast likely to be viewed by children.
At the 2000 Grammys, clothing guidelines for attendees stated that sheer fabric, exposed midriffs, and skirts with splits higher than the knee were prohibited. Lopez’s green Versace dress broke all three rules.
While presenting an award during the live telecast, Lopez quipped about her outfit, “You like my dress?” – making light of the fact that viewers could likely see more than they bargained for.
The Wardrobe Malfunction Heard ‘Round the World
The controversy over the dress was further fueled during a red carpet interview when Lopez’s date for the evening, then boyfriend Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs, accidentally ripped the sheer fabric and exposed part of Lopez’s breast.
Footage shows Combs reaching to adjust Lopez’s necklace and accidentally tearing the delicate sheer fabric across her chest, exposing her nude breast on the left side – which was covered only by a flimsy nipple pasty.
A visibly panicked Lopez quickly covered herself up as her publicist rushed to her aid with safety pins. But the brief nip slip was caught by cameras and seen by millions, adding literal insult to injury on a night Lopez already felt uncomfortable.
“It was the worst experience ever,” she reiterated 20 years later.
No Regrets From the Designer, Donatella Versace
While Lopez herself has grown to view her iconic 2000 Grammys look as a mistake, the woman who designed the provocative dress has no such regrets.
Donatella Versace immediately recognized that she had created a show-stopping gown for Lopez to wear at the award show. Moreover, she understood the power and influence a buzzworthy red carpet look could hold.
“The jungle print dress that Jennifer wore to the Grammys in 2000 was a cultural reset,” Versace told Vogue years later. “It marked the beginning of a new era of unapologetic sexiness.”
After Lopez’s famous curve-hugging pose on the red carpet instantly became tabloid fodder, Versace knew she had a winning design. “It was the first viral moment of the modern age,” Versace recalled.
Indeed, the sheer dress generated so much chatter and free publicity that Versace decided to make it the centerpiece of his Spring 2000 fashion collection from the runway. “It was so provocative, so shocking,” Donatella said. “Afterward, I knew that was a dress we had to produce.”
Thus, the iconic green dress Lopez came to view as a mistake actually helped propel Versace into his most profitable year ever.
The Dress Inspires Google’s First Image Search
Beyond causing a media frenzy, Lopez’s green dress also inspired a technological first. As the public clamored to see pictures of the provocative gown, there was one place on the nascent internet to find them: Google.
At the time, Google had a rudimentary search engine focused on words, not images. But so many people searched for “Jennifer Lopez green dress” after the 2000 Grammys that Google quickly assembled the first-ever image search function.
“We realized that people wanted more than just text,” Google’s then-CEO Eric Schmidt told Harper’s Bazaar. “This first crude prototype allowed people to search for images, and that day, the search for J.Lo’s dress was one of the most popular queries.”
Over the years, Lopez has worn many iconic outfits that have broken the internet. But it was the Versace green dress in 2000 that inspired the creation of one of the web’s most-used features today.
Lopez Has Grown More Confident Since 2000
While wearing the revealing green dress left Lopez feeling self-conscious at the time, she says the experience helped her grow. Now at 53, Lopez says she has embraced self-acceptance.
“I’m not perfect. I make mistakes,” she acknowledged. “But I’ve learned to accept myself for who I am, and that’s the most important thing.”
Rather than shy away from plunging necklines and high slits, Lopez has continued to embrace her sexy signature style with confidence. But she does so on her own terms.
“Over the years, I’ve learned to be comfortable in my own skin,” Lopez told Elle. “To be confident, strong, independent and happy with who I am.”
Part of this self-acceptance came with age, Lopez said. “My 40s were when I really started to come into my own and feel confident in my skin,” she revealed.
While she may have regrets about the green Versace dress itself, Lopez values the personal growth that came from the experience.
“I’m a better actress now, a better recording artist, a better performer, a better person,” she told Cosmopolitan, crediting her decades in the spotlight.
The Dress Makes a Comeback 20 Years Later
In 2019, Donatella Versace decided to breathe new life into his iconic creation – remaking the green dress for a modern generation. It was part of a tribute collection celebrating 20 years of iconic Versace designs worn by J.Lo.
Closing Versace’s Spring 2020 fashion show, Lopez strutted confidently in a reimagined version of the sheer green dress that now featured elegant gold embroidery. Paired with a gold Versace coat and tall black boots, the 2020 take on the dress subtly covered more skin while still hugging every curve.
Rather than shy away from the dress that sparked criticism but also great career-boosting buzz, Lopez proudly walked to closure the Versace show in a hip-hop remix of her 2000 Grammys look.
This time, doing it on her own terms, Lopez proved she had truly grown into the kind of self-acceptance she wished for 20 years prior. The Google search frenzy repeated, proving the iconic dress still captured the public imagination – but now with Lopez in control.
“It’s been empowering to see myself evolve over the years,” Lopez told Elle, noting her renewed confidence. “I’m simply coming from a place now where I honor myself and know my worth.”
The Green Dress Legacy Lives On
Now nearly two decades later, Lopez’s green Versace dress is remembered as one of the most buzzworthy red carpet looks of all time – for better or worse.
The racy design represented a fashion risk that many celebrities after Lopez became unwilling to take. Partly out of fear of a similar backlash or “worst dressed” callouts, nude dresses with sheer panels and high slits became far more rare on awards show red carpets.
But even if Lopez came to see the revealing look as a mistake, it undeniably left a lasting mark on pop culture. The dress remains immediately recognizable even 20 years later. It cemented Lopez’s place as a bold, provocative fashion icon – as well as Versace’s reputation for sexy, eye-catching designs.
And not only is Lopez still asked about the dress today, it directly paved the way for technological innovations that changed the internet forever.
So while Lopez may have had an uncomfortable night thanks to the plunging green Versace dress in 2000, her fashion risk-taking contributed to history – proving both the power and peril of a truly unforgettable look.
