One of Versace’s best-known creations and widely considered to be what launched Elizabeth Hurley’s career into superstardom, was the black dress held together with safety pins that she wore to the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994 is iconic, but how much do we all actually know about the dress and the story behind it?
Often referred to as simply that dress, Liz Hurley’s iconic black Versace gown moment almost never came to be, due to the fact that the (now legendary) film star was virtually unknown at the time, seems far-fetched considering her larity now, but it’s true.Advertisement00:1000:57 Hugh Grant was the poster boy for 90s rom-coms, and for the premiere of Four Weddings, he was told that his guest or girlfriend at the time would be allowed to borrow clothing for the event. However, it turned out to be not so simple.


Inexperienced in such matters of borrowing a dress for the red carpet, and unknown at the time, Liz Hurley had a tough time trying to find a designer who was willing to help, she unsuccessfully contacted a number of fashion houses only to be met by a chorus of ‘no’s’ and ‘who are you’s’.Finally, Versace agreed to lend her a dress as a favour — it was apparently the last one left at the houses press office when she called. Hugh Grant says in an interview withthe Independent that: ‘she shoved it on and I raised my eyebrows a fraction and we set off.’And the rest is history.




Liz Hurley and Hugh Grant at the premier of Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994, Pic: Getty ImagesAbout the actual dress itself, the black evening gown was made from silk and lycra strategically held together with oversized novelty gold safety pins to reveal daring cutouts, and held up at a plunging neckline with slimline straps and more pins.The dress and its resulting press coverage catapulted Hurley into the limelight, but, she wasn’t the evenings only winner.The media delirium also boosted Versace’s status, into what would eventually become a household name and the dress also sparked a revolution in eveningwear, reclaiming skimpiness from the clutches of the remarkably modest mid-90s.





Elizabeth Hurley wearing the iconic Gianni Versace Safety Pin Dress, Pic: Getty ImagesThe reaction to that dress has not slowed down much since. In 2007 a copy of the iconic gown went on sale in Harrods for a little over €11,000, showcased as part of an exhibition on ‘Little Black Dresses’ where it ranked even higher than Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s number.