When it comes to memorable fashion moments,Elizabeth Hurleywearing a Versace safety pin dress at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral certainly makes our top ten.
Now, 25 years on, Hurley has revisited that iconic outfit. In a shoot for Harper's Bazaar US, Hurley looks almost unchanged in a gown by Versace inspired by the original safety pin dress.
In the accompanying interview Hurley shares her memories of the night itself. Hurley, who was a relatively unknown actress at the time, was dating the film’s lead, Hugh Grant.
“I was so unprepared for what happened that night,” Hurley recalls. “I urgently needed to find a dress to wear for Hugh’s premiere, and in those days I had no idea about fashion,” she explained.
Hurley was given the phone number of a PR agency, and they offered to lend her a dress for the evening. “I remember going to an office where they literally fished a dress out of a white plastic bag,” she said.
“I took it home and did my own hair and makeup, fighting Hugh for the mirror, which wasn’t even full-length, in our tiny one-bedroom flat. It was all very unglamorous compared to how things get done these days.”
Considering red carpet dressing at the time tended to be elegant and restrained, Hurley’s revealing stretch-silk dress thrust her into the spotlight. Shortly afterwards she signed a deal with Estee Lauder (which she still has today) and the moment kick started a long lasting friendship with Versace.