Dua Lipa knows. When it comes to making impact on a red carpet, Versace delivers every time. At the 2022 Grammy Awards she wore a multi-strapped, multi-buckled bondage dress from the Italian house's autumn/winter 1992 collection. The dress might be older than she is, but there was nothing fusty about this vintage. And the Versace Grammys takeover didn't stop there; Donatella Versace (who has previously worn a version of the same dress) even appeared on stage with Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion.
First under Gianni Versace and, since his tragic murder in 1997, sister Donatella, Versace has always been synonymous with empowered, sexually-charged mega-glam. If you want to create not a moment but the moment of a big night, Versace is always a slam-dunk choice.
Such is the power of a Versace dress, that they have made not just careers but whole cultural phenomena. Gianni Versace was the architect of the supermodel. For the iconic AW91 show, he closed the show with Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington - the 'big four' - strutting en masse down the runway to George Michael's Freedom. Equally adept at creating a moment, Donatella paid homage to her brother and the 'Supers' with the finale of her SS18 show sending out Crawford and Campbell, alongside Carla Bruni, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer to walk arm-in-arm to the same soundtrack.
A Versace dress can transform a career. Just look at Elizabeth Hurley. Accompanying her then-boyfriend, Hugh Grant, to the Four Weddings and a Funeral premiere in 1994 she catapulted to global fame courtesy of her va-va-voom safety-pin dress, a look so iconic it became known simply as 'that dress'. Or remember (how could you forget?) Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards. Another 'that dress' contender, her slit to - and from - the navel bamboo-print green gown is credited with birthing Google Images. If that look helped define the internet, she broke it when she revisited the dress on the Versace runway in 2019.
Now, with Donatella currently designing Britney Spears' wedding dress, expect another major moment from Versace soon.
A Brief History Of Versace's Most Major Moments
1 of 15Elizabeth Hurley in 1994
It was set to be Hugh's big night, but Elizabeth Hurley - and some strategically-placed safety pins - changed all that.
2 of 15Versace AW91
Linda! Cindy! Naomi! Christy! The 'big four' closed Versace's AW91 show, strutting arm-in-arm along the runway to George Michael's Freedom. The supermodel phenomenon was born.
3 of 15Versace SS18
20 years since Gianni's death, Donatella paid homage to her brother in iconic Versace fashion, recreating that supermodel moment for the SS18 show. Campbell and Crawford starred alongside Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen. The internet was, of course, broken.
4 of 15Princess Diana in 1996
A close friend of Gianni's, and a big fan of the house, Princess Diana wore an electric blue, asymmetric Versace gown in Sydney in 1996.
5 of 15Jennifer Lopez in 2000
What do you remember about the 2000 Grammys? Nothing? Bet you remember this. J.Lo's slashed jungle-print gown was such a sensation that it is credited with birthing Google Images.
6 of 15Jennifer Lopez at the Versace SS20 show
Proof that lightning can strike twice, 20 years later J.Lo went viral again when she closed the Versace SS20 show in a rebooted version of 'that dress'.
7 of 15Angelina Jolie in 2012
One of the most memed Oscar looks of all time: Angelina Jolie, her Atelier Versace gown and her leg in 2012.
8 of 15Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss in 1999
Name a more iconic duo. Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss put their own spin on a Versace signature - chainmail - in 1999. Fun fact: Dua Lipa wore the same dress as Naomi to celebrate her Grammy win in 2021.
9 of 15Lila Moss in Fendace
In 2021, Versace joined forces another Italian powerhouse, Fendi. Lila Moss walked in the 'Fendace' show, as did her mum.
10 of 15Beyonce at the 2003 BET Awards
Performing Crazy in Love at the 2003 BET Awards, Beyoncé wore Versace.
11 of 15Zendaya at the 2021 BET Awards
18 years later, Zendaya wore archival Versace in tribute to Beyoncé. She's pictured here with Lil' Kim.
12 of 15Lil Nas X at the 2021 Met Gala
The Versace Midas touch also works for men. Lil Nas X at the 2021 Met Gala.
13 of 15Donatella Versace joins Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion on stage at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Donatella makes a surprise appearance on stage at the 2022 Grammy Awards, alongside Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion.
14 of 15Dua Lipa at the 2022 Grammy Awards
Dua Lipa wears a 1992 Versace bondage dress to the 2022 Grammy Awards. And was her blonde hair a Donatella tribute?
15 of 15Donatella and Gianni Versace in 1993
Donatella wore a similar version of the dress back in 1993.