LIZ Hurley made headlines when she arrived at a film premiere in the now infamous £3,000 Versace safety pin dress.
It was 1994 and she wore the daring cut-out dress to the premiere of Four Weddings And A Funeral with then-boyfriend Hugh Grant.
Liz Hurley wore the Giani Versace dress to the premiere of ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral’ held in Leicester Square on May 11, 1994[/caption]
Jackie Travers, from Berkhamstead, Herts, immediately snapped up a copy – and she’s still proudly wearing it[/caption]
Liz was relatively unknown at the time but the risque dress, with a plunging neckline, put her on the map.
Department stores soon caught on, selling cheaper copies of the daring outfit – and Jackie Travers couldn’t wait to snap one up.
“As soon as I saw the photos of Liz Hurley in the newspaper I knew I had to have that dress,” recalls Jackie, now 71.
“I went straight out and bought one. I found a copy in House of Fraser. It was much cheaper than Liz’s costing around £200, but it had the same revealing neckline and was held together at the side by gold safety pins.”
Jackie was 39 at the time and the first time she wore the dress was to her 40th birthday party.
“It was a real head turner,” she says. “Everyone looked at me when I entered the room and I liked the attention. Even then, I had a good figure. Why not show it off? It was an eye-boggling dress.
“All my friends loved it and said I looked stunning. I’d always been quite daring.”
Jackie is a former dancer who still teaches dance at a Champneys resort in Hertfordshire.
She initially wore the dress to birthday parties, dinner parties – any chance she got. But even now she is in her 70s, it still comes out of the wardrobe a couple of times a year.
“Some people might say I’m too old, but who cares what they think?” Jackie says.
“Dancing keeps me fit and healthy and I think I still look good in it.
It’s hard to imagine now, but the outfit put the then-unknown actress on the map[/caption]
“Most people wouldn’t fit in clothes they’ve had 30 years, but I look after myself. I’m active. I haven’t put on any weight.
“I recently wore it to an Oscars night at a friends’ house and I wore it to a friends’ 70th birthday last year – it still turns heads.
“The neckline is quite revealing but I’ve always had good boobs. You don’t need a bra with it as it has cups inside for support.”
Jackie, who is divorced with two grown-up children and a two-year-old grandson, says she will never dress like a typical granny.
“I’ve never had any negative comments, I don’t think anyone would dare to tell me to dress appropriately for my age,” she says. “If you look good, you should wear what you want. Why shouldn’t you wear something sexy just because you are more mature. 70 is the new 50.
“I’m not going to give in to boring old clothes and short hair. I hate beige and I hate cardigans. I’m 71 and I think I look great, so I’m going to flaunt it.”
Pictured with her daughter in another colourful ensemble[/caption]
Jackie has always been a follower of fashion and still loves following the style of Liz Hurley, now 60, as well as Victoria Beckham, 51.
She often shops at Zara, buying trendy jackets and cowboy boots.
“I don’t do frumpy or floral, calf-length dresses,” she says. “I love a white shirt too and I think a well-fitting jacket always finishes an outfit well.
“The dress will always be a favourite of mine. I even wore it when I met Pierce Brosnan on a film set! It makes me feel super sexy and attractive and I’ll continue to wear it until I die.”
Jackie on holiday in another daring dress[/caption]