Elizabeth Hurley recalls Hugh Grant’s response to the safety pin dress

A lot has been said about Elizabeth Hurleythe iconic Versace dress that outshone the boyfriend at the time Hugh Grant at home Four weddings and a funeral premiered in 1994.

Grant, 64, had an initial reaction that said it all, as Hurley, 59, revealed on the Dec. 11 episode “Earner with a kit” podcast. “When he first saw me in it, he just said ‘Christ.’

And can you blame him? The risqué design, with a plunging neckline and cutouts held together with gold Medusa safety pins, was nothing short of daring, even by red carpet standards.

As Donatella Versace explained that InStyle 2019: “That’s when we started to understand the power of the red carpet and celebrities to create talking points.” Versace, 69, continued: “No one could have imagined such an amazing reaction, or that Liz would steal the spotlight.

Related: Elizabeth Hurley’s iconic safety pin dress was her first couture experience

There are some style moments that will make us swoon forever — one of them being the iconic Versace safety pin dress. The now 58-year-old actress made fashion history when she wore a daring outfit to the 1994 premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral with then-boyfriend Hugh Grant. The catchy number featured (…)

Not that Hurley’s meeting bothered him. Just look back at the shots (lots of red carpet) and you’ll spot a tousled-haired Grant smiling coyly next to her, unable to believe his luck. (The couple dated from 1987 to 2000 and have remained close since their split; the actor is also godfather to Hurley’s 22-year-old son Damian, with whom he shares Steve Bing.)

To Grant’s credit, he was the one who called in “the favor” after numerous fashion houses turned down his request to borrow her dress for the premiere because they didn’t know who she was. (At the time, Hurley was a model and, except for a few small roles, was unknown in Hollywood.)

“Gianni made this dress for a woman who is confident in herself and who is not afraid to break the rules,” said Donatella Harper’s Bazaar her late brother in 2023. “Liz embodied all of this in an extraordinary way.”

Perhaps just as unusual is that, according to Hurley, the 1994 premiere has become something of an (unofficial) anniversary that is recognized and seemingly celebrated every year.

“People call me and say ‘Happy Birthday’ to that dress. So yes, that dress has birthdays.” Until next year.