Jennifer Lopez's dress: This green Versace dress is the reason we have Google Images and she wants a check

When Jennifer Lopez stepped out in a plunging Versace gown at the Grammys back in 2000, she unwittingly played a role in launching one of the most powerful bits of software on the internet: Google Image search.

Former Google chairman Eric Schmidt revealed in 2015 that it was “the most popular search query” the platform had ever seen at the time and explained there was “no surefire way of getting users exactly what they wanted: J-Lo wearing that dress” - which prompted the fix. The dress has since gone into red carpet legend, though J-Lo has now revealed that her stylist was actually opposed to her wearing.

On her YouTube channel, J-Lo called the dress her “biggest fashion moment ever”. She explained, “I found out because of that night and because of that dress, Google Images was actually created... I’m just wondering where’s my check because I heard we crashed the system that night.”

Even though Lopez’s dress now has long legacy, J-Lo’s stylist was reportedly not a fan of the look. While some celebrities work with stylists and couturiers for months before a major awards ceremony to get the details right, J-Lo and her former stylist Andrea Lieberman had to cobble something together at the last minute as J-Lo had apparently forgotten the Grammys were happening.

Lopez revealed that at the time she was filming The Wedding Planner with Matthew McConaughey “out in the middle of nowhere” when her stylist called. She said, “My stylist comes and she’s like, ‘The Grammys are tomorrow.’”

“She’s like, ‘There’s nothing out there, you guys waiting too long. I’ve been trying to do a fitting with you for weeks.’ And we just didn’t have time,” Lopez explained.

Given Jennifer Lopez was presenting an award and also nominated that year for Best Dance Recording for 'Waiting for Tonight', nailing her outfit was a priority. Lopez explained that she generally has numerous dresses to choose from ahead of an event, but Lieberman was only able to source three or four looks on such short notice. One of them was a white dress which Lieberman had her heart set on. The other was the now-famous Versace jungle print dress.

According to Lopez, her stylist told her she should wear the white one. “She was opposed to me wearing the [Versace] dress because she was like, somebody’s worn it before. And it was like a no-no” Lopez said.

The dress was part of Versace’s Spring/Summer 2000 collection and Lieberman pointed out that the brand’s designer - Donatella Versace - had worn a sleeveless version of the dress to the Met Gala the year before. Spice Girl Geri Halliwell had also worn the piece prior to Lopez.

However, her manager and “trusted consigliere” Benny Madino insisted the Versace dress was the right choice and when they eventually settled on it, Lieberman was apparently “mortified”.

Despite Lieberman’s reservations, Lopez’s dress became a major talking point of the evening and she said there was a “kind of kinetic energy” at the photocall.

Lopez revealed she had no idea her dress would become such a phenomenon, when it even prompted a standing ovation when she stepped on stage to present an award with The X Files’ David Duchovny.

She said, “We walk out onstage, me totally unsuspecting... as I walk out, the wind hits [the dress]. It blows open slightly...everybody thinks my boobs are gonna pop out. And all of a sudden again, [there was] a slow murmur and then everybody starts clapping and we get like an ovation for standing there. And I just started standing there kind of stupidly with a smile on my face.”

Duchovny actually stopped to address the response mid-speech, saying, “Jennifer, this is the first time in five or six years that I am sure nobody is looking at me.”

Lopez revealed the dress is “still something people reference” and at one point, it even sat had a place of honour in the Grammy Museum’s collection. AnOther Mag reports that the dress is supposedly in Lopez’s possession now. Versace recreated the look last year, with the dress’ original model Amber Valletta returning to stomp the runway in a heart-print version.

Lopez is one of the most fashionable women in the business and this year is an exceptionally stylish one for her, as she was recently announced as the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s 2019 fashion icon and is part of the Met Gala’s esteemed guest list as a member of the benefit committee.

She said of the dress, “It just shows you the power of fashion and the power of those types of moment... One dress can change the trajectory of how people dress for the next ten years. It’s a crazy impact that fashion can have and those fashion statements can have in solidifying a personality, a moment, a style, a movement.”

Lopez dedicated her video to Versace designer Luigi Massi, who sadly recently passed away and was set to create her upcoming Met Gala gown. In an emotional send-off message, Lopez said she had worked with him over twenty years. “You made me feel so beautiful so many times, so perfect, everything” she said.