Donatella Versace has called Jennifer Lopez the “muse of a lifetime” after the release of her Netflix documentary Halftime.
JLo, 52, has been taking the world by storm and even won the Generation Award at this year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Fashion designer Donatella, 67, took to Instagram to celebrate her friend and Versace’s contribution to Jennifer’s career.
In 2000, Jennifer wore a green Versace silk chiffon dress to the 42nd Grammy Awards ceremony. The look was iconic.
Donatella Versace took to Instagram to celebrate Jennifer Lopez
Sharing a snap of Jennifer wearing the same dress in the 2019 Versace show in Milan, Donatella said: “@jlo, watching Halftime on Netflix has brought back so many special memories.”
“I am proud that Versace has been a part of your career since the very beginning. You are, and have always been, my inspiration as the Versace muse of a lifetime.”
Speaking about the iconic dress, Jennifer told Harper’s Bazaar: “The first time I wore it, I actually didn’t have another dress. Usually I have choices. It was a last-minute thing that caused a sensation that was unexpected. The second time was very planned-out.”
“[Donatella] wound up calling and said, ‘I want you to walk at the end, and I want you to come out in the dress.’ ‘The same dress?’ ‘The same dress. We’ll make a new one for you.'”
“The second time I wore it and walked out there, it was such an empowering thing. Twenty years had gone by, and I think for women, knowing you can put on a dress 20 years later—it resonated. It was like, ‘Yes, you know, life is not over at 20!’”
Jennifer Lopez revealed she almost quit Hollywood
In the Netflix documentary, the actress and singer also revealed that criticism about her body almost led her to leave Hollywood.
She said, “There were many times where I was just like, I think I’m just going to quit. I had to really figure out who I was. And believe in that and not believe in anything else.”
“When I started working, the beauty ideal was very thin, blonde, tall, not a lot of curves. I grew up around women with curves, so it was nothing I was ever ashamed of. It was hard when you think people think you’re a joke — like a punchline.”
“But it wound up affecting things in a way that I never intended.”
Jennifer’s fiancé Ben Affleck also spoke about how Jennifer was “expected” to receive the criticism.
He said, “I said to her once, ‘Doesn’t this bother you?’ And she said, ‘I’m Latina, I’m a woman, I expected this.'”