The Union Jack dress was an item of clothing worn by singer Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls at the 1997 BRIT Awards. The mini dress featured a flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, on the front, and a white peace symbol emblazoned on the black-coloured back of the dress. The next day the images of the dress made the front page of various newspapers around the world, and is now remembered as one of the most iconic pop moments of the 1990s and Brit Awards history. The dress has become synonymous with the Spice Girls, Halliwell and the notions of Girl Power and Cool Britannia.
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According to The Daily Telegraph, the dress came top in an online poll to find the 10 most iconic dresses of the last 50 years, beating other memorable garments such as Marilyn Monroe's white 'Seven Year Itch' halterneck and the wedding dress of Princess Diana.
In 2010, the performance in the Union Jack dress won Most Memorable Performance of 30 Years at the Brit Awards. The dress holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive piece of popstar clothing dealt at auction.
Creation
At the 1997 BRIT Awards the Spice Girls were scheduled to perform, as well as being nominated for five awards, two of which they won. The black Gucci mini dress which Halliwell was given to perform in concerned her, as she thought it was too "boring". Then Halliwell decided she wanted to "celebrate being British", so she asked her sister to stitch on a Union Jack tea towel to the front as a patriotic gesture. After Karen, her sister, had sewn on the tea towel, Geri decided to wear it whilst performing "Who Do You Think You Are" (with excerpts of "Wannabe" in) at the BRIT Awards on 24 February 1997.
Sale
In 1998, a year after Halliwell performed in the dress, she auctioned it off at the London branch of Sotheby's for £41,320. The buyer was Peter Morton, on behalf of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, who displayed the piece of clothing as pop memorabilia. Morton bid via telephone, and beat other bidders such as The Sun. Halliwell herself watched the "frenzied bid", as it was described by MTV, and rapped the gavel after the final bid. The dress was originally valued at £12,000, but eventually it netted £36,200 (which, with the 15% commission, totalled it to £41,320). Halliwell gave the proceeds of the dress sale to a children's cancer care charity. The BBC commented on the sale, saying it "marks the end of Geri's links with the Girl Power image of the past". It holds the Guinness World Record for the most expensive piece of popstar clothing dealt at auction.
2007 remake
For the 2007 Spice Girls reunion tour, named the Return of the Spice Girls, fashion designer Roberto Cavalli designed Halliwell a new Union Jack dress modelled on the original. The new version appeared slightly longer and the flag was made out of rhinestones and Swarovski crystals. It was reported by various media outlets that Halliwell had attempted to buy back the original dress prior to the commencement of their world tour.
Halliwell stated that ahead of the O2 Arena dates that "we are a British band and seriously proud to fly the flag. Walking out in the Union Jack dress will be special." Halliwell stated in a later interview that she "liked" the new dress and that she had decided to keep it as memorabilia.
2012 clothing range
In 2012 Halliwell designed a clothing range based upon the dress.