If you were around during 1997 you might remember the era of cool Brittania, the UK was filled with giddy optimism, Labour kicked out the Tories with a landslide victory, people almost thought Tony Blair was cool and a Geri Halliwell solidified her position as a popstar of the moment with a union jack dress. But did you know that she was originally given a completely plain black Gucci minidress to wear before she decided to jazz it up by getting her sister to stitch on a £5 union jack teatowel? With one final touch of customisation she sprayed her boots with her dad’s car spray to match. The next day images of the dress were across the front pages of various newspapers around the world, making 1990s Brit Awards history.
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00:00Who couldn't remember 1997?
00:02Labour replaced the Tories with a landslide victory.
00:04Sound familiar?
00:05The UK was also filled with giddy optimism
00:08and the world saw a dress that personified cool Britannia.
00:11It started out as a black Gucci mini dress
00:13that Geri Halliwell was given to perform in
00:15alongside her fellow Spice Girls for the Brit Awards.
00:18Recently she told Vogue it looked like a 1950s
00:20Marilyn-shaped swimming costume.
00:22Many of us would love a Gucci little black dress
00:25but Geri thought it needed jazzing up
00:26so she asked her sister Natalie
00:28to stitch a £5 Union Jack tea towel onto its front.
00:31When Geri showed her customisation to her stylist
00:34she allegedly responded
00:35you can't wear that, it's racist
00:37likening the patriotic gesture
00:39to the aesthetic of the National Front.
00:41Geri still went ahead with the look
00:43but aiming to distinguish herself
00:44from this problematic political group
00:46she added a peace sign on the back.
00:48With one final touch
00:49she sprayed her boots with her dad's car spray to match.
00:52The next day images of the dress
00:53were across the front pages
00:54of various newspapers around the world.
00:56At the 2010 Brit Awards
00:58the Spice Girls performance that featured the Union Jack dress
01:00won most memorable performance in 30 years.
01:03The dress also holds the Guinness World Record
01:05for the most expensive piece of pop star clothing
01:08sold at an auction.
01:09It was originally valued at £12,000
01:11but the winning bid was £41,300
01:15from Peter Morton co-founder of the Hard Rock Cafe.
01:18Mel B said the Union Jack moment
01:20was what made her realise
01:21just how good Halliwell was at dealing with the media.
01:23She had a real sense of what would catch on in the press
01:26but she never really shared that cleverness
01:28with the rest of us.
01:29Since then no one has made a Union Jack
01:31look as cool as Geri did.
01:32Fergie had a go with a pair of hot pants in 2006
01:35but otherwise few things said we loved the UK
01:38as much as an American fetishising us.
01:40This summer maybe things can only get better?
01:42Union Jacks are trying to make a comeback
01:44albeit ironically
01:46but for a true revival
01:47we would need some serious girl power.