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Britney Spears made history when she and Justin Timberlake appeared at the 2001 AMAs in matching denim-on-denim ensembles that would become one of the most referenced red carpet looks of that era. You know which one. The look has been recreated and reimagined by dozens of celebrities (perhaps most famously Katy Perry and Riff Raff at the 2014 VMAs) and fans (often as a Halloween costume), but at the time it was considered a fashion fail. Dressed in a strapless patchwork dress by fashion duo Kurt and Bart, Spears accessorized her outfit with a rhinestone choker, a denim bag, and a silver belt. Meanwhile, Timberlake rocked a custom Steven Gerstein denim suit, complete with matching hat, boots, and sunglasses.
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In honor of the fashion moment, Gerstein spoke with Jezebelremembering how the looks came together almost two decades after the so-called “prince and princess of pop” caused a sensation on the AMAs red carpet. “We were in New Orleans when Britney and Justin were like, ‘We’re doing matching denim.’ And I was like, ‘How are you doing that? Who’s doing that?'” the designer said. But it was already decided: They decided to take a suit that Timberlake had worn on the cover of NSYNC’s “Celebrity” album and turn it into a Canadian tuxedo.
They never thought that matching looks would end up becoming a pop culture moment. “They were just two kids, who wanted to do something cool and were super cute, matching,” Gerstein told the outlet. “It was kind of like his graduation party.” He added: They had an idea and we did what they wanted and not the other way around. …The rest is history.”
Britney Spears admits her 2001 AMAs look was “in bad taste”
Twenty-two years after her infamous double-denim ensemble, Britney Spears revisited the fashion moment in her tell-all memoir. “The woman in me” while remembering about her relationship with Justin Timberlake. She recalled pitching the idea to her stylist and Timberlake after learning she intended to wear an all-denim look at the 2001 AMAs. But she was mostly joking. “I didn’t think my stylist was actually going to do it, and I never thought Justin was going to do it with me,” Spears wrote (via People). To his surprise, however, “They both tried their best.” At the moment, She and Timberlake had been dating for over two years and we actively attended events together. “We often color coordinated our outfits,” Spears recalled. “But with the matching denim, we made it pop.”
Looking back, the ’90s icon admitted that the denim outfits were cheesy and over the top, but overall, she doesn’t care. Spears said seeing how the look is recreated and parodied never fails to make her smile. He also agreed with Timberlake’s comment that those are the kind of decisions you make when you’re madly in love. (They finally separated in 2002.just a year after this red carpet appearance.) “And that’s exactly right,” Spears repeated. “We were giddy and those outfits reflected it.”
As for Timberlake, he thinks the combination looks horrible and would gladly erase it from his memory if he had the chance. She mentioned the outfits in a Playboy interview while lamenting some of her fashion choices. “Yeah, (that was) a bad choice,” he said of the look. “God, I feel like I went to therapy just to delete some of them (…) I would probably pay good money to get some of those photos off the Internet,” he added (via GQ).
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