This look had jaws on the floor.
Weeks after Prime Video’s “Off Campus” series debuted, a clip of star Mika Abdalla wearing a re-creation of Jennifer Lopez’s famous 2000 Grammys Versace jungle dress is still going viral (and even scoring shout-outs from the pop star herself).
But while the gravity-defying gown may have looked effortless on Abdalla’s character Allie, it took careful planning to keep it in place — and, as costume designer Charlene Akuamoah told us, plenty of fashion tape.
“Our go-to tape was Booby Tape,” she revealed, noting that she also “really loves” Nippies tape and nipple covers. (“They have an incredible array of skin tones, which is always so important to me,” she explained.)
Dubbed the “world’s first and original breast lift tape,” Booby Tape is designed for a supportive, push-up look sans bra. (For a perfectly clean cut every time, the brand even makes tiny tape scissors.)
Nippies also gets great reviews on Amazon — not to mention, several other stylists have name-dropped it as a kit essential over the years, too.
Akuamoah’s trusty tape work paid off; the plunging look stayed in place throughout the much-discussed scene, which sees Allie and Dean (Stephen Kalyn) dancing to J.Lo’s “On the Floor.”
“When I read the script and learned that they wanted Allie in that dress, I knew it needed to be perfect; it’s Versace!” she said. “My earliest years in my career were in fashion so I have a reverence for Donatella.”
And while Lopez’s original tropical print-look literally inspired the creation of Google Images, Akuamoah didn’t predict the viral response she’d get for her own take on the daring dress.
“From the very first fitting we all knew it was going to be a moment, but could not have imagined the level that it reached,” she told us.
“It’s so incredible and such a reminder that a good fashion piece will make you feel something no matter how many times it comes back.”
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This article was written by Hannah Southwick, Commerce Associate Editor for Page Six. Hannah spies deals on actually affordable celebrity-worn styles, puts celebrities’ brands to the test and finds the beauty products that keep stars red carpet-ready. She consults stylists and industry pros — including celebs themselves — for firsthand product recommendations, trend predictions and more. In addition to writing for Page Six since 2020, her work has been featured in USA Today and Parade.
