Catherine Zeta-Jones Just Wore a Dress Jessica Simpson Once Made Famous—and Simpson Loves It

Side-by-side of Jessica Simpson and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the same purple Ungaro dress

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 16 August 2023

We love to see women supporting women, and Jessica Simpson did just that on Instagram on Sunday, sharing her appreciation and admiration for Catherine Zeta-Jones, who wore the same purple maxi dress on vacation that Simpson once wore on the red carpet.

“Sexy never goes out of style,” Simpson captioned her Instagram story alongside a white heart emoji.

Simpson wore the purple Ungaro maxi dress in December 2005 at the VH1 Big in ’05 Awards; per People, and our pop culture memory of the moment, this look was dubbed Simpson’s “revenge dress” look, as she wore it just weeks after announcing her divorce from Nick Lachey, her then-husband of three years. The dress “features a plunging halter neckline, a sequined bodice, and a cheetah-print band at the waist,” the outlet reports. Simpson accessorized the outfit with large, silver hoop earrings and black peep toe heels—very 2005, indeed.

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Zeta-Jones wore the dress while vacationing with husband Michael Douglas at the Taverna del Marinaio in Portofino, Italy a couple of weeks ago. She paired the look with sunglasses and espadrilles while walking hand-in-hand with her husband of 23 years. Alluding to her Italian getaway, just a couple of days before the photos of her in the Ungaro dress were taken, Zeta-Jones took to Instagram and posted a selfie in a one-piece swimsuit with the caption, simply, “Ciao.”

Catherine Zeta-Jones in Ungaro in Portofino

As to her appearance in Ungaro, People writes that “Zeta-Jones had no intention of revenge when she donned the dress in Italy,” alluding to the “revenge dress” moniker that accompanied Simpson’s appearance in it, “but, as always, had style in mind.”

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.