The Real Meaning Of Dua Lipa's Attention-Grabbing Dress At The Grammys

Dua Lipa won big at the 2021 Grammys, but that's nothing new for her. After a breakout in 2019, she took home the coveted Best New Artist award in 2020. She outdid herself in 2021 with an impressive six nominations. Lipa, who's still relatively new to the biz, felt humbled by all the attention. "[Being nominated is] such an honor and a privilege, and I feel so, so lucky for an album that means so much to me, an album that I'm so proud of," she said before the 2021 awards, per Just Jared. "An album that's helped me grow in so many ways, to be recognized for it by my peers means the world, so I'm very grateful."

Lipa had a lot to be thankful for, it turns out. That night she took home one of the biggest awards of the night, Best Pop Vocal Album, for Future Nostalgia, which beat Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, and Harry Styles, and more, per Pitchfork.

Aside from the impressive win, Lipa also gave an award-worthy performance of her hits "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now." The performance included a whopping three costume changes that had everyone discussing everything from Lipa's outfits to her bruised legs.

What really got people talking, though, was Lipa's red carpet dress, which actually has a special significance to the singer.

Dua Lipa stunned at the 2021 Grammys in a gorgeous Versace dress. She complimented the sparkling silhouette with Bvlgari jewelry, per Just Jared. The crystals that adorned the dress were used to create butterflies whose antenna became the sparkly dress straps. The rest of the dress (except for the bodice) was completely sheer and had a long slit up one side. Lipa made the outfit a bit more modest by adding a bikini style lining to the inside of the dress.

Lipa is a well-documented fan of Versace and has worn the designer on the red carpet more than a few times. "I love [the dress]," Lipa told People that night. "I feel ... like a princess in it, so yeah, I'm thrilled."

The red carpet is littered with pretty Versace creations (looking at you, J Lo), but Lipa's is special. Rather than just a pretty, sparkly dress, Lipa wanted her gown to mean something. "Butterflies have had like a lot of symbolism for me this year," she told Entertainment Tonight, likely referring to how her career and influence blossomed in 2020. "It's actually got a lot of symbolism for Versace too," she added. "So it was really cool to get to come together and make something cute.