LONDON - Oscar-winning American star Jennifer Lawrence's black dress at the Red Sparrow movie promo, which has courted controversy, is very similar to the headline-grabbing gown British actress Elizabeth Hurley wore in 1994.

British news portal Daily Mail noted how Lawrence's figure-hugging dress has "a near-identical shape" to the famous gown Hurley wore to a Los Angeles party 24 years ago. Both dresses are by Versace and feature deep-plunging neckline, studded halterneck detail and a thigh-high slit.

Lawrence's version of the dress lacked one defining detail in Hurley's gown though - the oversized gold safety pins that held it together. Hurley's dress was designed by famous Italian designer Gianni Versace, who died in 1997.

Elle UK noted that Donatella, Versace's sister, re-introduced many of his iconic prints and shapes in last season's collection last year (2017). Lawrence's dress is a pre-fall 2018 iteration of the 1994 gown, and also includes gold hardwear on the straps and the high split.

Daily Mail noted that Lawrence was not the first to "borrow" the dress. Pop singer Lady Gaga wore the gown in a 2012 meeting with Donatella.

Lawrence has hit back at the controversy generated by her dress. Many commentators had focused on the fact that she wore the revealing dress in cold weather while her fellow male actors, including Jeremy Irons, were bundled up in winter wear.

In a Facebook post, she wrote that she was "extremely offended" and that the outcry against her dress was "utterly ridiculous".

"Everything you see me wear is my choice," she wrote. "And if I want to be cold THATS MY CHOICE TOO!".