The inspiration behind J-Lo's Schiaparelli butterfly gown at the Met Gala 2024

Jennifer Lopez is no stranger to a dramatic red carpet moment and 2024's Met Gala saw the star dazzle in an intricate butterfly-themed gown that took over 800 hours to craft.

The actor and singer wore a striking custom Schiaparelli haute couture dress on the Met Gala red carpet, dreamed up by American designer Daniel Roseberry.

As co-chair of the event, it's no surprise that J-Lo nailed the Met Gala dress code, which was based on The Garden of Time, a short story by British writer J.G Ballard. Along with the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion theme, this year's organisers encouraged guests to think about fleeting beauty and all things ephemeral—an idea perfectly encapsulated by the butterfly motif.

"The inspiration for this look was a butterfly transforming into something beautiful,” celebrity hairstylist Lorenzo Martin told Vogue. "Just like a butterfly, we wanted the hair to be angelic, fresh, and beautiful."

Jen kept her hair and make-up classic and neutral to let her eye-catching gown shine, with glowing skin, nude lips and a slightly undone bun with texture around the hairline.

To say J-Lo's dress is intricate is an understatement. It took over 2.5 million silver foil bugle beads to craft the designer gown, which equates to 800 hours of hand embroidery work, according to reporting from Glamour.

Jen's makeup artist Scott Barnes explained further how J-Lo's glam squad embraced the butterfly theme, writing in an Instagram post with a collection of videos of the star: "The butterfly is a perfect articulation of a sleeping beauty. Something that goes to sleep and wakes up beautiful also still lives in a garden without being a flower.

"The butterfly and [the] idea of metamorphosis has been part of Schiaparelli’s DNA since the beginning. Much more than flowers, the butterfly symbolizes metamorphosis. Transformation. Something that was asleep that wakes up beautiful, powerful, and new."

Jen was asked before the night of the gala whether she'll be able to walk in the look during an appearance on Good Morning America (via PEOPLE), to which the singer and actor responded: "Barely, ever. The Met Gala looks are not about comfort," before adding, "But it’s exciting, it’s exciting. It’s a fun night for fashion."

She then continued: "It’s such an interesting mix of artists and business people. It’s not just music or film, it’s everybody—fashion, film, music, business—and you get to have some really interesting interactions."