Controversial star Sydney Sweeney channeled pop star Britney Spears while celebrating her 28th birthday with a space-themed party this month – and according to an expert stylist, it was meant to ‘spark conversation’ and ‘demand attention.’

Sweeney, who turned 28 on September 12, recently shared pictures on her Instagram from the star-studded, lavish bash, which included guests like Lauren Sanchez, Glen Powell and Wiz Khalifa.

And, while Britney Spears was seemingly not in attendance, Sweeney showed up to the party wearing the same iconic silver-star dress that the singer wore in promotional images made for her 2008 album, Circus.

The dress, which was part of The Blonds’ Spring/Summer 2009 collection, features intricate silver chain detailing, and is covered in sculpted silver stars in all different sizes placed throughout the garment.

The iconic piece also includes silver sparkles and grommets, a cinched waist, and detailed bust.

The Euphoria star topped off the look with a pair of sky-high silver wrap heels with the same star detailing by designer Rene Caovilla, tying it all together with a small, silver rhinestone-encrusted, square-shaped purse.

She wore her blonde hair in loose waves, and matched the theme with metallic silver eyeshadow and glowing makeup.

On Instagram, Sweeney even rocked the exact same pose that Spears made on her album cover – sitting on the ground with her knees spread apart and her legs to the side.

And, according to Lisa Springsteel Duprewho has 19 years of experience in the fashion industry in New York City under her belt, Sweeney most likely wore the dress to stir up some conversation.

‘Let’s get right to it. Reclaiming an iconic look like Britney’s is bound to stir controversy, and that’s likely the point,’ Dupre, who is the founder and CEO of Launch Your Collection, told Daily Mail exclusively.

‘Sydney’s look sparks conversation, generates headlines, and positions her within a lineage of pop royalty,’ Dupre continued.

‘Wearing something originally created and worn by Britney Spears invites comparison, but also demands attention.’

Dupre labeled the decision as a ‘brilliant move’ by Sweeney.

‘Sydney didn’t just wear a dress, she strategically tapped into a legacy,’ Dupre shared.

‘That metallic star-studded mini dress is pure pop culture gold, and Britney made it iconic during her Circus era,’ she explained.

‘By reintroducing it for her birthday, Sydney paid homage while making it her own. It’s a reminder that fashion isn’t just about trends, it’s about storytelling. And Sydney told a story that’s bound to spark conversation,’ the author of Becoming a Fashion Designer added.

After all, when Spears first wore the dress in 2008, it helped mark her ‘comeback,’ the expert shared, as it was her first album made after her public struggles with mental health.

‘Sydney didn’t just recycle a dress, she resurrected a moment already embedded in people’s minds,’ Dupre said.

‘It was almost as if she was saying that she knows her icons, and she is standing among them.’

Sweeney’s re-waring of Spears’ dress comes a few years after designer Bob Mackie slammed Kim Kardashian for modeling Marilyn Monroe’s famous nude gown at the Met Gala in 2022.

The famed designer, 83, had sketched the original design early on in his career while working as an assistant to fashion legend Jean Louis, who created the gown for Monroe to wear to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

Mackie was among the critics who condemned the controversial decision to allow Kardashian to wear the 60-year-old gown on the red carpet. She was accused of ripping the garment after wearing it.

‘When I heard that she was going to wear it, I thought, ‘Oh, nobody should be wearing that dress,” he told Town & Country a few months after the fact. ‘It should be in a museum.’

Kardashian had been loaned the gown by officials at Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, a decision that Mackie also disproved of.

‘(Marilyn) was a goddess. A crazy goddess, but a goddess. She was just fabulous,’ he told Entertainment Weekly.

‘Nobody photographs like that. And it was done for her. It was designed for her. Nobody else should be seen in that dress.’

In the past few months, Sweeney herself has been caught up in a sea of controversies.

Over the summer, she made headlines for her American Eagle Denim Campaign.

The A-list actress is the face of the label’s autumn advertising rollout, which has the tagline, ‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.’

Sweeney is seen buttoning up her jeans as she muses in a video: ‘Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color… my genes are blue’.

A second advert sees the camera pan down Sweeney’s chest as she models a plunging denim jumpsuit.

She muses: ‘My body’s composition is determined by my genes…’ before exclaiming: ‘Hey, eyes up here’ as the camera cuts back to her face.

The advertisement has divided fans, however, with one critic calling the clip ‘one of the loudest and most obvious racialized dog whistles we’ve seen and heard in a while.’

The phrase ‘great genes’ is ‘historically used to celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness,’ which it said made ‘this campaign seem to be a tone-deaf marketing move,’ a Salon report on the backlash read.

She was also in hot water after she released a limited-edition batch of bar soaps with men’s grooming brand Dr. Squatch that contained her actual bathwater in them in May.

The product outraged some fans. Some called it ‘creepy,’ while others were just plain confused – although the product sold out in seconds.

And, most recently, she seemed to confirm her romance with record executive Scooter Braun, as another source told Daily Mail exclusively that the pair are very serious.

Of course, Braun was famously in a feud with Taylor Swift after he bought her music catalogue in 2019 for $300 million.

‘I don’t want to say the L word, but it feels like the L word. They seem very much in love, or at least incredibly in lust,’ the source told Daily Mail about the rumored couple.

‘The attraction is she is hot as can be and he is an old soul who is helping her guide her way through sudden fame and her exploding career. He gives great advice. They have what each other wants.’