LIL' KIM has revealed her iconic 1999 MTV VMAs outfit was inspired by Missy Elliott.

The 46-year-old rapper put on an eye-popping display in a bold lavender jumpsuit that was cut off below her breast on one side with a sequinned seashell nipple cover keeping her modesty intact.

And now, Kim has shared how the ensemble was inspired by a joke the 'Work It’ hitmaker, 49, made about her always revealing her nipples in public.

She told People: "My nipples used to pop out so much on their own. They said something in a movie and made it look like it was planned — it was never planned. The girls used to laugh at me and Missy said, 'Girl, your nipples pop out so much. One day, you need to just come outside with one nipple out.

"We were laughing, but Misa's [Hylton] lightbulb went off and she just went from there. How the whole lavender wig came out was funny."

The hairstylist had accidentally "oversaturated” the colourant and the blonde wig came out lavender.

She continued: "She was so stressed because we were literally 45 or 30 minutes away from showtime. She was like, 'Misa, oh my God. I have to redo the hair, the whole wig is lavender.' Misa was like, 'Did you say lavender? Kim's outfit is lavender. 'It's perfect!' And I'm always with the s***. I was like, 'Let's do it! Put it on me.' I'm always excited to see what I'll look like in different colors."

Meanwhile, the 'Lighters Up' hitmaker recently collaborated on a new fashion line with PrettyLittleThing to bring her favourite pieces to her fans.

She said: "It's something I was working on for a long time, so I'm very proud. Y'all are gonna be like, 'Oh my gosh, that's Lil' Kim for real.'"