Many of us couldn’t pinpoint the location of the clothes we wore two days ago, let alone two decades prior. Still, this news comes with great sorrow.
The iconic minidress worn by Jennifer Garner in 13 Going On 30, during the scene where she coaxes a reticent crowd to join her in the ‘Thriller’ dance to save her magazine’s party, may be gone forever.
Part of Versace‘s Spring/Summer 2003 collection, the multi-coloured dress featured a bright green bust with blue straps, cut-out detailing, and a striped sheer skirt. According to the film’s costume designer, Susie DeSanto, the dress was produced in a limited batch and wound up in a warehouse after the film wrapped up production. Eventually, it was presumably tossed.
In an interview with People magazine to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the romcom, DeSanto lamented that it was likely unclaimed and thrown out.
“I sadly think it’s in a landfill somewhere,” she told the outlet, revealing that neither she nor Garner claimed the outfit. When asked why, she said she didn’t quite know but wasn’t hopeful that the original was given away, as it would likely have reemerged by now.
Luckily, there are plenty of dupes around of the dress, as it’s a favourite costume for fans of the film. In fact, Christa B. Allen, who portrayed Garner’s younger self, recreated the look for her 2020 Halloween costume (see footage here).
The following year, Ariana Grande, who paid homage to Suddenly 30 in her ‘Thank U, Next’ video clip, even had Donatella Versace herself gift set aside the dress for her appearance on The Voice.
Garner told People afterwards that she reached out to Grande about her tribute.
“I was actually DM’ing with Ms. Grande,” Garner said. “What a dear sweet person, she is. A beauty. She looks so beautiful in the dress.”
Relive the iconic scene below.
