Are you even turning 30 if you haven't considered theming your birthday party "thirty, flirty and fabulous" in homage to the cinematic masterpiece that is 13 Going on 30? And, given this year marks 20 years since the film's August 2004 release date, it's even more appropriate for 1994 babies to mark the occasion.
If you haven't watched the movie, here's a quick synopsis – sans spoilers – for you: the film tells the story of Jenna Rink, whose 13th birthday wish is to be 30. Fast forward to the next day and she wakes up in the body of her 30-year-old self (played by Jennifer Garner in what is still her stand-out role to date, IMO), her wish having come true.
Alongside its stellar plot and quote-worthy script, the costumes also deserve a shout-out. Particularly *that* iconic Versace dress worn by Jennifer during a party scene that sees her dance to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
So iconic is the dress, that Ariana Grande wore it for an episode of The Voice back in 2021 with the fashion house making the archival SS2003 look for her. And Christa B. Allen (who played 13-year-old Jenna in the movie) even recreated the scene on TikTok in a veryyy convincing look-alike dupe dress.
Members of the cast and crew sat down to chat with Cosmopolitan US in honour of the film's anniversary, including Costume Designer Susie DeSanto who revealed she has no idea what happened to the dress once the movie wrapped, saying, "We don’t even know where the dress is."
Jennifer Garner also joined the conversation, sharing, "I can’t believe this dress has taken on a whole life of its own. I did not keep one stitch of clothes from that movie. The dress went back to the warehouse and actually showed up on a background player in Sex and the City at some point. And then it just disappeared. Nobody knows where it is. Somebody has that dress."
However, in another interview with People, Susie shared she wasn't convinced that is what happened. "I have a theory about that. We were based in Los Angeles. There weren't many of those Versace dresses to begin with. It was a very limited run, so I think somebody found that dress in a consignment store in New York [for Sex and the City]. I don't think it was Jen's dress. Her dress went into a warehouse, and I sadly think it's in a landfill somewhere. Who knows where it is?"
"[The dress] doesn't even know how popular it became," she continued. "It's just gone."
Better make that thirty, flirty and not so thriving...
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