The actress, who played the teenage version of Jenna Rink, celebrated the film’s 20th anniversary in a special way
Christa Belle is celebrating the 13 Going on 30 anniversary by reimagining the film’s legendary Versace dress!
The actress, 32, played a younger version of the 2004 rom-com’s lead character, Jenna Rink. Her adult counterpart was portrayed by Jennifer Garner. As the film turns 20, Belle is making sure the celebration is memorable.
On Tuesday, April 23, she posted a video of her modeling the 2024 version of the “iconic” Versace dress her character wears in the movie.
The clip was set to Whitney Houston’s 1987 hit, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me).”
Belle wore her hair in a voluminous ponytail and styled her look with a rhinestone butterfly necklace — just like the one from the film.
The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past actress added silver heels and a multicolor green handbag.
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“Oh how the time flies,” she wrote in part in the caption. “To celebrate this momentous day and share in our collective love for the film, Jenna Rink and her wardrobe, I reimagined the iconic dress as a gown with chainmail and rhinestones.”
She also shared her vision for the gown and detailed the hard work that went into making sure that everything was just right for the special occasion.
“I wanted to cover the entire dress in rhinestones but this already took so many hours as they’re each individually placed by hand… it will take hundreds of hours to complete the way I envisioned it.”
Belle concluded by thanking her “incredible” co-designer Laura at The Fitting Agency.
The new dress’ debut may be a good thing because according to the film’s costume designer, Susie DeSanto, the original Versace dress is forever lost.
When PEOPLE spoke exclusively with DeSanto for the 13 Going on 30 20th anniversary on Tuesday, April 23, the Hollywood stylist said neither she nor Garner held on to the dress following the film, and she isn’t quite sure why. She explained that costume pieces are often put into warehouses where they’re reused. However, this dress seemingly vanished somewhere along the way.
DeSanto never imagined the piece would still be talked about today.
“The dress really wasn’t premeditated,” she told PEOPLE.
The inspiration for the piece came down to it being fun enough for a teen, but something a 30-year-old successful magazine editor could afford.
DeSanto also credited the dress’ iconic status to Garner.
“I think anybody else in that role, it would’ve just been a cute movie, but I think right then she was the exact right person with right energy and ability to tap into her youthfulness,” she continued.
In a separate interview to celebrate the anniversary, Belle told PEOPLE what she loved most about the film.
“13 Going on 30, in my view, will forever live on as both a rom-com classic and a cinematic love letter to the power of manifestation,” she said, adding, “The flash mob ‘Thriller’ dance scene will forever be my favorite.”
Source People.com
