Thirty, flirting, thriving, and… "in a landfill somewhere".
There are a few fashion moments in pop culture history that are now emblazoned in our minds for all time — moments that are, in a word, iconic. Princess Diana’s black revenge dress. Marilyn Monroe’s wind-swept dress from The Seven Year Itch. Audrey Hepburn’s slinky black number from Breakfast At Tiffany’s. Sarah Jessica Parker’s Sex And The City-inspired naked dress. And, of course, Jennifer Garner’s flirty, fun Versace mini dress from 13 Going On 30.
We can all picture the dress in question instantly. It's a playful, youthful number, covered in garish colors with a cute little under-boob cutout. It goes well with butterfly jewelry and flips around perfectly when one dances to Michael Jackson's "Thriller". And it obviously requires a "pair of incredible boobs to fill it out".
Needless to say, since the film’s release 20 years ago today, this dress has become a crucial part of our shared pop culture lexicon. Ariana Grande even wore an imitation of the dress during an appearance on The Voice in 2021. However, we regret to inform you that a minor tragedy has taken place — apparently, this legendary dress is missing, possibly forever.
Speaking to PEOPLE in honor of the film’s anniversary, costume Susie DeSanto revealed that the original dress has vanished. According to her, the dress likely wound up in a costume warehouse before — gasp — heading to a landfill. Some fans believe that it was recycled and used on an extra in Sex and the City, however DeSanto isn’t so sure.
"I have a theory about that," she said. "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?"
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In another interview for the film’s 20th birthday, DeSanto explained that they had no idea that the dress would be such a hit. “I don’t think you can predict or say, ‘We are creating this big, cultural moment,’ which is the dress,” she said to Cosmopolitan. “I think that happens on its own. People discover it, and it has nothing to do with the Hollywood machine. It gets formed on TikTok. All of a sudden somebody on social media picks it up. It’s all within youth culture and what is appealing to them.”
Garner added, "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." Apparently, she does believe that it was the very same dress.
Whether the dress is in a landfill, in the closets at HBO, or hidden away in the back room of some vintage store in New York, we may never know the truth — and honestly, it's totally tragic.