Christa Belle Reimagines ’13 Going on 30’ Dress for Film’s 20th Anniversary
Christa Belle rang in 13 Going on 30’s crystal anniversary by giving the film’s memorable Versace mini dress a sparkly upgrade.
In honor of the movie premiering 20 years ago, Belle — who portrayed a younger version of Jennifer Garner’s Jenna Rink in the 2004 film — reimagined the minidress from the “Thriller” dance scene.
The original dress, which came from Versace spring/summer 2003 collection, featured a rainbow-striped colorway with a fitted bodice, finished with a cutout under the bust. Belle’s version saw the frock transformed into a gown with the skirt covered in rhinestones.
“20 years ago today, ’13 Going on 30’ premiered in theaters and has been delighting audiences for 2 decades now. Can you believe it?!” Belle wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, April 23. “Oh how the time flies. Thank you to everyone who took part in creating this sweet film, and everyone who has enjoyed it and Jenner Rink ever since.”
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She continued, “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. 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.”
“A huge thank you to Laura, my incredible co-designer at @tfittingagency who brought this vision to life!!” Belle added.
Belle showed off the number in a video as Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” played in the background.
She wore her hair in a bouncy high ponytail and accessorized with a butterfly necklace — just like Garner, now 52, did in the film.
Belle exclusively reflected on the movie to Us Weekly, sharing there wasn’t a “single part” of playing Jenna she didn’t love — despite her first real-life kiss happening on screen with Sean Marquette, who played a younger Matty (Mark Ruffalo).
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“From the kindness and integrity of all of the cast and crew to the sweet story, to the Thriller dance and incredible music and clothing, to my first time eating steak and lobster on a movie set,” she told Us, adding, “It was ALL formative and positive!”
Directed by Gary Winick, the romantic comedy originally hit theaters on April 23, 2004. The film followed Jenna Rink (Belle), an unpopular 13-year-old girl tired of the social strictures of junior high and her inability to find a boyfriend. When she wakes up one day as her 30-year-old self (Garner), a fabulous fashion editor working at the iconic Poise magazine, she quickly realizes adulthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and enlists the help of her childhood best friend, Matt (Ruffalo) to help set things right.
