Did You Know? The "Freakier Friday" Costume Designer Had to Hunt Down the Iconic "Freaky Friday" Dress on eBay

Two decades after its first big-screen body swap, Freaky Friday has returned with even more chaos—and a surprise fashion encore. 

The sequel, Freakier Friday, once again pairs Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, this time adding a new generation to the switcheroo. And in between all the mistaken identities and heartfelt moments, the film slips in a sartorial throwback: the same Diane von Furstenberg style Jamie Lee wore in the 2003 classic, sourced from the original Fall/Winter 2002 ready-to-wear collection.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Freakier Friday costume designer Natalie O’Brien went on a “treasure hunt” to bring the dress back, tracking down a secondhand piece online. “There are not many left out in the world. The one we used we found on eBay, and it was about six sizes too small, so we did a hodgepodge of additional panels to make sure it fit. I’m so glad to say it really felt like the original,” Natalie said.

In the 2003 film, the rainbow-hued gown from Diane von Furstenberg's Fall/Winter 2002 collection appeared in a pivotal makeover scene, where Anna Coleman, living in her mom’s body, gives Tess a sharp new haircut, a piercing, and a bold wardrobe update. 

As Teen Vogue notes, the Dionise silk dress was a staple of that era, pairing vibrant colors with DVF’s signature mix of elegance and ease. On the runway, the collection debuted during New York Fashion Week with a theme of “Crosstown Traffic,” fusing uptown polish with downtown edge.

The Freakier Friday cameo wasn’t in the script. Natalie told EW it was something she, producer Kristin Burr, and director Nisha Ganatra “knew we wanted to make happen.” The payoff was worth it. “My favorite part was seeing Jamie Lee’s reaction when she saw [Bess] come out in it,” she recalled, referencing Chad Michael Murray’s character Jake bringing a date in the dress to Anna’s wedding. It’s a small detail, but impossible to miss for anyone who’s carried that image of Tess Coleman in silk paisley for the last 22 years.

Freakier Friday is now playing in theaters.