‘The Notebook’ Costume Designer on Kobe Bryant Buying That Blue Dress for Vanessa

Kobe Bryant was definitely a romantic, even buying wife Vanessa the famous blue dress from “The Notebook” for Valentine’s Day.

Vanessa opened up about the romantic gift at his memorial service on Monday, explaining, “He gifted me the actual notebook and the blue dress Rachel McAdams wore in ‘The Notebook’ movie. When I asked him why he chose the blue dress, he said it was because it’s the scene when Ali comes back to Noah.”

The film, starring Rachel McAdams as Ali and Ryan Gosling as Noah, was special to them. “We had hoped to grow old together like the movie,” she said, adding, “We really had an amazing love story. We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls.”

“The Notebook” costume designer Karyn Wagner opened up to “E! News” about how she reacted when she heard Vanessa tell the story, saying, “I was already crying and when I heard that, I started crying even harder. It was just so beautiful.”

She added, “I just want to say how happy I am to have brought some joy to this beautiful couple. Listening to her eulogy, I was so honored. I am so sorry for her loss and I wish her all the healing light in the world.”

Wagner previously told The Hollywood Reporter she didn’t know what happened to the famous dress. “I had zero idea. When I was finished with the movie, I put the dress in a box and it went into storage… What I do know is [Kobe] had to go through a lot of trouble to get his hands on it.”

In 2013, Vanessa shared a throwback pic of the dress, writing, “#ThrowbackThursday One of my favorite Valentine’s day gifts from my husband was the blue dress, shoes and THE notebook from the Notebook Movie he gave me years ago. (The notebook is a prop but it still has sentimental value). Happy Valentine’s Day! #tbt #Valentinesday #LoveStory #TheNotebook #Love ❤”