Blake Lively is known for her stunning style on and off the red carpet, but that wasn’t always the case for the Gossip Girl alum. During her first appearances on the red carpet circuit, Lively told reporters that she was wearing vintage fashion to hide the fact that she was actually wearing cheap dresses from Forever 21. Lively admits that she lied about where she got her dresses due to pressure from others on the red carpet.
Humble beginnings for Blake Lively
Lively truly is the queen of style, both when it comes to her streetwear and her high-glam red carpet attire. When she was first starting off in show business, though, she didn’t have a closet full of designer duds to choose from. Instead, Lively relied on that old mall staple, Forever 21. “I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted. I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it,” the Rhythm Section star said in an interview with InStyle.
She explained further in a feature for Glamour UK that during the second premiere she’d ever gone to, she was wearing a dress from the now-bankrupt retailer that had cost her $13. At first, she’d answered honestly about where she’d gotten her dress. Lively was soon advised to come up with a different explanation, however. “…They said I shouldn’t admit to it, like it was more impressive to have a designer gown that’s thousands of dollars. After that I just told people it was vintage.”
Lively turned to the masters
In order to up her style game, Lively relied on the contacts she made during her time on Gossip Girl to connect with designers. Since she chose to style herself, making those connections would be vital. “I … had the very fortunate and unique opportunity of being on Gossip Girl, where fashion was a main character. So I started developing relationships with designers, and then I’d get their email addresses. It all happened organically.”
When she needs an honest opinion about what she’s wearing, husband Ryan Reynolds is always willing to provide it. Now that she’s a mom to three girls, she can also turn to them for their brutally honest take. “It used to be just my husband, but now it’s my kids too. And kids do not filter,” she said. Though their youngest child, born in October 2019, is still too little to voice an opinion just yet, give her a few years and she’ll be chiming in as well.
Lively appears in the tabloids from time to time thanks to her high-profile career, husband, and friends. For instance, NW reported that Lively and Victoria Beckham were collaborating on a fashion line. Gossip Cop checked in with Beckham’s rep, who was able to tell us on the record that the outlet’s claims were not true. While both famous ladies are well known for their style, there was never going to be a joint fashion brand coming from them.