Blake Lively Used to Wear Forever 21 on Red Carpets and Lie and Say It Was Vintage
Blake Lively gave a delightful interview on styling herself and her red carpet fashion to The Handmaid’s Tale's Sydney Sweeney for InStyle. But the best tidbit she revealed was her party trick for when she wore Forever 21 on red carpets.
Blake Lively gave a delightful interview on styling herself and her red carpet fashion to The Handmaid’s Tale's Sydney Sweeney for InStyle (opens in new tab). But the best tidbit she revealed was her party trick for when she wore Forever 21 on red carpets. When asked what designer she was wearing, she stopped saying it was Forever 21 and called it vintage instead.
Sweeney mentioned that she remember Lively wore a Forever 21 dress to one of her first red carpets. Lively replied, "I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted. I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it." Then she laughed. "For me, fashion is a form of self-expression. It also really takes me out of my comfort zone. One of the reasons I'm an actor is that I’m naturally very shy, so it's liberating to dress up and pretend to be someone else."
Blake in a $13 dress from Forever 21 at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.
(Lively, by the way, admitted to Glamour UK (opens in new tab) she said Forever 21 was vintage years ago, when talking about old red carpet looks, the 2005 Teen Choice Award outfit came up. She said of the look, “This was my second ever premiere. I’m wearing a $13 dress from Forever 21. On the red carpet people were like ‘who are you wearing?’ But when I told them, 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.”)
In her InStyle chat, Lively explained to Sweeney that she honestly plays a role during red carpet interviews, too. "When you have to be you, it's the most intimidating part," she began. "The only way that I feel comfortable doing red carpets and interviews is when I adopt the same thing that I do when I’m acting, which is to play a character. So when I’m going to a premiere, I think, who is that character? And I step into that. I still get knots in my stomach before red carpets. You just want to represent yourself properly, so that's why I chose to style myself. I also had the very fortunate and unique opportunity of being on Gossip Girl, where fashion was a main character. So I started developing relationship with designers, and then I’d get their email addresses. It all happened organically."
Lively also mentioned that while she styles herself, she does look to three people now to get honest opinions about her outfits: "It used to be just my husband [Ryan Reynolds], but now it’s my kids [daughters James and Inez Reynolds] too. And kids do not filter," she said with a laugh.
Blake Lively's Most Iconic Fashion Moments
February 18, 2016
Out and about in Soho, New York City, Lively looked phenomenal in Louboutin boots (opens in new tab) and leather trousers (opens in new tab). She carried a Chanel (opens in new tab) pearl-shape handbag.
October 16, 2017
Rise and shine! Lively stunned in a bright Brandon Maxwell (opens in new tab) set upon arrival to Good Morning America. She accessorized with Lorraine Schwartz and Ofira (opens in new tab) jewelry.
January 27, 2020
The actress stepped out in a gorgeous Ulyana Sergeenko floral dress (opens in new tab), which she perfectly accessorized with black leather gloves (opens in new tab) and chic Christian Louboutin over-the-knee boots.
January 27, 2020
Lively looked effortless in this beautiful Valentino trench coat dress (opens in new tab), which she accessorized with layered gold chain necklaces, combat boots (opens in new tab), and vintage style gloves (opens in new tab).
October 16, 2017
Blake Lively looked incredibly sleek and sporty in her Monse (opens in new tab) jersey, trousers, and Chanel bag (opens in new tab) while she attended the premiere of her film All I See Is You. Suddenly, I'm into sports.
August 19, 2018
The queen of sartorial style, Lively wore this breathtaking striped Zimmermann look (opens in new tab) and Christian Louboutin heels (opens in new tab) for the promotional tour of A Simple Favor.
January 28, 2020
Lively channeled Mary Poppins vibes in an Alaïa blouse (opens in new tab) and skirt (opens in new tab) with an ornate pair of boots and a fedora.
May 2, 2019
The actress shined in a yellow Retrofête (opens in new tab) dress (a nod to Pikachu?) and carried a Judith Leiber Couture (opens in new tab) clutch (in the shape of a ball!) to the premiere of Pokémon Detective Pikachu.
January 27, 2020
Playing with texture is Lively's forte. At The Rhythm Section screening in NYC, the actress pulled out all the stops in an off-the-shoulder velvet gown (opens in new tab), leather gloves (opens in new tab), and over-the-knee boots (opens in new tab).
December 2, 2018
Lively attended fashion week with Gigi Hadid while dressed to the nines in a vintage Versace chainmail dress (opens in new tab) and Christian Louboutin heels (opens in new tab).
September 24, 2018
Dressed in Christian Dior (opens in new tab) during fashion week, Lively looked ethereal in earth tones. She wore a sparkly pair of Christian Louboutin pumps (opens in new tab).
August 18, 2018
A look Serena van der Woodsen would approve of and wear. Lively wore a Roland Mouret (opens in new tab) plaid pantsuit set, which was tailored to perfection.
September 19, 2018
Out and about in Paris, Lively was incredibly classy in a Chanel (opens in new tab) pinstriped suit set and Chanel jewelry.
February 12, 2020
To close out fashion week, Lively dressed from head to toe in one of her favorite designers: Michael Kors (opens in new tab).
September 17, 2018
Lively loves a good pantsuit. Here, she is wearing a pink set from Ralph Lauren (opens in new tab) (shop similar pants here (opens in new tab)).
January 28, 2020
The actress isn't afraid to wear color. She wore this Fendi sweater (opens in new tab) and quilted shorts ensemble with Valentino boots (opens in new tab) while out and about.
September 13, 2018
Lively wore a cool velvet Dolce & Gabbana (opens in new tab) ensemble.
September 10, 2018
Lively continues to inspire us with her menswear-inspired fashion. She wore this Givenchy blazer (opens in new tab) and trouser ensemble while out and out.
September 11, 2018
Lively was spotted in NYC while wearing a pair of Brunello Cucinelli pants (opens in new tab) and a sleek leather trench. She carried a cool croc-like handbag.
September 10, 2018
Lively sure loves her Valentino (opens in new tab) boots, she's worn them multiple times already! Here, she styled the shoes with a Wolk Morais (opens in new tab) denim look.
September 10, 2018
The actress brightened up a gloomy, rainy day in NYC with her orange ensemble. She wore a Bottega Veneta (opens in new tab) trouser set and Christian Louboutin penny loafers (opens in new tab).
September 10, 2018
The star waved to her fans while wearing a colorful floral Gucci pantsuit set (opens in new tab) and periwinkle blue boots.
September 7, 2018
Lively traded the handbag for a cane as her main accessory while attending Ralph Lauren's 50th anniversary fashion week show in NYC. She, of course, wore an entire RL look (opens in new tab).
August 20, 2018
The star was all smiles in a pretty purple blazer and matching bottom set from Vivienne Westwood (opens in new tab).
August 17, 2018
This chic Brunello Cucinelli (opens in new tab) look is one for the books. The crushed velvet set combined with a pair of Christian Louboutin heels (opens in new tab) are dashing in all the right ways.
August 17, 2018
There's no color Lively can't wear, including bright green neon. She wore this blazer and pants set from Versace (opens in new tab).
March 22, 2018
In a Monse (opens in new tab) ensemble, the actress looked sophisticated and cool while departing from an event at the Guggenheim in NYC.
October 16, 2017
In an outfit reminiscent of fashion movie (opens in new tab) icon Annie Hall, Lively wore a Ralph Lauren (opens in new tab) three-piece suit, carried a Michael Kors (opens in new tab) satchel, and re-wore her favorite pair Valentino boots (opens in new tab).
January 28, 2020
This is how you wear blue on blue. Lively was perfection in this floral Ulyana Sergeenko printed dress (opens in new tab) and a cozy Max Mara fuzzy coat (opens in new tab).
Alyssa Bailey is the news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
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