Blake Lively Returns to the 2026 Met Gala in Archival Versace

After skipping last year’s fete, Blake Lively made her triumphant return to the 2026 Met Gala. The actress has long sat atop the list of best-dressed A-listers on the annual fundraising event's red carpet, and tonight’s iteration is no exception.

Her gown paid homage to the "Costume Art" theme and "Fashion is Art" dress code, while still feeling true to her maximalist sense of style. Lively famously doesn’t work with a stylist, and her cotton candy-hued gown on the carpet is a "Met-ified" (her words, not mine) version of a Versace gown from 2006. As for accessories, she sparkled in Lorraine Schwartz Jewelry and a dainty bag that featured artwork from each of her four children.

As for her Met Gala glam, Lively chose to keep it simple and classic. In the hair department, Lively’s long blonde strands were fashioned into cascading Old Hollywood-inspired waves. Her makeup, on the other hand, felt inspired by California glam, with bronzed skin and an easy, lightly dusted eye.

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Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are always two of my favorite duos to spot at the annual fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art—she starred on Gossip Girl, after all! The Met steps were basically her high school-era stomping grounds.

And while I'm in love with tonight's ensemble, I can't help but think about all the other show-stopping looks she's worn in the past. Who can forget when she arrived in a Statue of Liberty-inspired Versace gown that developed a patina right in front of our eyes? It was 2022; the theme was "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," and I was obsessed.

Blake Lively attends The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 02, 2022 in New York City — Blake Lively arriving at the 2022 Met Gala wearing Versace.

Another favorite look of mine came in 2018, when Blake Lively chose an ornate burgundy velvet gown—also by Versace—to tap into the "Heavenly Bodies" theme. From her dresses's jewel-encrusted bodice and sheer paneling down the leg to the delicate crown on her head, the look remains one of my favorites.

Blake Lively attends Heavenly Bodies: Fashion &amp; The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City — Blake Lively arrives at the 2018 Met Gala, wearing Versace.

As the carpet slowly comes to a close and the well-dressed A-listers ascend into the ultra-secretive event, I'll be left gushing over Lively's most recent cotton candy dreamscape.

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Julia Marzovilla is the Fashion E-Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she reviews the latest launches from fashion and beauty brands, finds the best on-sale items around the internet, and interviews experts to find the best products in any category to share with her readers. She also creates shopping guides that span every vertical on the site as an expert in everything from the best laptop bags to the best laser hair removal devices.

In her near decade of experience, Julia has both written for several top outlets in the E-Commerce space and worked at major fashion labels. Prior to joining the Marie Claire team, she contributed similar shopping stories to sites such as Bustle, InStyle, The Zoe Report, Who What Wear, and worked as the Trending Fashion and News Writer STYLECASTER. You can find her across the internet at @JuliaMarzovilla. In real life, you can find her creating shopping guides for her friends, cooking or baking in her too-small kitchen, or buying tickets for the next time Harry Styles is in town.

Julia has a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Journalism from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She lives in New York City, her hometown.