Although Lively is widely expected to be one of the most anticipated stars at the Met Gala, she skipped the famous museum stairs this year.
Blake Lively is known for leaving her imprint on the Met Gala red carpet, but this year, the star skipped the iconic stairs at the yearly celebration held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, leaving admirers missing her signature flair.
Even while we all eagerly await her arrival at the event, we’ll simply have to speculate as to how 36-year-old Lively might have responded to the “Garden of Time” dress code.
When Lively co-chaired the Met Gala for the last time in 2022, she received praise for her appearance from both fashion experts and fans.
Then, Lively mesmerized photographers with a jaw-dropping Atelier Versace gown that had a train that could be turned around.
The actress gave a show halfway up the Met steps when she flipped the train, revealing an aqua side that cascaded down behind her. She had originally arrived with husband Ryan Reynolds, who was dressed to impress in a velvet tuxedo and white bow tie.
Lively stated on the red carpet at the time that she “looked to New York City architecture and the classic buildings” when working with the Versace team on her dress, adding that the color choices were to represent the patina aging that copper undergoes over time. Lively was channeling the 2022 “Gilded Glamour” dress code, which asked attendees to “embody the grandeur Gilded Age New York” between 1870 and 1890.
“The draping [represents] the Statue of Liberty, plus the crown which has seven tiers, the Statue Liberty has seven rays representing the sun’s rays and then also the seven seas and continents which represents welcomeness, inclusivity, and freedom,” Lively continued. “I sound like a Wikipedia page. — she has 25 windows so Lorraine [Schwartz] put 25 stones at the bottom, so they’re all New York City references.”
In 2018, Lively embodied the subject of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” by wearing a Versace gown with a spectacular train constructed especially for tumbling down the Met steps, as well as another custom-made halo by Schwartz. (Your girl is skilled at maximizing a photo opportunity!)
Lively went with Reynolds in 2017 and it was a fancy Mom and Dad night out. They also indulged in a cute moment of matching outfits for the occasion. The two have three daughters: Betty, four, Inez, seven, and James, nine. Lively disclosed in February 2023 that she and Reynolds had secretly welcomed their fourth child.
For that occasion, Lively turned once more to the Atelier Versace design team, donning a gold gown with blue feather embroidery on the train that Reynolds complemented with his bow tie. The dress had multicolored feather decorations cascading down the train in shades of “ocean blue” over delicate gold chains. Along with going all out for glitter, she accessorized the look with almost $3.5 million worth of Lorraine Schwartz diamonds, which included 82-carat Burma sapphire earrings.
Since her 2008 debut, Lively’s Met Gala appearances have told a tale of style. She attended as a guest of Ralph Lauren in a trumpet-skirted, strapless black gown, and since then, she has consistently been on lists of the best dressed.
For those who are GG obsessed, the actress’s Gossip Girl character Serena van der Woodsen is well-known for dressing in a pale yellow, tiered floral Ralph Lauren gown with cropped black gloves for the season 1 finale, which took place at Lily and Bart’s wedding. Vogue and Lively collaborated on a “Life in Looks” film where Lively referred to the dress as one of the “most critical fashion moments of Gossip Girl.”
Lively went on to say that she was probably invited to the 2008 gala because of the specific Ralph Lauren fashion moment that she saw on Gossip Girl. The topic of discussion was “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy.”
In a tribute to the occasion, she even donned the cropped black gloves on the carpet.
