Blake Lively’s Dress Garners Undeserved Criticism from Fans

As Blake Lively embarked on the promotional journey for her film “It Ends with Us” in 2024, the actress presented a repertoire of outfits that echo her character, Lily Bloom. Among these ensembles, ranging from floral-patterned suits to ethereal dresses, stood some memorable choices, like the iconic Versace dress previously worn by Britney Spears. However, not every fashion venture was a hit. For instance, during a rainy outing in New York City that August, Lively sported a daring, snug-fitting designer frock from Oscar de la Renta’s Pre-Fall 2024 collection. The dress, with its scoop neck and exquisite floral embroidery, might have looked better with proper proportions. Completing the outfit with Altuzarra silver heels and dangle earrings, Lively’s look turned more heads for its fit than style.

Her fashion choices stirred conversations online, especially on Reddit, where fans dissected what they adored—and what missed the mark—about Lively’s “salad” dress. Opinions varied, with one user noting the mix of elegance and an ethereal vibe, though they found the fit somewhat uncertain. Another observed, “[It’s] giving ‘unconventional challenge’ on project runway.” Additionally, someone compared an element of the dress to a hard-boiled egg, suggesting it distracted from the overall appeal. Comparisons to Zendaya’s polished ensemble choices also surfaced, with some suggesting Lively enlist the expertise of a stylist like Law Roach. “She’s doing themes for her outfits very literally, and it’s coming off as costume-y,” another commenter remarked.

But was Lively’s dress really deserving of such critique? In hindsight, perhaps not. While a bit of tailoring could have enhanced the fit, to dub the dress a fashion faux pas seems overblown. Many might argue it represented one of Lively’s more standout looks from that period. After all, there’s plenty to appreciate about a bold, leg-focused ensemble.

The styling choices Blake Lively made during the “It Ends with Us” media tour spanned both celebrated successes and notable missteps. Among these, the Versace outfit she wore in New York stands out—pairing a strikingly bright pink slip dress with neon tights—a daring choice on any scoreboard. Her leather ensemble ahead of the film’s premiere, featuring a floral leather jacket left open to reveal her cleavage alongside matching shorts, further pushed the boundaries, marking a divisive entry in her fashion repertoire.

“I tend to dress like my characters when I’m doing a movie because fashion is always the way in,” Lively, who famously doesn’t work with a stylist, said of her press looks in an interview with People. “I tend to dress like the character because I fall in love with whatever that is.” She’s done it for her other films, including “A Simple Favor” in 2018, which starred Lively alongside Anna Kendrick. With a limited press budget, Lively turned to method dressing as a clever way to market the film. “The only thing people really pay attention to at these junket interviews is the photos of fashion,” she explained. “It’s a marketing hack to try to get people to pay attention to our movie. And,” according to the A-list star, “it worked.”

When it comes to her personal style, Lively didn’t hesitate to admit that she takes her fashion inspiration from her characters as well. “My style is just all over the place. I don’t think anyone would go, like, ‘Oh, that’s super her!” she said. She likes a mix of everything. “So my closet is an amalgamation of that, and then my own style is an amalgamation of that,” she revealed, adding, “I’m just kind of a blend of all of them.”