Blake Lively’s It Ends With Us Press Tour Outfits Leave Fans Divided

Gossip Girl’s Serena van der Woodsen was known for her uninhibited, if sometimes *ahem* questionable, style (who among us could forget the infamous graduation tassel as a hair accessory?) And it looks like Blake Lively, the actress who brought the Upper East Sider to life is taking a cue from her formative onscreen identity when it comes to her own personal style.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen Lively on red carpets, walking the streets of NYC and on fans’ FYPs promoting her new hair care line and upcoming movie It Ends with Us. And while Lively’s iconic tresses have been the talk of the internet, so have her outfits — but not necessarily for good reason.

Taking a cue from Zendaya’s love of method dressing, Lively has been leaning into the book-to-movie’s plot line, channeling her character Lily Bloom’s love for florals (Bloom is a flower shop owner — groundbreaking) into her fashion choices in a very literal way.

Kicking off the press tour in July, Lively gave a teaser of where her style was heading, stepping out at a pre-premiere event in floral pants from Tanya Taylor, paired with an Aritzia crop top and vintage mint Chanel houndstooth vest from RARCHIVE.

But it wasn’t long before Lively went full garden. On August 2, Lively proved (kinda) that florals can be formal, wearing a black and white tweed and floral set with a sheer blouse from Elie Saab.

Just days later, the Gossip Girl star once again hit the streets of NYC, this time in a creamsicle-coloured floral and feathered dress featuring angels from NYC brand Dauphinette. The actress, who’s known for her love of sparkles and bling (specifically Lorraine Schwartz baubles) donned a lot of both, rocking multicoloured bejewelled Christian Louboutin heels.

While the actress appears to be having a hoot of a time on this press tour, Lively’s style as of late is far less joy-inducing for some. Which is kind of new.

In July, Lively popped up at the premiere of husband Ryan Reynold’s movie Deadpool & Wolverine alongside BFF Gigi Hadid in another take on theme dressing. Lively and Hadid wore coordinating monochromatic outfits in red and yellow, respectively, in honour of the film’s heroes and their signature colours. For her part, Lively donned a skintight red Versace catsuit with a coordinating lace detail. And instead of “superhero,” it was giving ketchup and mustard.

On August 3, while doing press for It Ends With Us, Lively once again turned to small NYC brand Dauphinette, stepping out in a heavily beaded mini dress featuring fish and red-beaded fringe, paired with ruby red bedazzled Louboutins and an Alice in Wonderland-style Judith Leiber mushroom purse.

It’s an undoubtedly gorgeous dress, but paired with Lively’s quirky accessories and millennial-style (dare we say, cheugy?) pumps, what could have been a certified slay comes across as just a little more Etsy craft lady than Hollywood bombshell.

And just a day later, Lively stepped out in arguably her most controversial ‘fit of the tour, print clashing in a red ladybug- and flower-embroidered dress and yellow bumblebee-embroidered tights from Versace’s resort 2025 collection.

On August 6, Lively took her love of florals to a new stratosphere for the NYC premiere of It Ends With Us, wearing a vintage Versace dress with a special history. The sheer floral gown was originally worn by none other than Britney Spears at a 2002 Versace fashion show. As Lively told media about the dress: “It should be in the Smithsonian.” And we 100 per cent agree.

Blake’s looks can be, well, a lot of look and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Many of Lively’s latest fashion moments are divisive, but one thing that’s not up for debate is the fact that she’s clearly having fun with it. As opposed to the monochromatic, quiet luxury aesthetic favoured by celebs today, which can sometimes appear devoid of personality, Lively stands out in her maximalism. Her love of all things kitschy, sparkly and just straight-up whimsical clearly shines through.

In an industry that can often take itself too seriously, it’s kind of fun, not to mention wholesome, to see an A-list celeb just throw caution to the wind and actually try something adventurous — even if it doesn’t always land. Like Carrie Bradshaw and her sometimes questionable ensembles, aren’t risks and the occasional miss kind of the marker of a true fashion lover?

It’s also relatable. While yes, we all might not be able to afford an $11,000 bespoke floral chainmail dress from Dauphinette, fans can channel Lively’s playfulness, not to mention her support of independent designers, into their own wardrobes. And that’s worth emulating.