Blake Lively has not walked the Met Gala steps since 2018, but that’s likely to change very soon. The 34-year-old actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds are this year’s co-chairs for the annual event that fundraises for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As part of the current exhibit, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” Lively will dress to fit the theme, which The New York Times’s chief fashion critic Vanessa Friedman described on Twitter as “Gilded Glamour.” The idea of elaborate and regal-esque outfits amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine has sparked controversy, with influencer Bryanboy making headlines for his comment, “Gilded glamour at a time of war, let them eat cake.”
No matter your perspective on the 2022 Met Gala theme, there’s no arguing that Lively’s history of Met Gala appearances have fit the bill from a fashion perspective. She even wore elegant gloves – a marker of Gilded Age glamour – with her Ralph Lauren number in 2008 for her Met Gala debut.
Lively has also tapped Versace, Marchesa, Chanel, Gucci, and Burberry to work on her custom gowns throughout the years. Her 2018 Versace design, for instance, was bejewelled with gemstones and topped off with a literal crown. Could this classic Blake Lively Met Gala look be an indication of what 2022’s fashionistas will bring to the red carpet? The world will soon find out. What we can expect to see from Lively is coordination with Reynolds, and most likely accessories from either Lorraine Schwartz or Christian Louboutin, both of whom created custom pieces to complement her Versace ballgown in 2018.
Lively and Reynolds join Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda as official co-chairs, plus Tom Ford, Adam Mosseri, and Anna Wintour as honorary co-chairs. As Lively has mentioned, she doesn’t work with a stylist since she has close ties to many fashion houses.
Ahead, check out her Met Gala fashion history from start to finish and stay tuned for her next major fashion moment.
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Blake Lively in Ralph Lauren at the 2008 Met Gala
Lively wore a Ralph Lauren mermaid gown with a feathered hem for the “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” ball.
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Blake Lively in Versace at the 2009 Met Gala
Lively styled her single-sleeved teal gown with metallic stilettos to draw attention to her thigh-high leg slit at “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion” Met Gala.
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Getty / Philip Ramey / Philip Ramey Photography, LLC
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Blake Lively in Marchesa at the 2010 Met Gala
Lively played up the intricate details of her appliquéd one-shoulder minidress with glitter pumps at the “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity” ball.
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Blake Lively in Chanel at the 2011 Met Gala
Lively went for ethereal neutrals for the “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” red carpet, arriving on the arm of designer Karl Lagerfeld. Her floral, high shine bodice was balanced out with draped fabric that wrapped from her right shoulder to her left hip and fell dramatically to the floor.
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Blake Lively in Gucci at the 2013 Met Gala
Lively wore Gucci to the Met Gala for the first time at the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” ball in 2013. Her gray-and-black strapless gown came complete with edgy tiers of silk fabric and metallic detailing at the hips. Lively completed the look with embellished tassel earrings.
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Blake Lively in Gucci at the 2014 Met Gala
Lively stuck with Gucci the following year, putting her own spin on the rose gold gown at the “Charles James: Beyond Fashion” exhibit. Her dress came with a floor-sweeping, affixed cape, and an abundance of shimmering sequins that trailed vertically to the floor. She finished her look with rouged accessories.
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Blake Lively in Burberry at the 2016 Met Gala
Lively’s Burberry Met Gala debut was at the “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” ball, where her light pink gown was accented by red appliquéd florals that peeked out from her strapless sweetheart neckline and extended to the full train behind her. Her bright pink drop earrings were long enough to graze her shoulders.
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Blake Lively in Versace at the 2017 Met Gala
Lively’s long-sleeved, gold chainlink dress hugged her body like a glove and featured a deep plunging neckline at the “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between” exhibit. The Versace atelier finished her dress with four different shades of blue feathers interwoven into the skirt, and Lively completed the look with sapphire and gold jewellery.
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Blake Lively in Versace at the 2018 Met Gala
Lively’s Versace gown at the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” exhibit came complete with her longest Met ball train yet, consisting of yards of red velvet fabric stitched with gold embroidery. Lively’s straight column skirt underneath her train was sheer, save for a thin strip of decorated ruching down the front. Ultra saturated gemstones lined the entire bodice, playing up the shine of her crown.
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