The Best Of Blake Lively's Chanel Era
It’s too early to tell if Blake Lively will be returning to those famed steps for this year’s Karl Lagerfeld-tribute Met Gala, but Lively is one of the few people alive who can say they once attended the Gala as Lagerfeld’s date. She walked the carpet hand-in-gloved-hand with Lagerfeld back in 2011 for the Alexander McQueen edition in Chanel couture. In fact, for a few years there Lively was hardly ever seen on a red carpet in anything but Chanel.
Upon first entering the scene in the mid-aughts thanks to her roles in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Gossip Girl, Blake Lively was immediately embraced by the public. It was decided that she was a true California girl, down to earth, most comfortable in jeans in a tee. And while all of that might have been true, there was an inner fashion fiend bubbling up within Lively, possibly influenced by the stylish Upper East Sider she portrayed on television every week. It was her role as Serena van der Woodsen that got Lively an invite into the world of fashion, as Michael Kors, who was a fan of the show, asked the actress to join him for a benefit dinner and dressed her for the occasion. Of course, the embrace of Kors led other designers to follow, and soon, Anna Wintour was knocking on Lively’s door. Suddenly, shet was attending the Met in Versace, sitting front row at fashion shows, and covering major magazines. The fashion world had officially embraced her and by 2008 she was a regular in the circuit. That’s when she met Lagerfeld, through Wintour.
Lively began to attend Chanel shows and events and wear the house’s designs on red carpets with increasing frequency. It quickly became clear that there was a connection between the starlet and Lagerfeld that went beyond business. Then, in 2011, Lively was announced the face of the brand’s campaign for their Mademoiselle bag, modeling in photos shot by Lagerfeld himself. “I had other opportunities and I would say, ‘Thank you so much, but I am holding out for Chanel,’” Lively told the New York Times in 2011. “That’s who I want to be the face of.”
Their relationship continued on for years until Lively eventually started showing up on red carpets in a larger variety of designers, with more a focus on American brands. She started reaching for Brandom Maxwell and Ralph Lauren more and Chanel less. All the more reason to take a look back at Lively’s relationship with Chanel, and Lagerfeld, through photos.
Lively attended Chanel’s 2008 spring/summer couture show and took her first documented picture with Lagerfeld.
Not only did Lagerfeld spend time with Lively at this event in 2008, but he also chatted with the actress’ then-boyfriend, Penn Badgley, who was also in attendance.
Lively attended a Chanel fine jewelry benefit in a simple, black midi dress from the brand’s resort 2010 collection with a silver camellia necklace.
After Lively was spotted out in Paris with Lagerfeld while filming Gossip Girl, rumors began circulating that the designer was going to appear on the CW show. Unfortunately, the cameo never happened.
Lively embraced her Cali style in a colorful, tiered resort 2011 dress at the brand’s couture fall/winter 2011 show.
Lively joined Lagerfeld at the opening of the brand’s SoHo store wearing a purple, sequin-covered Chanel fall 2010 couture dress.
Wearing a tweed Chanel resort mini dress, Lively attended the premiere of Twelve in 2010.
For the premiere of her film, The Town, at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010, Lively opted to wear a red, sequined fall 2010 couture dress with floral appliqués around the waist.
Lively attended the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards in a Chanel spring 2011 dress mini dress featuring a knit bodice and sheer skirt.
Lively was chosen as the face of Chanel’s Mademoiselle bag, starring in a campaign shot by Lagerfeld.
Following the announcement of Lively as the new face of Chanel, the brand threw a dinner in honor of the actress in Paris. For the event, she wore a silver and white spring 2008 couture mini dress with a tiered skirt.
At the second dinner honoring Lively (this one in NYC), the actress wore a white spring 2009 couture dress decorated with chiffon and organza ruffle details on the neckline and skirt.
Lagerfeld and Lively attended the 2011 Met Gala arm in arm, with Lively draped in a Grecian-inspired taupe gown with a silver-embroidered nude bodice underneath from Chanel’s fall 2009 couture collection.
Lively caught up with Lagerfeld at a dinner for the brand’s 2012 resort collection while wearing a white ruffled spring 2010 mini dress for the occasion.
Wearing a sequined jacket and black mini skirt from Chanel’s spring 2008 couture collection, Lively attended the brand’s cruise 2011/12 cruise show in Cap d'Antibes.
Lively attended the premiere for Green Lantern in a sheer, white Chanel spring 2009 couture dress covered in floral appliqués.
MoMA’s annual film benefit honoring Pedro Almodovar called for a look from Chanel’s fall 2011 couture collection, featuring a feathered peplum and a patterned mini skirt underneath.
Lively went simple for a Chanel fine jewelery event in 2012, wearing a gray and light pink satin dress from the fall 2012 couture collection.
The actress walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in 2014 wearing a gorgeous, sheer and iridescent Chanel dress.
Lively supported her husband, Ryan Reynolds, at the premiere of his film in a pale yellow silk Chanel dress with one sleeve and a contoured waist.
The actress wore a dress from Chanel’s fall 2014 couture collection to the amfAR Gala in 2016, a white and gold bead-embellished mini with a pleated skirt.
While there are no images from the actual red carpet, Lively wore a Chanel spring 2007 couture silver sequin gown with a skirt of ribbons to the All I See Is You premiere in 2017.
She kept the Chanel theme going while doing press for the film as well, and wore a houndstooth jumpsuit with wide-leg, cropped pants from the brand’s fall 2017 collection.
A Chanel fall 2017 couture dress with a black and white tweed skirt and leather top was Lively’s choice for A Quiet Place’s premiere in 2018.
When Lively headed to Paris in 2018 to do some press, she packed a gray striped suit from Chanel’s pre-fall 2018 collection, which she paired with fine jewelry from the brand, as well as circular bag featuring the interlocking C logo embossed in crystals.
It’s been awhile since Lively has worn a full Chanel look, not since December 2018, when she wore a sparkly silver dress with a white jacket and embellished boots from the brand’s spring 2017 couture collection to their pre-fall 2019 show.
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