Blake Lively Channels This Celeb To Feel Confident On The Red Carpet
The actress also shares the fast fashion brand she used to pretend was vintage.
Blake Lively is one of those celebrities who seem to have it all, yet also remains real and relatable. From her million-dollar smile to her voluminous blonde locks and statuesque figure, it's hard to image the former Gossip Girl star ever struggling with confidence. But in a recent interview with InStyle, Lively told The Handmaid's Tale actress, Sydney Sweeney, that mastering her picture-perfect pose on the red carpet took years of practice — as well as learning how to be comfortable in her own skin.
"Being on [Gossip Girl], I learned so much from the incredible costume designer Eric Daman. I also figured out what I was comfortable with. For one of my first events, I wore a dress that I was so insecure in, but I was told that I couldn’t back out because it was made custom and it would hurt my relationship with the designer. It didn't fit right though, and everybody knew it was a mess. Whenever I look at a photo from that red carpet, I can see how uncomfortable I was in my own skin. I’d never do that again," Lively shared.
The mother of two also dished on the fast fashion brand she would wear during the beginning of her career, "I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted. I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it. [laughs] For me, fashion is a form of self-expression. It also really takes me out of my comfort zone. One of the reasons I'm an actor is that I’m naturally very shy, so it's liberating to dress up and pretend to be someone else."
It's no secret Lively is a fashion icon — she constantly leaves us in awe with her fairytale gowns and ornate designs — which is why it makes sense she has trouble choosing a favorite look. "I honestly can't pick one. And I know that sounds crazy, but I love fashion too much to pick one look. I used to say my gowns from Cannes and Met Ball because that’s when you get to be the most bold and expressive. It’s Hollywood glamour in its most grand form," she said.
As for the celeb she looks to for inspiration on mastering the red carpet smolder? "With some outfits you need to do a smolder because if you're wearing a slit up to your hip bone and you're smiling like you're on Space Mountain, it just doesn't go together. It took me a few years to learn it too. If you pretend that you're J.Lo, that helps," Lively dished.
So while we may not be walking the Cannes red carpet anytime soon, we can take Lively's approach and metaphorically channel our inner J.Lo for that extra boost of confidence.
