Blake Lively: The Icon of The Met Gala

The Met Gala is one of, if not, the biggest fashion event of the year. The mega-event is held as a benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York. What started in 1948 became the main conversation in the fashion industry around the beginning of April. This year, the Gala will be on Monday, May 2nd and the theme is In America: An Anthology of Fashion. Each year there are select hosts of the event deemed by the producer of the Gala, Vogue. This year, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Blake Lively will be co-chairs of the event. Blake Lively has become an icon in the fashion industry ever since her red carpet debut in 2005 at the Kids’ Choice Awards. Since then, she has been to a plethora of red carpet events, some being premieres for her own TV shows and movies, some with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and other infamous events that she has been invited to. She has been invited to 9 Met Gala’s and each appearance has been better than the last.

2008 ‘Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy’

For her very first appearance at the Met Gala, Blake Lively wore a stunning black dress designed by Ralph Lauren. For the theme ‘Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy’ she wore thick black hand gloves with diamond bracelets on her wrists to emphasize the theme. This look became a classic outfit that the star wore, and gave a hint of what she had in store for the Gala in years to come.

2009 ‘The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion’

Blake is no stranger to the wonders of Versace clothing, and in 2009 she wore her first Versace piece at the Met. The dress was simple but contained an elegant subtleness that even got the director of Vogue, Anna Wintour’s eye. She claimed “It was the night that Blake Lively took the world by storm.” in a YouTube video.

2011 ‘Alexander Mcqueen: Savage Beauty’

Jumping a few years ahead, Lively made her fourth appearance at the Gala. In 2011, she became the it girl of Chanel. She was named the face of Chanel’s Mademoiselle handbag and her other red carpet styles started to become dominated by the Chanel name. At the 2011 Gala, she wore a body-con Chanel dress with silver embroidered detailing. Her date was the late Chanel and Fendi creative director, Karl Lagerfeld, who would dress Lively many times before his passing in 2019.

2014 ‘Charles James: Beyond Fashion’

Her seventh attendance was the first with her husband Ryan Reynolds. Stunting in Gucci, the actress wore a rose gold dress to honor the theme of the classic glamor that was the Met’s subject, Charles James.

2018 ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’

Her most recent appearance in 2018 became the most iconic of all the Met Gala looks ever worn Covered in Atelier Versace, the couture of the designer, Blake’s dress was an interpretation of Catholicism and the stain-glass windows that are seen in many Catholic Churches. The dress was said to have taken over 600 hours to create.

With all these fabulous outfits and unforgettable looks, we at The Edge cannot wait to see what the icon has planned for her hosting this year!

Header photo from Just Jared