Blake Lively is shaking things up!
On March 18, the Gossip Girl star was photographed outside the Gem Awards in New York City wearing a little black dress that is anything but boring. The mixed-material LBD balances out its large abs-baring cutout and plunging neckline with long leather sleeves and a skirt that falls below the knee, making it the perfect dress for any occasion.
Lively kept her neck bare and hair out of her face to give her statement earrings space to shine and topped off the look with a Chanel clutch and Christian Louboutin heels.
This is a major style departure for Lively, who is known to serve as her own stylist. For one, she’s a big fan of color with a capital . From that neon yellow Oscar de la Renta moment to her recent pastel gown of many colors, you’re more likely to find Lively rocking the entire ROYGBIV spectrum than an all-black look—though it has happened on occasion.
And while she’s no stranger to the plunging neckline (peep this bright purple pantsuit), Lively also tends to pull focus to one particular asset at a time. For example, this baby blue crop top and skirt combo she wore to the Michael Kors show at NYFW in February:
Consider this a sign to step out of your comfort zone. The dramatic-cutout trend is certainly having a moment, with everyone from Rihanna to Zoë Kravitz to Anne Hathaway jumping on board—and looking absolutely stunning.
All this is to say Blake Lively knows what she’s doing. There’s a reason she was just tapped to host the upcoming Met Gala with husband Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Following up on last year’s theme, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, the upcoming event will usher in The Met’s fashion exhibition, titled In America: An Anthology of Fashion. While it’s sure to be one of the most star-studded events of the year, we can’t wait to see what Lively wears on the first Monday in May.
