Blake Lively's Biggest Wardrobe Mishaps

Blake Lively has showcased some seriously gorgeous looks on the red carpet, and the "It Ends with Us" star would love for all of us to believe that she can do no wrong when she's putting together an outfit. "When people ask me, 'Oh, what's the greatest fashion mistake or who's the worst dressed?' — I don't think there's such a thing," she once told Yahoo! News. Unfortunately, she's discovered the hard way that clothing doesn't always cooperate when you're trying to create aesthetic perfection. Fabric can be too flimsy, undergarments can make unexpected appearances, and styling mistakes can foul up the most fabulous of gowns.

For instance, Lively learned just how quickly a cute dress can get destroyed in 2008 when she was walking the streets of Manhattan with her Maltipoo Penny. Her pet's coppery color complemented her casual outfit: a camel-colored mini dress and brown gladiator sandals. But Lively had been toting her tiny dog around like an accessory and paid the price when the paparazzi photographed her rocking an unwanted addition to her look: a dark spot, courtesy of her canine companion. Lively had to hide the urine stain with a huge Container Store bag that did not go with her outfit.

In 2024, Lively tried to undo another fashion flub by wearing the same look two days in a row. In the photo above, you might notice that the Versace label on her underwear band is backward. When she stepped out rocking the exact same ensemble but with the logo reading the right way, she explained the rare outfit repeat to a small group of fans. "I wore my underwear inside-out," she said (via Getty). "So, I wore it wrong and I can't do that to Versace." By then, Lively was a seasoned pro at dealing with style snafus, but she hasn't always lucked out with a smooth recovery.

Early in her career, Blake Lively took a "fake it 'til you make it" approach to fashion that her "Gossip Girl" character, Serena van der Woodsen, could never get away with. "I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted," she told Sydney Sweeney in a 2019 InStyle interview (via Elle). "I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it." However, this "who wore it better" moment with her "Gossip Girl" co-star Ed Westwick is more casual dining chic than fast fashion.

A month before the first episode of "Gossip Girl" aired, Lively and Westwick attended the 2007 premiere of "Rocket Science," starring Anna Kendrick, wearing matching white button-downs, black skinny jeans, and belts with wide buckles. They looked more prepared to pursue hospitality careers than to navigate the cutthroat world of wealthy teens living in the Upper East Side, and their outfits were so similar they seemed coordinated. At least Westwick skipped the black and red animal-print pumps, though his Union Jack belt buckle kind of detracted from his otherwise solid accessory choices (he could have given Lively lessons in layering necklaces back then).

What's even weirder about Lively's outdated outfit is that she almost repeated it for the "Gossip Girl" premiere party just weeks later, but she traded her skinny jeans for a skinny suit. Clearly, she hadn't been wearing Serena's stylish shoes long enough at that point. "I feel like Serena's style definitely drifted into Blake's real life," said "Gossip Girl" costume designer Eric Daman to HuffPost, explaining how the character influenced Lively's stunning transformation into one of Hollywood's most stylish celebs.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds lead an insanely glamorous life that goes beyond red carpet appearances; in 2016, they were invited to a state dinner at the White House. While Lively has worn outfits far more inappropriate than the silver Ralph & Russo wrap dress she had on while meeting then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, it proved not to be the wisest of wardrobe choices for the night. The silk garment's robe-like appearance made her look a teeny bit underdressed, and as she and Reynolds were walking into the building, its high slit briefly flashed her Spanx.

Perhaps the unfortunate incident could have been avoided had she consulted with a stylist about the logistics of her look beforehand. However, Lively famously dresses herself. "I have control issues and a big ego — that's probably the honest answer," she told Women's Wear Daily in 2018 when asked about her refusal to hire a stylist.

But while Lively likely didn't expect her slit to expose so much when she chose her state dinner look, there's no shame in her shapewear game. At the time of the event, the actor was pregnant with Inez, one of Lively and Reynold's four kids, but hadn't yet announced the news. After welcoming her daughter to the family, she outed herself as a Spanx fan while discussing her postpartum weight. "You want to like, put on Spanx and be like, 'Look how skinny I look after a baby,'" she told ET, "But really, it doesn't matter how many corsets you put on — I was still a full 61 pounds over my weight."

Before feud rumors pitted Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick against each other, the duo co-starred in the 2018 dark comedy "A Simple Favor." It was directed by Paul Feig, and her character's wardrobe was inspired by his suits. To promote the film, she even wore nothing but punchy power suits, including the Givenchy pieces she rocked at the film's New York premiere. However, her shimmery, black mock neck top wasn't really Feig's style. Maybe one of his crisp dress shirts and waistcoats would have been a better choice, given the predicament Lively found herself in when she stepped in front of flashing cameras.

On "The Tonight Show," Lively recounted her mortification upon realizing that the sheer material of the garment made it evident that she wasn't wearing anything underneath it. "That's not a look that I was going for. Because it's a men's shirt, I didn't know they made see-through," she said. To save herself from further embarrassment, she decided to see if the front desk of her hotel could help her MacGyver some nipple covers. After she explained that the duct tape she wanted wasn't to fix a broken pipe, she was told that all the hotel had on hand was packing tape. "But I'm like, 'That's see-through.' So I'm just gonna be walking around with crunchy sounding ta-tas."

Apparently, she never found any opaque tape. She was so paranoid about unwanted exposure at the "A Simple Favor" premiere that when a man complimented her entertaining tweets, she thought he had said to her, "Blake, Blake, your teats are amazing!" At least she got a great late-night talk show story out of the ordeal.

When Canada native Ryan Reynolds voted in an American election for the first time in 2020, Blake Lively got all dressed up for the occasion in a plaid coat, taupe mock neck top, and pink culotte jeans. Afterward, she posted photos of her look online, and fans quickly noticed that Lively's Instagram had been hilariously photoshopped to add something crucial that was missing from her outfit: a pair of designer shoes.

Lively had done her best Barbie impression while posing barefoot and had later drawn some strappy brown sandals on her feet. When her footwear went viral, she took to her Instagram Story to explain her scribbling. "Can you tell I was so happy to get outta a onesie and vote," she wrote (via People). "Sure it was an absentee drop off ballot with a mask covering my look. But dammit I exercised my right to vote. And to not wear shoes that ruined my outfit."

Lively had added a tiny sliver of red to her heels to identify them as Louboutin knockoffs, and she also had a little fun with her brand loyalty. She tagged the designer in a photo of her artwork and wrote, "Are you hiring? Barefoot iPhone doodler with vast experience avail." She had previously given Christian Louboutin a shoutout years earlier when talking about planning her and Reynolds' controversial wedding. "What I planned before I got into the business has changed," she told Marie Claire (via Us Weekly). "Now I'm like, 'Hmm, I wonder what shoes Christian is going to make me.'" But while she might like to brag about her close relationship with the designer, apparently he doesn't offer an exclusive delivery service for customers experiencing shoe emergencies.

What would young Taylor Swift think if she learned that someday she would be friends with a girl who wears short skirts? But in retrospect, maybe an early red flag in Swift and Blake Lively's relationship is that the latter could have easily played the "You Belong with Me" villain with her style obsession and cheerleading past. Lively certainly played the part of a stylish queen bee perfectly in 2024 when she and Swift headed to Brooklyn's Lucali Pizza for a star-studded dinner. She wore a Guest In Residence sweater with bold stripes, a suede wrap skirt, and platform Louboutin heels. Swift also rocked a short skirt, but Lively clearly won that contest when she was photographed from the side; it appeared that her skirt had ridden up in the back to reveal the barest hint of her backside. (Where are those traveling pants when you need them?)

Perhaps Lively also regretted her decision to rock a chic French tuck. Some photos from her night out showed the front of her miniskirt flapping up to reveal her underwear. If her sweater had been untucked, it possibly would have prevented the embarrassing flash. Swift is among the many country stars who are haunted by similar wardrobe malfunctions, so she can commiserate with "The Shallows" star — as long as being pulled into Lively's legal battle with Justin Baldoni hasn't set fire to their friendship like one of Daenerys' dragons. (Fun fact: Swift experienced a similar slip-up while singing "You Belong with Me" on stage.)

Blake Lively's press tour for "It Ends with Us" was a hot mess. She was plagued by a seemingly endless stream of bad PR, including criticism for not taking the film's delicate subject matter (domestic abuse) seriously enough. Lively was also called out for a resurfaced interview that went awry when she gave snide responses to some questions. During the interview, when journalist Kjersti Flaa asked Lively about the wardrobe for "Café Society," the actor retorted, "Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes." However, Lively made promoting "It Ends with Us" all about the clothes, captioning a July 2024 Instagram post, "A month of flower fashion has begun."

Lively's theme dressing was inspired by her character's job working at a flower shop, and she found endless ways to incorporate blossoms into her outfits, such as the embroidery on her oversized Stella McCartney suit. At a photocall in London, she was photographed laughing and holding the front of her blazer in place while a stylist tried to fix her hair. Lively wasn't wearing a shirt, hence her focus on keeping her only cover from flapping in the wind.

Lively didn't just promote "It Ends with Us" by risking wardrobe malfunctions and festooning herself with flowers; she also showed an eagerness to "talk about the clothes" in her movie this time around. "It's some of my favorite wardrobe I've ever worn," she gushed to Vogue. "It's just so expressive and eclectic."

Blake Lively was thrilled to attend the New York premiere of "It Ends with Us" wearing the same 2002 Versace dress that Britney Spears wore to one of the designer's runway shows. "It should be in the Smithsonian or the Met. But it's on me. I feel so lucky!" Lively gushed to People. Unfortunately, her outfit choice caused some minor drama. "She did not shade Blake and felt honored," a spokesperson for Spears told Page Six after Spears posted a since-deleted Instagram video of herself wearing a different dress. Comparing the two garments, Spears wrote of her far shorter number, "I LIKE IT WAY BETTER." Meanwhile, insiders insisted that Lively wasn't making a bid for the lead role in a Spears biopic by borrowing her old gown.

Lively made the look her own by accessorizing it with a Judith Leiber clutch designed to look like a peony. Her excitement was evident as she greeted fans at the premiere, but because it was raining outside, she had a tough time waving at them. She was holding an umbrella in one hand to protect her precious dress, and in the other, she held her crystal-encrusted handbag. She animatedly swung it around while speaking to fans and photographers, which caused the purse to pop open. It was seemingly empty, as nothing fell out of it, so at least her assistant didn't have to fish her lip gloss out of a puddle.

Taylor Swift would never! Blake Lively caught some flak for refusing to wear a friendship bracelet a fan gave her at the London premiere of "It Ends with Us." In a video of the encounter that was shared on the AlloCiné TikTok account, the actor can be heard explaining, "Thank you so much. That's so sweet. I'm going to put it here because it doesn't go with my outfit, but I will wear it later." However, in response to the footage, some TikTokers pointed out that the colors of the bracelet actually did work with her outfit, a Tamara Ralph gown accented with (what else?) colorful blooms. Lively also wore a dramatic feather coat that she pulled down off her shoulders when posing for photos. This buried her wrists in the downy plumage, so she had no reason to worry about people seeing the thoughtful gift, anyway.

@allocine

Blake Lively est fan de son nouveau bracelet de l'amitié ....#onregardequoi#swifties #friendshipbracelets #itendswithus #filmtok

♬ son original – AlloCiné – AlloCiné

The actor cares deeply about her accessories. Lively spent her first big paycheck on jewelry, and she'll even replace her wedding ring with pieces that better complement her outfits. However, she might want to focus more on the jewels she's wearing on screen than how she styles her red carpet outfits. There are some glaring accessory-related continuity errors in "Another Simple Favor": She's wearing a spike-shaped earring in one scene, but it's seemingly been replaced by a hoop in another. A ring also goes missing amid cuts. But at least she isn't wearing a friendship bracelet!

It's more than likely that Blake Lively regretted her decision to slather herself with fake tan or bronze body makeup ahead of the NYC premiere of "Another Simple Favor" after she was spotted with stains on her dress. While the contrast of bronzed skin peeking through the latticework of her mint green Tamara Ralph dress was striking, some of it also seeped into the material around her armpit area. "If she did this herself, she truly is slipping because this is an amateur mistake," one Redditor wrote of the application fail. However, another commenter found something to like about the somewhat Trumpian orange stains. "As much as I know that's a fashion faux pas, as someone who can only self-tan and never actually tan, it's kind [of] nice to see this level of trashy representation," they quipped.

To add insult to injury, Ryan Reynolds almost caused more damage to the dress by stepping on its long chiffon train more than once. In an Instagram video shared by Bustle, he appeared to mouth the word "Whoa" after Lively yanked it out of reach of his foot. He did not, sadly, turn on the charm by grabbing the train and carrying it for his date. "Lol the rapid eye blink she gave him. You know she warned him about stepping on her dress a million times," read one reaction to the video on Instagram.

It's not uncommon for celebrities to copy other stars on the red carpet, but it's probably not the best idea to invite comparisons of yourself to someone with a fiercely loyal fanbase that might rip you to shreds for daring to wear the same outfit as their idol. However, Blake Lively did exactly this by rocking a trio of lemon-yellow Sergio Hudson pieces previously worn by Beyoncé. The "Formation" singer stepped out in her yellow sweater, silk maxi skirt, and wide belt in 2024 at Glamour's Woman of the Year ceremony. 

Perhaps seeing Beyoncé with buttery blond locks made Lively feel like she could also pull off the look, which she attempted a few months later at the "Another Simple Favor" afterparty in NYC. However, she spiked her lemonade look with a shot of cutesy kitsch by carrying a Judith Leiber purse shaped like a martini glass. It was a valiant effort, but when the two women were pitted against each other on Reddit, most armchair fashion critics agreed that Beyoncé won the battle. "It's perfection on Bey. It's pulled off a rack on Blake," read one scathing user review. Others also brought attention to Blake's wrinkled collar. But doesn't Lively deserve some credit for being brave enough to steal Beyoncé's look? Absolutely not, according to one Redditor: "Couldn't pay me enough to wear one of Beyonce's outfits and risk getting caught in a who wore it best," they wrote. "Further proof of Blake's poor judgement."