Old Hollywood’s Reincarnate: Blake Lively

With Marilyn Monroe’s buxom red lips, Raquel Welch’s tousled 10,000 B.C locks and Rita Hayworth’s neat little cat eyes, it’s no wonder Blake Lively is tip-toeing in the gilded footsteps of the classic Hollywood ‘It’ girl.  Gracing our screens back in 2007’s ‘Gossip Girl’ as Serena van der Woodsen, a misunderstood Upper East sider with more money than sense and a wardrobe to die for, Blake Lively had us mere mortals glued to our telly screens. Meanwhile, fashion’s finest fought over who would dress her and who would be the first to splurge her across next edition’s double-page spread. Like putty in the hands of fashion’s glitterati, Blake put her stamp on the face of fashion back in 2009, when she was photographed by both Patrick Demarchelier (Glamour UK) and Mario Testino (Vogue US), effortlessly injecting glamour and silver screen drama into the pages of the finest glossies.  Also appearing in Chanel’s 2011 handbag campaign ‘Mademoiselle’, it wasn’t long until Blake became the muse of Karl Lagerfeld who describes the American beauty as ‘the modern day Grace Kelly’ and ‘a breath of fresh air’ in today’s celebrity culture.  This is not to say that our new ‘It’ girl hasn’t had a brush with the paparazzi-induced world of celebrity hysteria.  True to Hollywood form, Blake is presently in the media spotlight for more personal reasons such as her whirlwind romance and speedy marriage (not forgetting the world’s obsession with spotting a baby bump) to fellow actor and heartthrob (brace yourself) Ryan Reynolds, which seems the perfect fit for Hollywood’s hottest property.

With the cinematic aesthetic being a popular theme for AW12, Blake seemed the natural choice for Gucci’s new perfume ad campaign, aptly named ‘Première’ where we see our golden girl pacing around the master bedroom of the famous Sheats Goldstein Residence, looking out onto a glittering Los Angeles skyline.  Hair tucked behind her ear in soft brushed out curls, Blake is dripping Gucci decadence in a heavily embellished backless gown, hugging her enviable figure in all the right places, nipping in at the waist and fish-tailing out from the knee into a pool of gold around her feet.  The silhouette screams Old Hollywood and ageless style, living up to Blake’s self-confessed alter ego and the Tinsel Town romanticism driving the campaign.

Often styling her own looks, Blake admits that fashion is in her blood (unsurprisingly her mother was a model) and uses clothes as a way of expressing her creativity.  Claiming not to have one distinctive style, Blake uses classic references making her style choices a question of ‘who do I want to be tonight?’ as opposed to ‘who do I want to wear tonight?’.  Wouldn’t we all if we had a devoted team of stylists that could actualise our wildest fashion dreams?  Claiming not to be just ‘keeping up appearances’ in the face of the media, it is refreshing to know that it is simply Blake’s love of making the effort and her obsession with the Hollywood archives that really inspires her fashion choices.  Whether it’s the yellow Gucci gown, with plunging neck line (seen recently at the ‘Savages’ premier) that screams ethereal romance and a Midsummer Night’s Dream or the immaculate little black dress and rouged lip combination that radiates 1940s lavishness, Blake Lively never fails to deliver that red carpet look.  Always with a twist of glamour, be it in the risky neckline or the dramatic length, our cinema and Hollywood obsessed taste buds are always well and truly satisfied.  Move over the Audrey Hepburns of years gone by, our golden girl is here to stay.