Nowadays, we know Blake Lively for being something of a style icon. But before she started dabbling in the art of luxury fashion, she was just like you and me: A Forever 21 connoisseur.
I’ll give you a moment to process that “Gossip Girl’s” Serena van der Woodsen was nothing more than a commoner.
It’s very humbling news — finding out that a celebrity used to, not just casually wear on her days off, but walk the red carpet in Forever 21 gear.
RELATED STORIES
She wasn’t exactly proud of it though.
Let’s be honest, Forever 21 isn’t the type of brand you want to flaunt down the red carpet.
So, she did what any of us would have done: Lied through her teeth.
When people would ask “who” she was wearing, she would tell them it’s “vintage”.
Nobody even so much as batted an eye at that. It was the ultimate cover-up.
In a recent interview with InStyle, Blake opened up about the truth behind her red carpet looks, and why she lied about them in the first place.
“I wore Forever 21 much longer than I admitted,” she said. “I just started saying it was vintage because I was so shamed for it.”
While Blake was just starting out her career, she didn’t automatically have access to designers begging to craft her original pieces.
So, she did what any normal girl would do — she wore the things she already had lined up in her closet.
The yellow mini tube dress that she wore to the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, was a $13 dress from Forever 21.
“People were like, ‘Who are you wearing?’ But when I told them, they said I shouldn’t admit to it,” she explained.
“It was more impressive to have a designer gown that’s thousands of dollars,” she said.
She added that since then, she thought a lie would be a lot less embarrassing than the truth.
“After that, I just told people it was vintage,” she said .
The good news is, no one questioned whether or not the dress was vintage or not.
She was able to get by wearing what she was comfortable with for the first leg of her career.
Now, she opts for clothes from the fancier side of the tracks.
She explained that since she’s been able to rock Chanel and Versace pieces, she feels freer to express herself.
“For me, fashion is a form of self-expression,” she said .
Blake revealed that getting to the point in her career where she can walk the red carpet in pretty much anything she wants has really gotten her out of her shell.
“It also really takes me out of my comfort zone,” she went on .
She then explained that she has always been a timid person, and that is why she chose acting as a career.
Becoming an actor forced her to take more risks — the same way that she can now do with her style choices, thanks to her career choice.
“One of the reasons I’m an actor is that I’m naturally very shy,” she said.
“So it’s liberating to dress up and pretend to be someone else .”
Fashion certainly has a way of opening up new ways of expression.
Especially when you aren’t limited to wearing $13 dresses from Forever 21.
Blake is a true example of starting from the bottom. She has taken major strides since that fateful 2005 Teen Choice Awards red carpet.
She went from sporting Forever 21 elastane-nylon dresses on the red carpet, to being a notable fashionista.
That is serious progress .
Props to her for climbing her way to the top!
I’d also like to give Forever 21 a special shout — as a token of gratitude on behalf of women everywhere. Thank you for being affordable AF and always having our backs.
What do you think of Blake’s 2005 Teen Choice Awards dress?
