Blake Lively exudes elegance and charm. In the film “Age of Adelaide,” her classic, timeless beauty is undeniable. Best known for her role in “Gossip Girl,” Lively is an actress with an arsenal of skill and fashion forwardness on and off the screen.
She has made a name for herself as her own stylist and captured the eye of the press by planning multiple outfit changes in a single day and challenging fashion norms with decadent detail.
In an interview with Vogue, Lively credited this in part to her mother, who previously worked as a model and instilled in her a desire to dress differently than those around her from a young age.
Her most recent statement in fashion, however, has been turning heads and inciting some criticism. Anticipating the release of the upcoming film “A Simple Favor,” Lively has attended her press tour donned in dapper, extravagant suits of all styles.
Each suit varies in style, appearing in plaid, velvet, pinstripe, bell-bottomed, shirtless and lime green forms.
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After Lively wore a loud but perfectly executed plaid suit and joked that she would bring the tablecloth to the picnic, one Instagram critic said the actress badly needed to fire her stylist.
Not one to be ridiculed for her fearless fashion sense, Lively said: “Thank you for the tips, sir. Alas, I’ve tried to fire @blakelively so many times. But that b—- just keeps coming back. She won’t leave me alone.”
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Her classy execution, fiery disposition and impeccable charm are excellent for promoting the adoption of suits into women’s closets everywhere; but inspiring the demasculinization of such a powerful article of clothing is not for womankind alone.
Lively is as ambitious as she is clever, and her suit trend ties into the role she plays in the upcoming film, which releases on Sept. 14.
In the film, Lively is Emily Nelson, a mysterious, intimidating and powerful woman and mother who goes missing.
Besides being enigmatic, brooding and secretive, her character is also usually seen dressed sharply in crisp suits and ensembles that would otherwise be considered masculine, if not tailored and styled so perfectly to her figure.
Stephanie Smothers, played by Anna Kendrick in the mystery thriller, must solve the disappearance of a fellow mother and friend: Emily.
The two are depicted as having a strange, almost obsessive bond that lends to the odd sense of secrecy in the film and is reported to unwind in a story of betrayal and intrigue.
Playing the intimidating role of Emily, the actress is characterized by her choice to dress in traditionally male clothing, and in the film, Lively reportedly has a naked portrait of herself hanging in her home, a power move that might very well stem from the sense of confidence that suits have given men for decades.
By wearing suits in the promotion of the film, Lively also takes the dominance and extravagance of her character off-screen and challenges gender norms of female elegance.
Although viewers will have to wait until later this month to learn more about the strong, female role Lively portrays, women do not need to wait to see why the adoption of the suit into womenswear is a power play for challenging gender norms and an otherwise excellent addition to any fall wardrobe.
