Surprise! Blake Lively made her grand return to the 2026 Met Gala on Monday night. (The star, who last attended the event in 2022, had been a regular fixture on The Met steps over the years, attending 10 times prior to tonight.)
To mark her buzzy entrance onto this year’s red carpet, the star chose an archival Atelier Versace number from spring 2006. Two decades later, the glamorous gown clearly still feels relevant.
“It’s an honor to attend with Donatella, one that I don’t take lightly,” Lively tells Vogue. “I haven’t been since giving birth to my fourth child. Every year I am a different version of myself than the last, so to be able to stand in the version of myself that I am today—and all the experiences I‘ve had—in strength and confidence is important to me. So is staying home on the couch with my kids in pajamas. Getting to do both is an honor I will never stop being grateful for.”
“Blake looks stunning in archive Atelier Versace,” adds Donatella Versace. “She has had so many iconic Versace moments at The Met, and tonight is no exception.”
Drawing inspiration from the “Fashion Is Art” dress code, Lively chose a pastel Atelier Versace gown that featured three-dimensional architectural elements, all inspired by 18th-century Venetian Rococo paintings. “Because the theme is based in art, I wanted to wear an archival piece,” says Lively. “Clothing really is a canvas, and it tells a story, so to be able to pull from a piece that has its own history, and has stood the test of time, felt special.”
The draped bodice—which clung to the body with an almost liquid-like construction—was embroidered with gemstones in shades of powdery pinks, yellows, corals, peaches, and lilacs. At the hips, four three-dimensional structures—acting as “bays”—evoked the architecture of a Baroque church. The sweeping four-meter skirt, meanwhile, featured fabric that dissolved into a painted sunset-like sky.
“What made this piece ‘the one,’ is that the gown is the color of both a sunrise and a sunset, representing so much beauty, warmth and the many layers and nuances in the closing of one day and the beginning of another,” says Lively. “Honoring the cycles of life and time in the most beautiful way. Art that has personal, interpretive, and meaningful stories within them is the work that moves me most as a fan.”
Lively accessorized the look with a personally meaningful accessory: a custom Judith Leiber Couture bag that incorporated colorful artworks made by her four children (her three daughters and son, whom she shares with husband Ryan Reynolds). “Having my kids with me (in any way possible) is always the best feeling, so that will always take the cake,” says Lively.
“The team and I always enjoy it when Blake reaches out with special projects. Her love of sparkle and touch of whimsy make her a dream client,” says Jana Matheson, the EVP and chief creative officer of Judith Leiber Couture. “This season’s clutch, featuring her children’s artwork, is an especially meaningful touch. We used a new minaudière shape with four sides, so each of her children’s drawings could be included. What better way to bring your four little ones to a black-tie event than by carrying them with you on your clutch?”
Lively has always been one star to count on delivering drama at The Met. In years past, the actor has worn many winning Versace creations, including her 2022 gown inspired by the Statue of Liberty that “patinaed” on the carpet—her long train unraveled to showcase a copper-like finish. In 2018, she donned an ornate red-and-gold Versace design for the “Heavenly Bodies” theme. Tonight, then, you could say she carried the tradition forward.
“My favorite pieces I’ve been lucky enough to wear to The Met have been creations with Versace,” says Lively. “Given that this is a significant year for the brand and for Donatella, it was such an honor to be able to celebrate her work, and the history of it in an archival piece and one that has never been worn before. My kids were also with me helping and giving input. To be able to create surrounded by and alongside people I love, gives the entire look such meaning to me.”
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