Blake Lively Outfits That Didn't Deserve The Hate

Few stars have experienced the volatility of public opinion like Blake Lively. Rising to fame as everyone's favorite budding fashionista on "Gossip Girl," she quickly rose to the role of real fashion icon once she'd taken her show-stopping 'fits to enough Met Galas. But her reputation plummeted with her involvement in a 2024 legal battle against "It Ends With Us" director Justin Baldoni, plus a string of bullying allegations. As is usually the case, when people started to come for Lively, they also came for her wardrobe. Several of the actor's looks found themselves being ripped to shreds on blogs and social media, and frankly, we're not sure all of them deserved the hate.

Lively's aesthetic has undergone several transformations over the years, and she tends to be the most experimental when she's doing movie press. The "Age of Adaline" press tour in April 2015 served up some of her most criticized looks, including retro ensembles that were Adaline-coded. These might not have been moments of sartorial genius, but they were far from awful. Her fashion pushed even more boundaries on the lightning-fast "It Ends With Us" press tour in late July and early August of 2024, ruffling even more feathers. She might have struck a different cord as she reached for floral-themed pieces that spoke to her Lily Bloom character, but we mostly saw these looks as fun, creative, and even chic in some cases. Blake Lively certainly wore some awful outfits while actually filming "It Ends With Us," but her promo wardrobe was mild in comparison.

Criticism of Lively herself is another issue, but when it comes to her style, these looks weren't nearly as bad as they were made out to be. In fact, we'd even list some as our favorites.

In April 2015, Blake Lively used "The Age of Adaline" aesthetic, which is set across multiple decades of the 20th century, as inspo for her press tour wardrobe. Life & Style named this '50s-style midi as one of her most "terrible" outfits during the promo rush, but we have to disagree. It's not reflective of her go-to aesthetic, but it's not awful. The contemporary white design gives the navy dress a modern edge, while the pearls and off-shoulder neckline set it firmly in the vintage file, creating an interesting final look.

We were treated to Blake Lively's "It Ends With Us" press tour wardrobe in the summer of 2024, and just like the costumes from the film itself, her real-life outfits got a lot of hate. This experimental white-and-pastel Dauphinette dress made its way to a 2025 Reddit thread ranking the actor's worst outfits, with one user naming this "feather dress" as among the worst of the worst. It might not be the prettiest look, but the statement fringe bottom is fun and summery, and shows that Lively doesn't take her fashion too seriously. 

Elsewhere on her "Age of Adeline" press tour in April 2015, Blake Lively took a risk with a multi-colored paisley mini that had a high neck and lace detail. There's a lot going on, but the dress alone is not bad; the many tones work well together, especially where the merlot meets the pale-blue at the shoulders. Life & Style included this 'fit on its "terrible outfits" list, and to be fair, it was too much with the matching lace-trimmed coat. But the dress on its own? Kinda cute, especially with the matching platform heels. 

Florals were the assignment on the 2024 "It Ends With Us" press run, and in our opinion, Blake Lively batted it out of the park with her Oscar de la Renta mini in early August. With the structured strapless silhouette and the ombré tone of the flowers, beginning with saturated purple and green at the top before ending up white on the bottom, this look was perfection in our eyes. Wildly, one Reddit user thought it among the looks that "violate the Geneva convention." Fashion really is in the eye of the beholder!

Back on the "Age of Adaline" press tour in April 2015, Blake Lively decided to go for a monochrome moment in the form of this pink pants 'fit, which featured a sheer netted top with a high neck tucked into the super-high-waisted pants, and a matching coat. Life & Style slammed this lewk for having the same shade as Pepto Bismol, which it did. But if you can get past the color comparison, the simple ensemble from Cushnie et Ochs was sweet, simple, and pretty. It might even be a monochromatic outfit to inspire your one-tone looks.

For reasons we don't completely understand, the white archival Vivienne Westwood that Blake Lively donned during the 2024 "It Ends With Us" press tour made its way to the 2025 Reddit thread highlighting the actor's worst looks. "Was just thinking that I think [this dress] is ageing on her," one user replied after another Redditor admitted that they secretly liked this frock. We can see why: Paired with the embellished Christian Louboutins, this feminine look is equal parts classic and contemporary, and in our opinion, one of the better outfits of the tour.

Blake Lively is one of the undisputed legends of the Met Gala, topping her own standards each year that she attends. But in 2016, she won the wooden spoon for Lainey Gossip, who named her the event's worst-dressed. Sure, this pale-pink Burberry gown didn't reach the heights of her 2022 Atelier Versace Lady Liberty cosplay, but it did make our list of Blake Lively's best Met Gala looks ever. The red floral appliqués were striking on the blush satin of the Watteau train, coming together to make the "Gossip Girl" star look celestial. 

One of the more boundary-pushing 'fits that Blake Lively wore in July 2024 while promoting "It Ends With Us" was the beaded blue-and-white Chinoiserie dress, which featured unexpected red hanging beads against yellow underlay. She teamed this with a Judith Leiber mushroom bag and Dorothy-coded ruby heels. Confusing for minimalists? Absolutely. But, take away the hanging beading and accessories, and it's a chic warm-weather moment. Besides, fruit and veg motifs were dominating runways not even a year later, so Lively was ahead of the game with her fungi purse.

Most of the looks from the "It Ends With Us" press tour were super-feminine dresses, but Blake Lively took a more practical approach with this floral Chanel top and pants set in light and dark blue. There's so much to love about this look, from the statement silver rosette purse to the double-blue tone, but it still ended up being criticized on the 2025 Reddit thread. When it comes to the stunning transformation of Blake Lively, this has to be one of our favorite street-style looks, not just of the press tour, but of her career.