Blake Lively, who famously styles herself, dug deep into Versace’s archives for the New York City premiere of her new film It Ends With Us. For the big night, the actress wore the iconic rainbow Versace dress that Britney Spears memorably donned in 2002. Lively chose the piece from Versace’s spring/summer 2003 collection specifically to pay tribute to Spears.
She explained her sartorial decision by posting a photo of Spears in the dress on her Instagram Story ahead of the premiere. “The ultimate queen who made us all want to sparkle and write and share our stories,” Lively wrote. “Britney, us millennials all have a story of a moment or of years that you made us want to shine and inspire awe, with strength, and joy and immensely hard work. Thank you for your example and your contribution to women telling their stories. So excited about your biopic and all you have to come.”
To double down on the look, Lively wore her hair in soft waves, similar to Spears’ hairstyle when she wore the dress to Versace’s Milan Fashion Week show on Oct. 1, 2002.
Lively has worn floral looks throughout her press tour as a nod to her character’s job as a florist in the film. She has also been very open about her love of Y2K culture. When her husband Ryan Reynolds’ new movie Deadpool & Wolverine hit theaters, she shared on Instagram how millennial women may have inadvertently inspired the script.
She shouted out the references, writing in her caption, “My y2k girlies, I should be competitive bc @itendswithusmovie is coming out in 3 weeks BUT when your middle school obsessions, your feelings post baby, or about Nice men who use feminism as a tool, your love of the Wizard of Oz, Succession, Sandy & Danny, driving with Avril blasting, the way the choreography of a certain boy*band song got me, of Baz Luhrmann fireworks to punctuate a moment, even down to the fact that our hair color is determined by seasons and the French method by which it’s painted are all so seen… MY WORD… it’s hard not to encourage my ladies to spot all the ways we’ve influenced @deadpoolmovie I’ve never been more proud. And I’ve given birth 4 times. 🤣 ❤️💛”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.