Dozens of couples glided up the steps of the 2025 Met Gala to show off their interpretations of the vintage-forward theme. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, two of the most enthusiastic interpreters of each year's dress codes, weren't among them.
By the time the red carpet heading into the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" event had welcomed its last stars—Cardi B and Kendall Jenner among them—there was no sign of Blake Lively. (Her close friend Taylor Swift also left her 2025 Met Gala suit on the hanger.) "Tailored for You," the evening's dress code honoring the style legacy of the Black dandy, would have been a natural progression from the two-piece sets and cane Lively had worn onscreen during her turn as the scheming Emily Nelson in A Simple Favor. However, as TMZ reported in March the star planned to skip months in advance of the big night.
Lively's absence from the 2025 Met Gala isn't as surprising as it seems. She and Reynolds haven't actually attended since 2022, when they co-chaired the "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" installment. The duo met the "Gilded Glamour" dress code with a look that went down in Met Gala history—at least on Blake's part. She worked directly with Versace to craft a strapless dress honoring the Statue of Liberty: It first appeared in a bright, metallic bronze resembling the original statue, before it unfurled to reveal a second layer streaked with the turquoise defining today's monument.
Blake Lively's Met Gala journey began the same year as Taylor Swift's: 2008, for the "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" red carpet. Her interpretation of the theme didn't involve a cape or a mask: just a Ralph Lauren strapless gown paired to dainty black lace gloves. That was the first of ten total Met Gala appearances for the former Gossip Girl lead, ranging from a one-shoulder, blue Versace gown for "The Model as Muse" in 2009 to strapless black and silver Gucci dress for "PUNK: Chaos to Couture" in 2013.
At press time, Lively hasn't commented on her absence from the 2025 Met Gala guest list. She's still kept fans of her eclectic style fed in recent weeks, with novelty Chanel bags and latex dresses while promoting Another Simple Favor, however.
To see the stars who did make it to the 2025 Met Gala, keep up with Marie Claire's live coverage of fashion's biggest night.
