Blake Lively Has Great Taste in Vintage

Whatever you think of her floral fashion extravaganza, her archival looks never miss—thanks, in part, to her go-to reseller, Tab Vintage.

Blake Lively famously doesn't have a stylist. Any time she hits the red carpet, whether it's in a smoking hot Marvel unitard (complete with a matching Hadid sister) or her still-talked-about fashion tour de suit for A Simple Favor, her fans race to the comments section to remind everyone that, in the words of Julia Fox, she actually did it herself.

When the newly minted beauty mogul isn't channeling Hollywood glamour at a premiere or cheering at the Super Bowl in a tracksuit, she must be busy because, as any fashion pro will tell you, styling a press tour is work. Hard work. Back-breaking, mind-numbing, lugging a suitcase up the stairs and calling FedEx for the sixth time at 3 a.m. work. As such, I've always viewed her purported lack of fashion help with a healthy amount of skepticism.

But according to Tab Vintage Founder Alexis Novak, she's the real deal. Novak, who runs her designer archive business from L.A., helped source some of the best looks from the It Ends With Us floral fashion extravaganza, but it was Lively who had the imagination to bring them to life. "We sent her options, and she made selections," explains the vintage collector. "We did not style her; she is very talented and creative, and the looks were all her own vision."

Still, there's no denying that fashion magic happens when these two team up. Just a few days ago, Lively caused a minor internet meltdown by re-wearing Britney Spears's Versace butterfly gown (the actual gown—not just the same design) first donned by the pop icon at a Milan Fashion Week runway show in 2002.

Since then, it's lived rent-free in many a millennial brain. The dress is quintessential Y2K fashion, with its asymmetrical neckline and iridescent details, making it a piece of sartorial history. As Lively puts it, "It should be in the Smithsonian or the Met. But it's on me. I feel so lucky!" Novak agrees, claiming she couldn't believe it when she found the dress.

"It changed my brain chemistry," says Novak, who started her company after a family member's passing in 2019 inspired her to pursue her passion. "I was 11 years old when she first donned it. Britney Spears was an all-time icon of mine, and when I saw her in that dress, it was like fireworks. It was beauty, strength, edge, glamour, culture, and it was what I wanted." Cut to more than two decades later, and almost as if by fate, the dress found itself in the hands of the vintage curator and eventually on the back of another blonde fashion darling.

In fact, Lively tapped Tab Vintage for all the standout looks from her Lily Bloom-inspired Colleen Hoover movie tour. Her upcycled outfits are the best fashion flowers in the bouquet, so to speak. Take the two-piece Galliano-era Dior suit she purchased (a rarity in the celeb red carpet game unless you're Law Roach and Zendaya) for an appearance on Monday. Between the ever-so-puffed shoulder and subtle floral print (in 100% silk, of course), the set is strikingly tailored and well-styled with a side sweep of Old Hollywood curls. It's arguably the most elegant of her tour so far, hitting all the right notes of grown-up glamour and joyful pattern play that Lively does best. Perhaps her fans do have a point with the whole Simple Favor suit fixation.

The Vivienne Westwood sundress Lively wore in New York City last week (which Novak originally bought from a former VW employee in Manchester) was also a fashion highlight. Amidst the power-clashing patterns and glamazon accessories of her many other It Ends With Us looks, this one stands proud like an elegant lily in a bed of carnations. Compared to, say, her leather chaps moment or sculpted latex minidress, the halter—even with its kooky hemline and big flowers—evokes Grace Kelly, adding some much-needed ease and polish to her botanical style tour.

Novak, for her part, likes the sustainability angle most of all. "We have enough clothing already made to last us eons," she explains. "I do think there is a powerful and important statement made when celebrities choose to wear something that already exists. It's walking the talk of sustainability and letting the world know that it is cool to care about Mother Nature and to wear something that has been worn before!"

Whether or not you vibe with her flower power maximalism and penchant for over-accessorizing, Blake Lively turns it out when she wears vintage. When she up-cycles, she always looks good and, more importantly, it does some good, too.

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