Pregnant or not, Blake Lively, the star of the new thriller movie The Shallows, certainly knows how to work the red carpet. At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the soon-to-be mother of two displayed her impeccable fashion sense at premiere after premiere, pairing different outfits with perfectly matching jewels. With Lively’s exquisite taste in jewellery, mixing and matching brilliant precious stones with matte-finished hippie gems, she looked every inch a glamorous Hollywood old timer.
“She’s really hands on and doesn’t follow [any fashion] rules”, shared jewellery designer friend Lorraine Schwartz. “She does what she wants, and she loves to play with jewels. That’s how we became such good friends.” With Lively’s great eye for fashion and a true appreciation for jewels, she and Schwartz often collaborate with her red carpet looks. “She gets excited like a little girl when she sees jewels,” added Schwartz. “She takes chances, she is bold, classic, elegant. Jewellery is as important to her as any part of the outfit.”
How did you develop your fashion sense?
I learned at such a young age that you just have to wear what you feel comfortable in. That’s very empowering because when you look for other peoples’ validation, you’re never really going to get the whole general consensus. That also happens in the [film] roles that you choose. So it is all about what are you going to feel the fullest version of yourself in that will usually work.
How do you put your wardrobe together?
I like dresses that have a small waist because I’m curvier. A cinched waist looks more timeless. I look at these old movies and I wish that we could wear these pillbox hats and gloves to the grocery store. I mean, that would just be the greatest day of my life if that all came back again. I like things to look effortless. If it looks too done, then it just doesn’t feel right. My idea when I dress up is to walk out of the house in a gown feeling like I can run through Central Park barefoot and play in a fountain after. I like that whimsical nature to it. I don’t like things too stuffy.
Before you had the baby you were travelling all the time. Did you collect stuff?
When I was in South Africa, I came back with all these amazing bangles and skirts. You always find things around you that inspire you, whether it be films you’re watching or books you’re reading — to help define you.
Which was your most memorable gown out of the several outfits you wore on the Cannes red carpet?
It would have to be the sweeping baby-blue Vivienne Westwood gown, paired with a fairytale-esque Lorraine Schwartz headband of pink diamonds. The princess ballgown was very feminine. We did a platinum sparkle nail to give it a little spunk, and I wore a darker smokey eye for a rock ‘n’ roll twist. It’s a Vivienne Westwood gown after all. It wouldn’t be right to wear it without giving it a bit of spunk.
Let’s talk about jewellery. How do you accessorise?
Let me tell you what I did for The Shallows. For the morning interviews, I had an Elie Saab couture mini straight off the runway from the Spring 2016 Couture show, and added earrings from Lorraine Schwartz and a double-row diamond ear cuff from Anita Ko. For later in the day, I wore a Jenny Packham lime chiffon gown with sequin and crystal floral embellished bodice and a Madewell denim jacket. Jennifer Meyer created a custom pair of earrings for this look with a turquoise inlay and lapis drop.
And for the premiere?
I wore a Carolina Herrera cocktail dress with a patent leather bustier top and big tulle skirt embellished with patent leather flowers. For a dress this gorgeous, I called in an enormous emerald Lorraine Schwartz cocktail ring, 20ct diamond and black onyx studs, and a black diamond ring.
I heard you changed later on for the after-party?
Yes, I changed into a skintight black David Koma bodysuit with long sleeves, a turtleneck and a cutout across the shoulder, plus a skirt with a revealing mesh panel. I finished it off with Ofira Jewels black and fancy diamond disc hoops and a pair of Lorraine Schwartz black jade and diamond bangles and a diamond asscher-cut bracelet.
You also like mixing rings.
Oh yes. For the Jenny Packham outfit, I wore an Alison Lou Cry Baby signet ring featuring diamond tears, a Jennifer Meyer diamond and lapis ring, and a Mociun turquoise bracelet, as well as a Lorraine Schwartz evil eye bracelet.
What’s your most treasured possession?
The possessions that we gain are great, from the Louboutin Blake shoe to the beautiful Chanel couture that I get to wear. Lorraine Schwartz jewellery — every piece of her jewellery makes me so happy. But it’s the stories and the people that surround them that are more important. My friends and my family, who have been there for me before any of this, keep me grounded. It makes all of those possessions much more fun because it never gets old. Every day, we can squeal and be like, “Can you believe we tricked them? I get to wear Chanel couture. Me? This girl from Burbank. How cool is that!”
