Watch Blake Lively Recap Past Looks For Vogue

For movie premieres, fundraisers, and the Met Gala, Blake Lively has worked closely with designers to create statement-making looks. What is equally impressive is that the actor comes up with her own ensembles, without the help of a stylist — having famously forgone a stylist for the entirety of her career. She shared some insights into her style both on and off screen in the latest installment of the Vogue Life in Looks series.

The 34-year-old star spoke about the influence of New York City on her style, as the backdrop of her breakout show, “Gossip Girl,” and the place where she currently resides with husband Ryan Reynolds and their three daughters. At the recent “Gilded Glamour“-themed Met Gala, which she cochaired, Lively repped her love for the city in a flamboyant, custom Versace gown and tiara inspired by many of NYC’s landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Grand Central Station. “Rather than looking at fashion from the Gilded Age, I wanted to look at architecture,” she said. “New York has been such a critical part of who I am. It’s the place I choose to live. It’s the love of my life.”

Out of all her style moments, Lively showed the most nostalgia for the ones that harbored her baby bump. She cited the 2016 Cannes Film Festival as an example, where she made an appearance in a blue, asymmetrical, high-slit gown that concealed her growing belly. She hadn’t yet publicly shared the news of her pregnancy (she didn’t feel that was necessary), so she used fashion in her favor. “I am very private, and I’m very protective of my children, and I don’t want to share them with the world, and I feel like that starts when they’re in the womb,” she said. “So, I just thought, ‘I’m just going to dress like I’m not pregnant. I’m going to wear what I would wear if I wasn’t pregnant.'”

For more hidden gems in the history of Lively’s wardrobe, check out the full video above.