Thought you already wanted wanted every single outfit Blake Lively steps out in (maternity looks included)? Just wait until you see her character’s wardrobe in her new film, The Age of Adaline. It could be her most stylish role yet — sorry, Serena van der Woodsen!. We got an exclusive peek at one of her “Adaline Through the Ages” movie posters (this one’s from the ’70s!) and found out how the costume designer and makeup artist helped age her without really aging her.
Courtesy Lionsgate
Playing a character born at the turn of the century — but who never physically ages past 29 — Lively embodies the most stylish looks from every decade. Costume designer Angus Strathie (who nabbed an Oscar for for his work on Moulin Rouge) explains that his challenge was to make Adaline look age appropriate, despite her outward appearance never changing.
“Mixing styles became Adaline’s personal look,” he says. “She draws from all of her time on earth and she gets a sense of security from her wardrobe.”
In one scene, Adaline goes on a date wearing something from every decade: a 1920s Bohemian jacket, worn over a 1960s skirt and sweater and accessorized with a 1940s handbag. “Incorporating those vintage pieces into her contemporary look gives her an individual style,” he says.
The same goes for the film’s vintage hair accessories, which hair stylist Anne Carroll tracked down from her travels around the world. “If Adaline had something from the 1940s, it is still something that she would still possibly wear,” she explains. “She spent her lifetime collecting.”
But as for her turtleneck in the 1970s poster? That was all Lively. “It was Blake’s idea to include a number of classic turtlenecks in Adaline’s wardrobe,” says Strathie. “And it was a good idea! It aged her in a good way by making her look a little conservative and covered up.”
It’s no surprise that she had a hand in the movie’s wardrobe, after explaining to us that she styles all of her own red carpet looks. “It’s such a passion of mine,” she shared. “That’s the reason I don’t have a stylist, not because I think I can do it better than any of these people, but because I just love it so much that it would be like handing over something. It would be like making a cake and then handing it off to someone else to ice and decorate. Why would you do that?” (And even more telling? Many of the pieces are Gucci, a favorite brand of hers — she fronts the brand’s Première fragrance, after all.)
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And to create a beauty look that would reflect the character’s aging-but-not-aging dilemma, makeup artist Monica Huppert referenced a collection of authentic period makeup she kept in her trailer to draw inspiration. Her goal was to subtly change the style of makeup for each decade, while still retaining Adaline’s overall classic look.
For ’70s-appropriate shades using modern makeup, Huppert used L’Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Lipcolor in Permanent Blush and L’Oreal Paris Visible Lift Blur Blush in Soft Peach (Lively’s a spokesperson for that brand as well).
Can’t wait until the film comes out on April 24? We’re betting Lively will give us plenty of perfectly-put-together promotional tour outfits in the meantime.
What do you think of Adaline’s 1970s look? Will you be seeing the film? Share below!
–Colleen Kratofil
