Blake Lively returns to New York party circuit in a $10K Karl Lagerfeld dress once worn by Christy Turlington

Arriving at Majorelle on Manhattan's Upper East Side last week, Blake Lively wore a piece with deep fashion history — a midnight-blue sequined Chanel minidress that Karl Lagerfeld created for the house's autumn/winter 1994 collection and that Christy Turlington originally modeled on the runway. The choice of a piece that predates most of her audience's fashion memory was not accidental: it was the kind of statement that signals a return on one's own terms.

The occasion was the holiday collection launch of jeweler Brent Neale, a friend whose work Lively wore prominently throughout the evening. It was her first notable New York social outing since the Met Gala in May — an event she attended only hours after reaching a settlement in her legal dispute with actor-director Justin Baldoni, her co-star on 'It Ends With Us.' Between those two appearances, she largely stayed out of the public eye, with a single casual outing at the FIFA World Cup final in July serving as the only other documented exception.

The strapless minidress features a scalloped, petal-like neckline and two oversized black satin bows running down the fitted bodice. The original Lagerfeld design also included a lace ruffle and a camellia flower brooch — elements removed from Lively's version. At $10,300, the full archival piece can be found listed on luxury resale platform 1stDibs. According to Page Six, Lily-Rose Depp appeared at the 2023 Cannes premiere of 'The Idol' in the complete original ensemble, ruffle and brooch intact.

Lively assembled the rest of the look herself — she is known to style her own appearances. To complete the outfit, she chose $38,850 diamond-covered bow earrings from Neale's collection, along with four statement rings — two custom pieces and two from Neale's Wildflower Collection — clear PVC Christian Louboutin heels with black toe caps and ankle straps, and a black Chanel bucket bag that Page Six valued at $6,400. Her hair was worn in side-parted Hollywood waves.

The legal matter that reduced her public visibility involved a highly publicized dispute with Baldoni related to their film collaboration. Lively settled the court case in May, according to multiple outlets, and attended the Met Gala the same day — carrying, in keeping with her established taste for accessories with a personal or novelty dimension, a bedazzled bag decorated with her children's artwork.

Lively has a documented history of reaching into fashion's archive. Among the looks Vogue UK has highlighted are a turquoise 1960s sequin dress she wore to a Tiffany & Co. event, rainbow Ashish tweeds, and sequined Stella McCartney denim, alongside novelty accessories such as a Judith Leiber pepperoni pizza bag and a martini-shaped clutch carried during the 'Another Simple Favor' press tour.

Why it matters — The appearance is the clearest signal yet that Lively is selectively re-entering public life following months of reduced visibility tied to her legal dispute with Justin Baldoni.

Reported by pagesix.com, pulptastic.com, vogue.co.uk