There are worse jobs in the field of costume design than having to dress Blake Lively. Eric Daman first came to understand this when he costumed the original Gossip Girl—and now, over a decade later, he and the actor have reunited for the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends With Us. In the movie, Lively portrays quirky florist Lily Bloom, who finds herself falling in—and out—of love with a successful neurosurgeon as their whirlwind romance eventually turns toxic.
Despite the film’s heavy subject material, it’s clear that Daman and Lively had a lot of fun pinpointing just the right clothes to make this story come to life visually—and, it turns out, incorporating a Gossip Girl Easter egg into the film that many viewers may have missed. We caught up with Daman to learn more about what it was like to collaborate with Lively again after over a decade apart.
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How is costuming Blake Lively different from costuming other actresses?
Blake loves clothes and loves playing dress-up. We had such an amazing time on Gossip Girl. She likes to bring things to the table, in ways that other actors might not be so proactive. She does it in earnest. It’s really a creative exchange. As a costume designer, it’s always important to take your ego out of the work and realise that actors are humans with different dispositions, but working with Blake is a delight. To have a dialogue around clothing is really incredible. It’s like working with your best friend who is obsessed with fashion in the way you are.
Do you have a closeness with her that is different from other actors you’ve worked with?
It’s not like Blake and I are besties who hang out all the time. We’re close, we have each other’s backs—but I hadn’t really worked with her in this capacity since the end of Gossip Girl, really. So coming back to the table with her was incredible.
Gossip Girl ended in 2012. What has changed—or hasn’t changed—about Blake since then?
What hasn’t changed is her excitement and wide-eyed love of fashion. Her excitement around that was blissful to experience again. And what has changed is motherhood and growing up. She’s gotten married, and I really think having a family and husband and experiencing all that in her life, there’s a huge change. To see her with children and how they’re a fantastic family unit was really heartwarming. A lot of that life experience adds to what she brings to the table, as far as the role. It only augmented her awesomeness. Like, how can you be more beautiful and more loving than you were already?
I’m curious how you engaged with the novel It Ends With Us as source material for the film. The author has stated publicly that she really didn’t write about her characters’ outfits in the book.
I mean, first, I read the book! My degree is in French literature, and I studied at the Sorbonne, and it was a very intense deciphering of double and hidden meanings. So I really learned there to peel back and find nuggets. I probably read the book three or four times to find little nuggets or inspiration about who these people are and what they would dress like, and what 2024 culture would be like. We wanted Lily to be something really special, but there wasn’t much on the page other than the flashbacks in her childhood. Lily was a young girl in the 1990s and early ’00s in Maine. Her father was the mayor, she likes to garden—so we started to think about who she is and what she lives through, and how that translates to adulthood.
So what was the look you decided on for Lily?
In early conversations with Blake, we were both very adamant that we didn’t want Lily to be a shrinking flower. On the page she can seem a little reserved or bookish, but she’s not a shrinking violet or a Reformation girl. No shade to Reformation, at all! It’s one of my go-tos! But I think fans were expecting something more. So our vision ended up being a little more ‘naughty riot grrrl meets men’s workwear’ vibes. There’s also this aggressive element. We wanted to show that even a strong woman can fall into an abusive situation, and the clothing lent itself to that.
Where did you source everything? Did you find vintage, did you work with brands? I heard that some of Blake’s personal pieces also made cameos?
All of the above! We did a ton of vintage shopping at all the go-tos in New York City that we are blessed with, like Buffalo Exchange. For the Carhartt jumpsuit, I did a deep dive on eBay. We worked a lot with Bode. It was important for us to find a balance for what we were trying to do—to make it look real, but also adding that Blake flavour that people want. Lily wears this patchwork wool coat that’s one of her signature pieces, and it’s from Bode. We wanted found objects that felt artisanal and had a story. We also worked with some bigger brands. Lily carries a Valentino tote with her as her hero tote. It felt important to have aspirational elements that are also relatable. It’s not like Lily is wearing a different Valentino’s in every outfit. Like, maybe this tote she carries to work is her one designer item. It’s good to have elements like that, that are somewhat based in reality—because most women, especially in city settings, have at least one designer bag.
Was there anything Blake offered up from her own closet that was especially apropos?
She has the most amazing shoe collection I’ve ever seen in my life. To have access to that was amazing. It’s important for any actor to feel connected to what they’re doing, and if a certain pair of shoes feels like the right thing from their life, then that for me as a designer is important to be open to. Blake definitely brought in a few pieces. The YSL crystal boots everyone is talking about are incredible—those are hers. She also connected us with Gigi Hadid, who has an amazing cashmere collection, Guest in Residence, and they sent over some incredible pieces. I mean, I’m not going to be grumpy about including Gigi’s cashmere line!
Having access to these things must be exciting for you.
It’s a treat. Every actor and person is different. Blake does it with such joy in earnest—that’s the treat. We can get access to the things, but the fact that she does it with such joy and genuine excitement is a thrill. Blake understands character dressing and what it can mean to a scene. She’s exceptional, really.
Are there any small details you’re especially proud of?
Allysa, played by Jenny Slate—her headbands are definitely a self-referential nod to Blair Waldorf. The whole thinking in that was that Allysa would have come of age during Gossip Girl, and would have watched it and would have been a Blair Waldorf. The first time we meet Allysa, she shows up and it’s all dusty and Blake has gloves on, and I wanted Allysa’s arrival to be like if Glinda the Good Witch had landed in the story. So to put those headbands opposite Blake was an Easter egg.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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