Anyone could have guessed that Blake Lively would dress florally for the August 6 premiere of "It Ends With Us" in honor of Lily Bloom, the florist she plays. But no one could have imagined that she would reference Britney Spears' vintage Versace dress.

A few days after assuming her screen persona in a Christopher John Rogers bouquet coat jacket and Dauphinette petal-strewn floral dress, Blake Lively made her final promotional appearance, she decided to dip into the archives of Los Angeles boutique Tab Vintage. The actress and founder of Blake Brown Hair Care chose a one-shoulder cross between a naked dress and a floral midi from Versace's Fall 2002 collection. Coated in nude sequins and dotted with pink, blue, yellow, and purple flowers, the dress looked like a copy-and-paste of the pop superstar's world tour wardrobe. And indeed, it was.

Blake Lively confirmed in Instagram Stories and in a red carpet interview with People that her dress was more than just a vintage complement. It's the exact same dress Britney Spears wore to Versace's Fall 2002 runway show.

"It's Britney's actual dress," Lively told the magazine. 'It should be on display at the Smithsonian or the Met Museum. But it's mine. I feel very lucky."

More than 20 years ago, Britney styled the dress with barrel curls, rosy blush, and pinwheels. Today, Lively takes a similar direction, pairing her signature cascading waves, pink cheeks, and iridescent blue heels. She also added a peony clutch bag by Judith Leiber and a sprinkling of jewelry by Lorraine Schwartz of Jewel Tone to add a floral touch to the dress.

Stars from Naomi Campbell to Olivia Rodrigo have recently realized that the biggest fashion flex is not to wear something brand new, but to reference a long-lost piece of fashion history by wearing vintage dresses on the red carpet They realized that the greatest fashion flex is not to wear something brand new, but to reference a long lost piece of fashion history by wearing a vintage dress on the red carpet. Boutiques such as Tab Vintage, Shrimpton Couture, and Aralda Vintage are connecting stylists such as Lo Roach and Molly Dixon with decades-old archival pieces for their clients' movie premieres.

Finding a dress from the height of Britney Spears' stardom is no easy task. (It's also a timely move: last week, reports broke that a Britney Spears biopic is currently in the works.) The star took to Instagram to pen a tribute that acknowledges what this look means to her, calling Spears "the ultimate queen who made us all want to shine, write, and share our stories."

"Britney, we millennials all have a story of a moment, or years, where you made us shine and awe with strength and joy and immense effort," she continued. Thank you for your example and your contribution to women telling their own stories."

Blake Lively's vintage Versace moment completed the marathon of floral-centric outfits she wore while promoting It Ends With Us. Celebrities these days are not content to show off their style on the red carpet. Instead, they've gone from chic (like Zendaya's Wimbledon white dress in the tennis movie Challengers) to camp (like Paco Rabanne's spiky mini, named after Anja Taylor-Joy's warrior hero character in Furiosa ), to items that pay homage to each character. Valentino's floral cutout jeans, Stella McCartney's embroidered Western chaps, and DAUPHINETTE's resin floral coat.

While it may seem like a recent phenomenon, Lively said on the red carpet that she has been in method-dressing mode for several years since 2018's A Simple Favor. At the time, she toured the press circuit in an exaggerated three-piece suit, much like the eccentric rich mother she played in the film.

"Years ago when I was in 'Simple Favors,' people asked me, "Why are you dressed like a character?" Why are you wearing a suit?" I told People. I told People. "It's because we don't have the marketing money to promote this movie. It's a small film, and the only thing people really pay attention to in a junket interview is the fashion shots, so if I just wore a men's suit, people would say, 'Why is she only wearing a suit?'"

Lively's styling, then and now, has certainly brought people's attention to her project. The night of the premiere did not end with Britney Spears in Versace. Later, she changed into a pink corseted mini-dress and matching sandal heels, looking like a peony in bloom. The designer, of course, was Versace.