Fans of Blake Lively were promised a glimpse of the star on Friday night during her signing at The Dubai Mall. But for some of the hundreds who crowded Galeries Lafayette where the actress was launching the Gucci Premiere perfume, even a glimpse proved unrealistic.
A cheerful Lively gilded down the in-store red carpet just past 7pm in a shimmering black-and-silver Gucci dress, surrounded by multitudes of screaming fans. She was escorted to a raised platform where a single golden seat awaited her, with carpeted stairs on either side making it seem throne-like.
Fans, who were screaming variations of “Blake! Blake!” and “We love you!”, sometimes rewarded with a face-splitting grin and a wave from Lively herself, were admonished by security as they began pushing against the barricades that held them in, some climbing on top of their friend’s shoulders in order to see.
“I put my fashion choices together just like everyone here does,” Lively said during a short interview ahead of signing autographs, though she could barely be heard through her microphone.
The 26-year-old added that it’s all about “finding that thing in you that makes you feel beautiful.”
Lively, who married Ryan Reynolds in 2012, also talked about food; the actress has appeared in cookery demonstrations for Vogue’s website and has entered into food-related business ventures in the past. She said she doesn’t have a signature dish, but likes to learn how to make local delicacies wherever she travels.
“I was hoping to take a cooking lesson while I was here, but I didn’t have time.”
The public event — which coincided with the first day of Dubai Shopping Festival — was designed so that 60 to 80 lucky fans would win a golden ticket after buying a Gucci Perfume bottle. It allowed them an autograph and a brief interaction with Lively, separated from her by a large table and supervised by two security guards.
“There’s so many people, it’s so crazy,” Lively initially apologised to one competition-winner who was unable to take a photo with her.
But fans became creative and cheeky, some of them having a friend in the crowd snap a picture while the interaction was happening, while some took awkwardly angled selfies to try and get Lively in the background. Eventually, the rules about taking photos with the actress became less stringent.
One little girl walked up to the platform and accidentally wandered right past the Gossip Girl star. She was pulled back to Lively and hoisted up by her brother — barely older in age or bigger in size — so she could hand over a photo to be autographed, earning a synchronised “awww” from the entire crowd as Lively’s face lit up.
The actress looked more than happy to engage with each fan, and was seen laughing out loud when one man wearing a cap and a kandoura jokingly affected a high-pitched scream upon meeting her. Another fan shared her story of getting into fashion with Lively, which prompted a heartfelt response of “really? Wow! That’s so inspiring — thank you for sharing that.”
After nearly forty minutes, the signings ended. Lively descended from her spot and walked over to fans who were pushing against their flimsy barriers with a renewed enthusiasm. She signed a number of impromptu autographs before being escorted out by security in a flurry through an emergency exit door, disappointing fans who thought she might walk back down the red carpet as she was leaving.
“This beats it,” an awed Lively said earlier when asked about the best thing she’s seen in Dubai, referring to the massive crowd. “This is pretty amazing.”
