Blake Lively is on the ascent, style wise, most recently on the arm of designer Michael Kors (and wearing his thigh-high slit white dress) at the CFDA Fashion Awards in New York. Before that, she was busy making and promoting movies (her starring role in It Ends With Us came in August, while she supported husband Ryan Reynolds’s film Deadpool Vs. Wolverine in July). And, oh, the 36-year-old actor still found time to pose on the cover the August Vogue. In other words, it’s been a heady time for the star since she started working on the regular after her youngest child Olin was born in February 2023.

So how does she do it all and still stay sane within her marriage to another mega-celebrity? Well, we know she finds joy in trolling her husband via social media, but I also wondered what the duo’s fashion choices might say about their relationship. Are they stylistically in sync? Or one pair of bad trousers away from divorce? (I jest…sort of.) Below, my highly scientific investigation.

Boy and Girl Next Door

On October 23, the couple attended a performance of the musical & Juliet on Broadway, channeling a sort of boy-and-girl next door charm—Reynolds’s Fair Isle sweater vest and khaki trousers and Lively’s pola-dot skirt with dotted tonal tights read as the nerdy kid in class palling around with the star of the school play. She’s got kooky charm, and he’s happy to be near her.

In Tune, But She’s the Star

On what looks to be date night earlier in that same month, the two actors step out wearing creative normcore. Lively is working a 𝓈ℯ𝓍y sheer maxi dress with side slits, paired with boots, while Reynolds is the picture of nondescript, wearing blue trousers and a white button-front shirt. Again, Lively is the flashy one in the duo—however Reynolds’s striped socks, tucked discreetly under his pants, show that he appreciates a little bit of flair himself.

Letting Her Take Center Stage

In August, Reynolds again dresses as though he’s the backdrop cloth for Lively’s burnished makeup and shimmering jewel self—fittingly, since this is the premiere of her star turn in It Ends with Us. Not only does Reynolds’s sage-colored suit pair nicely with his wife’s multicolored dress (this couple plans their public appearances carefully), but it’s also understated in a way that lets her take the spotlight in a brilliant bedazzled Versace dress (which she noted was actually the same dress Britney Spears wore way back in 2002). The signal from the couple? We’re working as a team, and it’s Blake’s night tonight.

But She Supports Him Too

At the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine in July, Lively dressed in homage to her husband’s cinematic persona. (The premiere was a big deal for family and friends—even Taylor Swift joke-tweeted for the opening.) Her tight black-and-red va-voom dress is the same colorway (and approximate snugness) that Wade Wilson’s alter ego Deadpool wears. Here, the couple is again supporting one another, because canny businessman Reynolds understands that his bosomy wife in a 𝓈ℯ𝓍y dress is going to get a lot more publicity than any suit he could wear—and as not only star but also producer of the film, he’s happy to have her work towards the family bottom line.

Sometimes She Gets a Little *Too* Into It

At the New York premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine, the sartorial hijinks get really out-there: It looks as though both Lively and Reynolds got to invite a plus-one, and Gigi Hadid wore Wolverine colors while Lively donned Deadpool’s hues. As for that other Hugh, as in Jackman? Both he and Reynolds seem to be relieved to not have to wear any costumes as all, relaxing into black tie.

It’s Clear They Still Dress for Each Other

Last October, watching the Kansas City Chiefs from the box with Lively’s bestie Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes, the acting couple continue to rock normcore with Reynold’s nondescript Dad short sleeved shirt. However, note that Lively has on a thin-strapped tank top tucked into snug jeans…she’s a woman who wants to look 𝓈ℯ𝓍y for her man, and seven months after giving birth, has moved out of smock tops and is happy to display her sleek shoulders.

But Always Comfortable as Their True Selves

In September 2023, the two appear on a New York City sidewalk and could be any late summer Manhattan tourists—she’s wearing Velcro shoes and cutoff shorts, and he’s rocking the khaki trousers again. Comfortable in their clothes and easy with each other—even when they aren’t working on any big projects about to be released, they are unified.

Bottom Line: Their Romance is a Fairy Tale

Fitting to end the ballad of Blake and Ryan, Fashion Mix, a shot of them at the Met Gala in 2022. Here, they’re dressed up as perhaps the most fairy tale couple ever—from Lively’s ornate column dress, elbow length gloves and ultra-long pink-blue train (topped with a diamante hair ornament that’s practically a tiara) to Reynolds’s ultra-elegant white-vest tuxedo. The looks is not only swoon-worthy, it’s perfectly matched. These two are for one another, as much off-duty as when they’re all high-profile. A toast to the happy couple!