Blake Lively For Marie Claire US July 2012

Blake Lively smoulders on the cover for the July 2012 issue for Marie Claire US wearing nothing but a red satin blazer.

The rest of Blake’s editorial, shot by Txema Yeste, sees her wearing the same Marios Schwab dress Jessica Chastain wore last night to the 2012 Tony Awards. She also wears Jenny Packham, Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein.

Before the star embarks on a promo tour for her latest movie, ‘Savages’, set to hit theaters on July 6th, Blake sat down with Nina Garcia to draw out the distinctions between herself and Serena, especially in the dating department.

She’s still talking about not having a stylist and her plus she share how she got prepping for this movie.

There are some extracts below, plus you can read more over at MarieClaire.com.

On whether there’s someone who helps her with her look: “My assistant will call fashion houses for me, but I always pick the outfit, shoes, jewelry, and a lot of times I do my own hair and makeup for events. Sometimes I think, God, why do I do this to myself? It’s so much extra work!”

On why she doesn’t seek additional help: “Because I love fashion. It’s such an expression of self. I often see people and they look great, but I can identify who styled them. Every stylist has a signature. Maybe it sounds jerky, but I’m lucky to be on such a fashion-centric show [Gossip Girl]. There’s no designer I don’t have access to.”

On if there anyone’s style she’s currently obsessing over: “I love Florence Welch. She’s pure magic. I always admire people who make really strong choices. When you do something bold, it’s usually because you feel really good in it.”

On if wearing revealing outfits shades the public’s perception of her: “People like to draw parallels between my life and the scandalous stories on Gossip Girl. I dress the same as my character, so they think; she lives this life on and off set. I recently shared how many boyfriends I’ve had [four], and people were like, “That’s impossible!” But it’s true. I’ve been with very few people. If I’m not with somebody who really excites or inspires me, then I’d rather be by myself

On the public’s perception of her: “People like to draw parallels between my life and the scandalous stories on Gossip Girl. I dress the same as my character, so they think; she lives this life on and off set. I recently shared how many boyfriends I’ve had [four], and people were like, “That’s impossible!” But it’s true. I’ve been with very few people. If I’m not with somebody who really excites or inspires me, then I’d rather be by myself.”

On the hardest part of getting ready for her role in the new film, Savages: “I went to the gun range and learned how to shoot a gun for the first time. It was awful. I asked myself, why were these things ever invented? But I did feel good that my first three shots were straight to the heart. It’s good to know – don’t mess with me in a gun battle.”