Fearless style plate Zendaya has come a long way since she posed for cameras at Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never showcase as a bright-eyed teenage Disney star – which marked the actor’s first major Hollywood premiere.
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Her love affair with fashion was instantaneous, but not always easy. Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach came up with a long-term plan – “I was like an architect working on a blueprint,” he has previously told British Vogue – to evolve her image from sweet princess to Gen-Z trailblazer.
Central to his plan was the Who Wore It Best? column: an archaic fixture in weekly glossies. By dressing his client in the same looks worn by high-profile stars – but “better” – Roach quickly got Zendaya’s name on the map. Emerging designers were happy to lend looks to the rising star and big-name brands started taking notice, opening doors that were previously closed. Now that Zendaya can have her pick of any house, Roach’s mission “to help an amazing girl show the world what I saw in her” seems hard to fathom.
There have been some jaw-dropping red carpet moments along the way. Zendaya has a chameleon-like quality that makes the concept of a signature look seem positively boring. She gives every moment in the spotlight her all because of the research she and Roach put into a single turn in front of the cameras. “We play dress-up and create outfits to make ourselves happy, or to pay homage to the people we’re inspired by,” notes Roach.
They have deployed science – revisit her mesmerizing light-up Cinderella gown at the 2019 Met Gala to see true commitment in action – and welding techniques – her Versace Met look the year prior was a modern-day ode to A Knight’s Tale – to make Zendaya stand out. Myriad hair transformations – from blunt bobs and waist-length braids to fabulous disco diva curls – have heightened the transportive qualities of her red carpet moments, which are never anything but a joy to behold (the buttercup Valentino haute couture number she shut down the 2021 Oscars in was happiness personified).
To mark her 28th birthday, we look back at Zendaya’s greatest fashion hits to date.
Returning with a bang
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How better to celebrate Zendaya’s return to the red carpet than in vintage Versace? Roach pulled not one, but two decadent looks for the actor’s appearance at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, including a bright green and black gown from 2002 – as pictured here.
A knight’s tale
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Name another mortal who looks chic in actual armour. Zendaya’s Joan of Arc tribute – all vampy Versace sequins and staggering platforms – was a saintly take on the 2018 Met Gala’s Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination theme. “Holy” was a hard sell on the style front, but Zendaya went in swinging.
Warrior woman in fuchsia
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Dialling up the drama at the 2020 Critics’ Choice Awards, Zendaya made the most daring look of the spring/summer 2020 season – Tom Ford’s sexy-tough breastplate – look like a walk in the park. The entirety of Hollywood bowed down.
Alta moda
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Faced with a directional Comme des Garçons theme at the Met Gala 2017, Zendaya went her own way in fanciful Dolce & Gabbana couture. The tropical ballgown fluttering with parrot prints was a vibrant signifier that you can’t put Zendaya in a corner.
Gen-Z Hollywood glamour
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This custom Vera Wang gown at the 2019 Emmys called to mind Poison Ivy and had us itching to see more collaborations between Zendaya and world-class design studios.
The modern-day ballgown
The Euphoria actor made history at the 2020 Emmys by becoming the youngest star and the second Black woman to win the prize for outstanding lead actress in a drama series. Zooming into the ceremony wearing two custom looks, it was her sublime Giorgio Armani Privé sparkly bralette and polka-dot ballgown that was splashed across the papers congratulating the bright young star.
Classic Westwood chic
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The Vivienne Westwood gown that cemented Zendaya’s transformation from Disney darling to bona fide Hollywood star. Comparisons to Lisa Bonet were made. Greek goddesses, too. But for us, she just looked wholly original.
The Cinderella gown
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Construction of Zendaya’s illuminating Tommy Hilfiger 2019 Met Gala 2019 required 20 carbon fiber rods, five battery packs and 40 meters of LED lights. It was the definition of “it takes a village”, and 100 per cent worth it.
Youthful Barbie-pink
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Zendaya’s Spider-Man: Homecoming promo tour wardrobe saw the actor take a literal approach to dressing for the red carpet, but it was this knock-out pink Ralph & Russo gown that blew the cobwebs off trad premiere dressing.
Heavenly sunshine
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The Valentino haute couture gown that scored her the undisputed “wow” moment of the 2021 Oscars. Sheer perfection.
Pretty in pink
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It was hard to miss Zendaya at the 2023 SAG Awards dressed in powder-pink Valentino. Pierpaolo Piccioli designed a special custom look for the star to wear to the ceremony, adorned with 190 roses.
A wet-look moment
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Zendaya’s Venice Film Festival debut in 2021 featured a bespoke leather Balmain dress that resonated with her role as Chani, the desert warrior in Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, Dune. She completed her look with an eye-catching Bulgari necklace, elegantly crafted with lashings of emeralds.
Old Hollywood glamour
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At a Bulgari event in Venice, she wore a custom black velvet corset dress by Richard Quinn, with a plunging neckline and a fishtail hem. This ensemble harked back to the iconic styles of Elizabeth Taylor and Dorothy Dandridge in their mid-century heyday.
Honoring Indian fashion in style
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At the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in India, she wore a tailor-made ensemble by Rahul Mishra. The outfit was a contemporary take on the traditional sari, featuring a beaded golden top paired with an intricately embroidered, flowing skirt.
In her Louis Vuitton era
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Last April saw Zendaya step into the limelight as the new face of Louis Vuitton. Since then, her red-carpet wardrobe has been a whirlwind of LV moments, with one standout moment being this stunning white floor-length dress, complete with a daring front zip, worn at the brand’s spring/summer 2024 show during Paris Fashion Week.
The stuff of sci-fi dreams
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On the press tour for Dune: Part Two, Zendaya dazzled in an array of vintage treasures curated by Roach. The most buzz-worthy was her appearance in a Thierry Mugler bodysuit from the autumn/winter haute couture 1995 collection. The futuristic ensemble was crafted in chrome and Plexiglass, co-designed with aircraft expert Jean-Pierre Delcros and inspired by the art of Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama.
New-age bombshell
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While often channelling the allure of Old Hollywood glamour, Zendaya offered a refreshing twist on tradition at the 2024 Oscars. Opting for an Armani Privé silk gown adorned with an asymmetrical roped shoulder strap and embellished with an embroidered palm tree motif, accented by gunmetal paillettes, she radiated sophistication with a modern edge.
Game, set, match
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As Zendaya embarked on the promotional journey for her latest film Challengers, her wardrobe took on a sporty, tennis-inspired vibe. One striking piece was a glittering green dress by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe – the mastermind behind the film’s costume design. Complete with a thigh-high slit and matching sparkling pumps, it perfectly captured the essence of athleticism merged with high fashion.
Twisted beauty
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Zendaya co-hosted the 2024 Met Gala in two John Galliano designs. The first was a custom Maison Margiela couture dress – an hourglass sage lamé and organza bias-cut gown worn over a duchess satin corset, as pictured here – that she personally paid for. The second was originally look eight of Galliano’s first Givenchy couture collection – spring/summer 1996 – designed the same year she was born. She swaggered up the museum’s steps like the best of Galliano’s bewitched mesdames, pausing to clutch dramatically at her waist and cast an over-the-shoulder glare towards the paparazzi.
Originally published in Vogue.co.uk
