Zendaya teases Met Gala 2024 look: How her past ensembles made her a fashion darling
The Met Gala will soon get back one of its biggest showstoppers in Zendaya, who has been absent from the glamorous annual fundraiser since 2019.
As one of this year's co-chairs alongside Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny, the "Challengers" star is sure to impress, and the fashion world is giddy to see what the actress and famed celebrity "Image Architect" Law Roach cook up. And with Zendaya already turning heads at the premieres of her new film with Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor, her Met comeback is all the more anticipated.
"Hopefully with the Met, since I've been away for so many years, maybe this time around I won't be so stressed," Zendaya tells USA TODAY ahead of the 2024 festivities.
From Cinderella-core to patron saint chic, here's how Zendaya's Met Gala looks made her a fashion darling, starting with her 2019 camp look.
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2019: Zendaya gives magical take on Met Gala camp theme
For 2019's theme, "Camp: Notes on Fashion," Zendaya paid tribute to her Disney kid beginnings, wearing a Cinderella-inspired ball gown with Roach serving as her fairy godmother — wand, cape and all.
Zendaya and Roach, who have collaborated for over a decade, took the Met for a dramatic ride, with a custom light-up Tommy Hilfiger gown, a pumpkin carriage purse and smoke billowing out from Roach's wand. The spectacle nailed the camp theme and is one of the Met's most iconic looks.
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2018: Zendaya goes saintly for Catholic-themed Met Gala
Zendaya gave a historic take on 2018's "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" theme, showing out as the Roman Catholic saint Joan of Arc, in a silver Versace gown that could pass as real armor, paired with a copper bob and blunt-cut bangs.
The "Dune" actress has shared that the shimmering number is one of her "all-time favorite Met looks," telling Vogue's Life in Looks that the dress was "so heavy" due to the gown's intricate beading. The discomfort seemed to be worth it, as Roach's close attention to theme has made this one of her most memorable looks, period.
2017: Zendaya a work of art in Dolce & Gabanna
2017 may have been the same year as Zendaya's breakout role in "The Greatest Showman," but she was already turning heads with her fashion and style.
The "Euphoria" actress was a breath of fresh air in her Met Gala look for the theme "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between," highlighting the Japanese fashion designer known for her avant-garde clothing. The lengthy Dolce & Gabbana gown featured a toucan and floral print, a complementary peach lip and a blowout.
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2016: Zendaya brings the mushroom bob back in '70s-inspired Met look
Zendaya went full '70s for 2016's "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" theme, wearing a gold, form-fitting Michael Kors gown paired with a short mushroom bob and smokey eye makeup. Kors himself joined the actress on the red carpet in a classic, low-key tuxedo, allowing Zendaya all the spotlight for this foxy moment.
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2015: Zendaya nails 'China: Through the Looking Glass' theme in Met Gala debut
As a budding 18-year-old starlet, Zendaya made her Met Gala red carpet debut in a fun and flirty Fausto Puglisi dress. The "K.C. Undercover" actress channeled a sun princess for the "China: Through the Looking Glass" theme with solar accessories, long, lightly curled hair and black pumps.
Going on to impress on numerous carpets, Zendaya's 2015 Met Gala gave a preview of the high-fashion she was set to give us for years to come.
What will Zendaya wear at Met Gala 2024?
Will Zendaya give us more Disney princess vibes? Will Law Roach give us a literal take on the sleeping beauties theme or something more up to interpretation? Both have been mum about plans, so we'll have to wait and see on May 6.
Onlookers are expecting a grand slam of sorts from Zendaya as co-chair, but coming off her "Challengers" press tour, she simply is looking to enjoy the moment.
"I'm trying to figure out ways to enjoy all of this," she says. "I get very anxious and nervous; it's a big deal. I've never opened a movie in this way before, so I'm just trying to enjoy the ride."
Co-stars Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist may join her as well, but don't think they'll show up in just anything. Zendaya says the men "have their own wonderful styles, so we'll see what they give."
Contributing: Patrick Ryan