Zendaya’s Iconic Red Carpet Moments
Zendaya made her acting debut at the age of 14, starring in Disney Channel’s Shake It Up as Rocky Blue. 16 years later Zendaya has become a triple threat; an actress, singer, and dancer. She has become an Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress for her role in the hit show Euphoria. Ever since she left her Disney days behind she's been booked and busy, starring in five projects this year alone. Zendaya never fails to show her talent in front of the camera, but this fashion icon can also work it on the red carpet. As the queen of method dressing, let’s look at some of her most iconic red carpet looks.
DUNE
From the moment Zendaya was casted to play Chani in the Dune franchise, she quickly became a main focus, even though she received only seven minutes of screen time in the first movie. The premiere events for Dune: Part One, cemented her as the queen of red carpets. All of her outfits fit the science fiction theme of the movie. At the Venice premiere of the first movie (first photo), Zendaya stepped out in a custom Balmain dress. The leather gown, paired with a BVLGARI emerald necklace, made her look like the dessert warrior she plays in the movies. Days later at the London premiere, she wore a sand-colored Rick Owens gown. The long train and sculpted top of the dress makes her look like a sci-fi princess. Zendaya stepped it up with the Dune: Part Two premiere in London, wearing a robot look by Thierry Mugler that divided the internet. Now in 2026 for the Dune: Part Three preview at CinemaCon, Zendaya wore an ensemble from Schiaparelli that mimicked rippling sand dunes. With the third movie set to be released in December of this year, I can’t wait to see what fits Zendaya has planned for the press tour.
2. Spider-man
Marvel’s Spider-Man was Zendaya's first major movie franchise after leaving Disney. In the movies, she plays socially awkward, sarcastic, and cynical MJ; off-screen, she owns the carpet with her killer looks. To the L.A. premiere of Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zendaya wore a red and black, sequined Armani Privé gown, her version of the Spider-Man suit. Before the start of the official press tour for Spider-Man: No Way Home, Zendaya walked the red carpet for the Ballon d’Or photo-call in Paris, wearing a piece from Roberto Cavalli’s autumn 2000 collection. From the front it looked like she was wearing a simple high neck skintight dress, the back revealed a golden skeleton that mimicked two snake heads which could be a nod to the Spider-Man: No Way Home villain Dr. Otto Octavius. At the London photocall for the third movie, Zendaya stepped out in a look straight off the runway by Alexander McQueen: an oversized blazer and thigh-high boots both embroidered in crystal raindrops resembling spider webs. Finally to the red carpet premiere of the same movie, Zendaya wore a custom Valentino Haute Couture gown that had a plunging neckline and spider web embroidery. She accessorized the dress with a Spider-Man mask, perfectly tying the look together. The fourth movie in the franchise, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is set to release this summer so we know Zendaya has plenty of Spider-Man themed looks to shoot out.
3. Challengers
In this romantic sports drama Zendaya played Tashi, a stone-cold tennis star caught in the middle of a love triangle. Like Tashi on the tennis court, Zendaya brought all the energy and charisma through her looks to the Challengers press tour. For the Australian premiere the actress wore a custom sparkly green Loewe gown by Johnathan Anderson, the brand's creative director and the movie's costume designer. The dress featured a shadowy image of Zendaya playing tennis from the film. By the same designer for the Rome premiere, Zendaya wore tennis ball-pierced stilettos and a sparkly pleated dress fit for the tennis court. At the London premiere Zendaya stunned in a custom look by Thom Browne that incorporated the tennis theme all throughout. The collared halter dress was covered in small tennis rackets, and the skirt featured panels of white mesh that mimicked a tennis net. The dress was finished with the brand’s red and blue stripes at the bottom and accessorizing bows. A day later at the London photocall, Zendaya graced the carpet in a vintage 1994 Vivienne Westwood ensemble. The striped vest was paired with a matching mini skirt featuring a feathered bustle, the perfect look to sit in the stands of the Grand Slams. Zendaya slayed this press tour with a wide variety of looks, cementing her as a fashion icon.
4. The drama
In her most recent film, The Drama, Zendaya plays Emma Harwood alongside Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple whose relationship becomes tested. Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach were very strategic with the outfits for this press tour, making sure to emphasize the theme of marriage. The pair chose the outfits around the saying “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. So starting off with “something old”, to the L.A. premiere Zendaya wore a white Vivienne Westwood gown she first wore back in 2015 on the Oscars red carpet, which was a pivotal moment for her career and the black community. Her “something new” was a bespoke Louis Vuitton white crewneck dress. The simple dress featured a large black bow with a dramatic train that made Zendaya look like a bride to the Paris premiere. In Rome the star wore a black Giorgio Armani Privé gown, “something borrowed” from Cate Blanchett after she wore it at the 2025 Venice Film Festival. The dress’ structured body was accompanied by a deep neckline embellished with onyx stones. Finally for the “something blue”, Zendaya has many people waiting for this one, teasing several other blue looks before the big reveal. For the New York premiere, the queen turned heads in a stunning Schiaparelli mermaid gown straight off the runway of Paris Fashion Week. The piece was covered in thousands of hand-dyed silk feathers, emphasizing the shape of the corset and tiered ball skirt. These looks were the amazing start to one of Zendaya’s busiest years.
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