Zendaya made a spectacular comeback to the Met Gala on Monday! Following a five-year absence, Zendaya returned as a co-chair for the 2024 Met Gala, joining Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny. Before this, her last Met Gala appearance was in 2019 when she dazzled the crowd in her magical Tommy Hilfiger Cinderella ball gown.
The 27-year-old actress delivered more than I could have imagined at the 2024 Met Gala, showcasing not one or two but three exquisite outfits appropriate for a co-chair. Her latest outing came following a whirlwind press tour for Challengers, where she once again demonstrated her mastery of method dressing by donning chic tennis-inspired looks.
In true Zendaya and, of course, Law Roach fashion, they did not let fans, including me, down.
Zendaya co-chairs the 2024 Met Gala and celebrates the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit in elaborate ensembles by John Galliano and Celia Kritharioti (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
Dubbed The Oscars of the East Coast or the Super Bowl of Fashion, the 2024 Met Gala honors the museum’s “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” exhibit, which corresponds with the “The Garden of Time” dress code inspired by J.G. Ballard’s short story of the same name.
Exceeding my expectations, Zendaya captured the very essence of the evening’s theme, which focused on fleeting beauty, evoking a somber mood with three different looks as she posed on the famous Met Gala steps.
From her ominous John Galliano gowns to her alluring Celia Kritharioti plunging dress, let’s look closely at Zendaya’s outfit selections at this year’s gala.
Channeling Her Inner Villain in Maison Margiela
When I saw Zendaya on the Met steps, she looked like she had just stepped out of the set of a Disney movie, having played a glitzy villain. She even stayed in character, striking ferocious poses on the Met Gala stairs. True enough, there’s never a dull red carpet moment with Zendaya.
Specifically designed by Maison Margiela’s Creative Director John Galliano for Zendaya, the bewitching gown drew inspiration from one of Galliano’s creations for Dior’s Spring/Summer 1999 Haute Couture collection.
Zendaya arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City wearing a dramatic blue and emerald green Maison Margiela trumpet gown with organza overlay, metallic crin, and nature-themed embellishments (Credit: DNphotography / Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
Paying a dramatic homage to the Met Gala theme, Zendaya’s gown consists of a sage lamé bias-cut “siren dress” with an iridescent electric blue organza overlay. It features bands of hand-painted metallic crin wrapped in aluminum material and an organza drape that envelops her body. It is tied with a giant bow on one shoulder and around the waist.
The thematic dress exquisitely highlights the Dune star’s slender frame. It has a boudoir-colored duchess satin corset underneath. It hugs her hips snugly and flows from her knees into a trumpet skirt.
In addition to the exquisite layers of fabric and flattering silhouette, the gown has a stunning assortment of nature-inspired decorations. Its corsage is hand-embroidered with natural motifs, metallic birds, berries and grapes, flowers, vines, and nuts.
Granted, the ensemble is somewhat busy, but I think it nicely captures the often-ostentatious nature of the event. It also flawlessly illustrates the Garden of Time dress code.
Zendaya shows off her red carpet skill, looking villainous as she strikes fierce poses on the Met Gala steps (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
Nature-Themed Accessories to Match
As always, I was captivated by Zendaya’s outfit selection, but the accessories made me more obsessed.
The hat is definitely worth talking about! The Spider-Man actress set the bar high with her silver metal-wire ‘reverse swatching’ beret hat by milliner Stephen Jones. It is encased in stockings and has a black hand-painted voile created in the shape of a plume on top of a hand-painted net veil.
Zendaya is seen sporting a Stephen Jones “reverse swatching” beret hat made of silver metal wire with a black hand-painted plume-like voile sitting atop a hand-painted net veil (Credit: DNphotography / Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
Zendaya carried on the garden motif with her heels, though they were hardly visible from underneath her gown.
She wore the green “Tabi” pumps by Christian Louboutin for Maison Margiela, crafted from Eau de Nil velour and a faux lizard with interlaced ankle straps set atop a thin heel.
Her jewelry echoed the night’s theme and contributed to Zendaya’s overall glitz. She wore a range of emerald Bulgari jewelry, which included a pair of High Jewelry earrings, stud earrings, an emerald and diamond ring, and a $62,000 Serpenti ring in 18k white gold with emerald eyes and full pavé diamonds.
Zendaya pairs her iridescent blue and emerald green gown with her emerald Bulgari jewelry (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
Dramatic Villainous Hair and Makeup
Zendaya looked perfect in every way, down to her glam.
I adore her eye makeup; it evoked a villainous aura and perfectly complemented her ensemble. Her red smoky eyeshadow, thick mascara, and eyeliner, all framed by pencil-thin eyebrows, gave off an eerie vibe that went so well with the look.
Combining a bold lip color with dramatic eye makeup may be over the top for some, but I thought Zendaya looked amazing with her heavy eyeshadow and rich plum lips.
Ursula Stephen used Living Proof products to pull back her blonde tresses into a low chignon so as not to distract from the dress.
Zendaya keeps the villainous look going by wearing smokey red eye makeup and vampy lipstick (Credit: DNphotography / Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
In Mourning… but Make It Fashion
Just when you thought Zendaya’s style couldn’t get much better, she made an unexpected second appearance on the Met Gala steps, this time donning a somber yet opulent black gown from John Galliano’s Spring 1996 Couture Collection for Givenchy.
Perhaps realizing that one ensemble wouldn’t be enough for a spectacular comeback on fashion’s biggest night, Law Roach and Zendaya planned a second look that truly impressed onlookers.
Roach sourced the period gown from Rita Watnick’s upscale vintage clothing boutique, Lily et Cie. John Galliano designed it while he was the French luxury label’s creative director.
Zendaya reappears on the Met Gala steps in a voluminous black gown created by John Galliano for Givenchy’s Spring 1996 Couture collection (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
The black mottled gray silk and black silk zibeline gown accentuates Z’s slim figure and wide shoulders and features a corseted lace-up bodice and an off-the-shoulder neckline adorned with ruched lace ruffles. The lace-trimmed long sleeves and the structured peplum with slit pockets add drama, but I think the dress would still look amazing without them.
The Victorian gown’s bottom half is an enormous skirt with a monarch train almost covering the entire Met stairs. It’s definitely a show-stopper!
Lily et Cie’s Watnick revealed to The Hollywood Reporter, “Zendaya tried on the one dress, and only that dress. She put it on, and it was clear she felt really good in it, and she also liked the way it walked.”
As per Watnick, the dress is “the only one in the world, it’s in virtually perfect condition, made by John Galliano and worn on the runway by Veronica Webb, and only worn after by Nadja Auermann in an editorial after that. It speaks to everything that’s important to us when we buy pieces.”
Zendaya’s archival black Givenchy gown features a corset bodice, a lace-trimmed off-shoulder neckline, and an enormous skirt with a monarch train engulfing the Met Gala stairs (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
Paired with a bouquet on her head, Zendaya evoked the image of a glamorous woman mourning a loved one. Seriously, though, that was how I initially perceived the appearance. But the more I look at it, the more I love it.
The theatrical bouquet headpiece, made of a couple dozen roses wrapped in black tulle, was designed by Philip Treacy for British designer Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2007 collection.
Zendaya further accessorized with a diamond ring and a pair of Bulgari Platinum and Diamond drop earrings, letting the gown and headpiece steal the show.
A pair of Christian Louboutin “Marchavekel” shoes, which unfortunately were hidden beneath her dress, added height to her look and kept the garment from drowning her figure.
Zendaya is giving rich grieving woman energy as she pairs her black gown with a bouquet hat by Philip Treacy (Credit: PA Images / INSTARimages)
No other actress is as committed to using fashion as a means of artistic expression as Zendaya.
For her second appearance, she not only changed into another extravagant outfit but her hair and makeup were also redone to match the ensemble.
She wore golden makeup, bronze eyeshadow, bleached eyebrows (or, more likely, just covered up), and pink lips instead of vampire lips. I give her glam squad credit for an excellent job.
Zendaya goes browless and wears warm, golden makeup with natural pink lipstick (Credit: Michael Stewart / INSTARimages)
Comfy and Daring in Celia Kritharioti
Later that evening, the Euphoria actress took to the stage with her Met Gala co-chairs, surprising fans with another outfit change.
Perhaps recognizing it wouldn’t be a brilliant idea to host the event in the voluminous Givenchy gown, Zendaya made a quick change, swapping the black gown for a classic evening dress.
She had her third outfit custom-designed by Greek fashion designer Celia Kritharioti. The gown was a classic example of an embroidered evening dress, richly adorned with beads, crystals, and small flowers in keeping with the Garden of Theme dress code.
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The glittery gown perfectly clung to her slender body. Its plunging neckline almost reached her belly button for a sultry flair.
She styled the look with the same Bulgari earrings, hair, and makeup as earlier.