Zendaya’s Met Gala Looks Through the Years | Photos
There are a few faces that always get a reaction when they pop up at the Met Gala, and over the last decade, Zendaya has become foremost among them. The “Spider-Man” and “Dune” actress has become a mainstay of the high-fashion event since she made her Met Gala red carpet debut in 2015.
To date, the star — with the help of her brilliant, dedicated stylist Law Roach — has made seven total appearances on the Met Gala carpet (but eight looks thanks to pulling double-duty when she was co-chair in 2024), and consistently tops the best-dressed lists year-after-year.
2025: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”
Zendaya’s back on the Met Gala carpet this year, which is themed “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” after the exhibit that “presents a cultural and historical examination of Black style over three hundred years through the concept of dandyism.”
Tailored indeed, Zendaya wore a pristine white, custom Louis Vuitton three-piece suit with a matching wide-brimmed hat. She completes the look with jeweled rings and extra-long, manicured maroon nails.
2024: “The Garden of Time”
After five years away from the Met Gala, Zendaya made a big return in 2024, , this time as a co-chair alongside Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth. Naturally, she stepped it up, delivering not one, but two complete looks for the “Garden of Time” theme, inspired by the “Sleeping Beauties” exhibit.
First, she donned a peacock-inspired Maison Margiela’s John Galliano dress, with deep and dramatic makeup: pencil sharp eyebrows, smoked out maroon eyeshadow and a shiny, super-pigmented lip just this side of a full-goth black lipstick.
For her second look, Zendaya returned to the carpet in an archival 1996 look by John Galliano for Givenchy, a black dress with a sweeping train that cascaded down the Met stairs, accompanied by a massive rose bouquet headpiece and fresh-faced neutral makeup.
2019: “Camp: Notes on Fashion”
The final Met Gala appearance in her stunning five-year run before the actress took a years-long break, Zendaya’s Cinderella-inspired 2019 gown might just be her most iconic to date. Fully leaning into the “Camp” theme inspired by the exhibit that examined “how the elements of irony, humor, parody, pastiche, artifice, theatricality and exaggeration are expressed in fashion.”
It proved to be a goldmine for unforgettable looks. Zendaya hit the carpet in a light-up blue Tommy Hilfiger ballgown inspired by the classic Disney princess — right down to her pumpkin carriage clutch from Judith Leiber. And she had company too, joined by her stylist Law Roach who dressed as her fairy godmother, lighting her dress with the flick of his wand.
2018: “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Zendaya’s hot streak continued in 2018 with the iconic Joan of Arc-inspired look for the year, themed to “Heavenly Bodies,” the collection that created “a dialogue between fashion and medieval art from The Met collection to examine fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism.”
The actress topped tons of best-dressed lists with her silver armor and chainmail-inspired Atelier Versace dress, completing the look with a red-tinged bob that harkened back to the historical icon, as well as silver Jimmy Choo heels and silver Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
2017: “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between”
Zendaya continued her winning back-to-back looks on the Met Gala red carpet, returning with a show-stopping look in 2017. The annual theme was “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between,” a tribute to the avant-garde fashion designer. Zendaya’s look, however, bucked the avant-garde inspiration and instead she wore a Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda ball gown covered in a tropical print with parrots and flowers, going for big volume with her natural curls and finishing it all off with radiant, glowy makeup and a bold coral lip.
2016: “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”
Zendaya returned to the Met Gala red carpet the following year with a more dramatic look, fitting to the 2016 theme: “Manus x Machina,” inspired by the exhibition that explored “how fashion designers are reconciling the handmade and the machine-made in the creation of haute couture and avant-garde ready-to-wear.”
The year was all about the intersection of fashion and technology, and Zendaya wore a bronze one-shoulder gown from Michael Kors Collection. She styled the glistening dress with dark eye makeup, a metallic neutral lip, a crisp mushroom bob and plenty of bold rings.
2015: “China: Through the Looking Glass”
Zendaya made her Met Gala debut wearing custom Fausto Puglisi in 2015. The theme, “China: Through the Looking Glass,” was inspired by the gallery that examined “the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China has fueled the fashionable imagination for centuries.”
“I liked the fact that it was mature and fit the theme but didn’t lose the fun, fresh youthfulness that I wanted it to have,” Zendaya told People about her sunburst patterned gown, which was accessorized with a metallic sunburst statement cuff and headband holding back her long flowing hairstyle.
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