All of Zendaya's incredible Met Gala looks through the years
Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Cookies and milk. Zendaya and the Met Gala. Some things are just meant to be together.
Now, Zendaya might have only attended the Met Gala six times in total, but she’s already become one of the most-anticipated invitees at the event, and we cannot wait to see how she interprets this year's theme: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” Will she wear a tuxedo? Will she champion a young, black designer or once again dive into the archives of a big fashion house? We'll have to wait for May 5 to see. We're just keeping our fingers and toes crossed for Queen Z to appear at all.
In 2021, when she announced that she wouldn't be attending the event’s long-awaited return after a one-year break in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many lamented the news. (She was busy filming the second season of Euphoria, so she had a valid excuse!)
A year later, all of our hopes were crushed when Zendaya announced she would once again skip the event and be absent from the Met Gala 2022 because of work. “Your girl's gotta work and make some movies,” she revealed just weeks ahead of the event. When 2023 rolled around, Zendaya gave no explanation as to why she has once again RSVP'd “no” for the Met Gala 2023, but we figured she was busy with Dune 2.
Now, with her schedule all cleared up following not one but two killer press tours, Z is back, and she's more powerful than ever when it comes to fashion.
So, ahead of the Met Gala 2025, why not revisit all of Zendaya's past Met Gala looks while we wait for her triumphant return? Admittedly, she might not have always nailed the theme, but she has consistently served looks. Revisit Zendaya's Met Gala looks through the years, in chronological order, below:
This story originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
Rabbani and Solimene Photography/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2015
Zendaya's Met Gala debut was in 2015 — the same year of Rihanna's yellow Guo Pei gown. The theme was "China: Through The Looking Glass" and Z opted for a red and black short dress, with a long train, by Fausto Puglisi that incorporated various sun motifs.
George Pimentel/WireImage/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2016
In 2016, the theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.” Zendaya arrived at the Met stairs looking almost unrecognizable with a blunt bowl cut and intense makeup. Her figure-hugging golden, rhinestoned gown was by Michael Kors.
Jackson Lee/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2017
Honoring “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” the Met Gala 2017 saw one of Zendaya's most glamourous looks to date. Her gown was colorful and striking, but her beauty really knocked the look out of the park. From the hair to the bold red lip, she looked truly stunning.
Taylor Hill/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2018
Known as the Joan of Arc look, Zendaya's appearance at the Met Gala 2018 really started to cement her status as a fashion icon. With a blunt auburn bob (with micro bangs) and a full-on armor dress by Versace, not only did Z honor the theme (“Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”), she looked great while doing so.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2019
Zendaya's most recent Met Gala appearance — for now — was in 2019. Nailing the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” theme, Z stepped on the pink carpet as Cinderella with her longtime stylist Law Roach as her fairy godfather. (I mean, her Tommy Hilfiger dress lit up as she “transformed,” and she even left a glass slipper behind.)
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2024
Given that the theme was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” it was unsurprising to see Z tap into the archives. For her first of two outfits, she wore a blue-green gown by John Galliano for Maison Margiela with a dramatic matching headpiece.
Jeff Kravitz/Getty ImagesZendaya at the Met Gala 2024
For her second look (because she can), Z and Law Roach went for a never-worn vintage Givenchy couture gown from its spring/summer 1996 collection, one of only two collections that John Galliano designed for the house. Zendaya has said the look resonated with her because it was from the year she was born.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, she earned her journalism degree in America and spent time at GLAMOUR US and People Magazine. She then returned to Hong Kong and became Tatler Asia's fashion director, where she ... Read More
