When she walks down the red carpet of her many movie premieres, heads turn and lights flash.
By method dressing, her outfits – along with makeup and accessories – perfectly capture the fictional stories she stars in.
But what is method dressing? This is when an actor pays homage to the film they’re promoting through clothing.
Zendaya Coleman, professionally known as Zendaya, has perfected the art of method dressing.
The actress uses a balanced mix of literal and aesthetic ideas from her films.
This can be shown through more recent movie releases.
Challengers(2024)
Recently, Zendaya’s premiere dress worn in Sydney, Australia, stood out.
The dress was a shimmery green, featuring the silhouette of a tennis player serving a ball.
The one of a kind dress made by Loewe was paired with matching pumps and dangly earrings.
Outside of the movie premieres for Challengers, Zendaya was wearing looks inspired by the 60’s and 70’s.
A calculated choice, as during this time period, women in tennis started gaining traction and attention.
Another popular recurring aspect of the looks was a custom pair of Loewe heels.
The pumps worn were white pin-thin heels, each one piercing through a tennis ball.
Along with being the reappearance of direct tennis references, she wore athletic and sleek clothes which were similar to what a tennis player would wear. “I want to see all the Girls, Guys, Gays, THE Dolls and all those that identify otherwise in their tennis core,” said Zendaya’s Stylist Law Roach with Vogue.
Dune: Part 2(2024)
At the UK premiere of Dune: Part 2, Zendaya walked the red carpet wearing a piece from the Autumn/Winter 1995 Couture collection.
The piece was a chrome suit of armour with clear panels.
The suit of armor appears straight out of the Dune universe.
The shoes worn were matching platform heels.
Along with the suit, Zendaya paired it with, “an impressive diamond necklace with a large blue gemstone encrusted in the middle.” (Harper’s Bazaar)
Another memorable look was from February 6th in Mexico City at a Dune fan event; Zendaya wore a custom mud-brown Bottega Veneta set.
The top was a turtleneck with a cropped hemline showing over her underboob.
The skirt had a molded cinched waist, leading into a less fitted matching brown.
Zendaya’s press-run was full with modern silthouses, cutouts, futuristic pieces, and an array of different tans, nudes, and off-whites.
The color palette mirrored the sandy and dusty world of Dune.
Spiderman: No Way Home (2021)
One of the best looks Zendaya wore during 2021 was at the Los Angeles premiere.
She rocked the red carpet in a custom Valentino Haute Courte gown.
The gown was a deep v-neck cut with a black spiderweb embroidered design.
The dress was paired with a matching mask; the iconic Spiderman mask.
At the screening of Spiderman: No Way Home in London, Zendaya wore a look from Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection that included an oversized grey double-breasted wool jacket with embroidered crystals.
The pattern of the crystal resembled one of spiderweb.
The look paired matching boots with embroidered crystals, spider-web earrings, and a dramatic smokey eye.
In all of her looks throughout the press-tour, she continued to wear tributes to spider-like details.
In conclusion, Zendaya has transformed the world of method dressing.
She has added a chic and more sophisticated side to the usually “camp” style technique while still keeping the fun aspects.