The Met Gala red carpet is in a league of its own. Sure, the Oscars and Grammys serve up plenty of glamour, but fashion’s biggest night is where celebrities lean into show-stopping — and occasionally outlandish — ensembles. One such person is Zendaya, who has remained one to watch at the annual affair for the past decade.
In 2015, around the start of her second Disney Channel Original Series, K.C. Undercover, Zendaya attended the Met Gala for the first time as the guest of Sicilian designer Fausto Puglisi. For the “China: Through the Looking Glass” theme, the fashion muse unsurprisingly pulled out all the stops, stunning in a black, red, and white mini dress adorned with beaded sun motifs.
It wasn’t until 2017’s “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between” soirée that she received her own official invitation — and every year since, she and stylist Law Roach have continued to raise the bar. Case in point: the Cinderella-inspired, light-up Tommy Hilfiger gown she wore to 2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” Last year, after a five-year hiatus from the affair, Zendaya made a grand return in a white custom Louis Vuitton suit — accidentally twinning with Anna Sawai.
While it’s still unclear whether Zendaya will attend this year’s event, consider this the perfect time to revisit her best Met Gala fashion moments. Scroll on to feast your eyes on some of her most spectacular looks.
2015
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Zendaya graced the Met carpet for the first time at 2015’s “China: Through The Looking Glass” gala, where she joined Puglisi in a belted high-low mini dress that featured a plunging neckline, an elongated train, and beaded astrological embroidery throughout. She accessorized with a gold crown covered in sun-shaped embellishments, a coordinating bicep cuff, bronze bracelets on either wrist, and black pointy pumps.
2016
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The next year, Zendaya attended the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” gala as the plus-one of Michael Kors, who dressed the Challengers star in a one-sleeve gold sequin gown complete with an elongated train. To let her shimmering body-hugging number grab all the worthy attention, she opted for minimum accents, including a striking bob hairdo, mismatched rings from Argentinian-based jeweler, Jorge Adeler, and platform Stuart Weitzman pumps.
2017
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In honor of her first solo Met Gala invite, Zendaya went her most glamorous route yet in a voluminous off-the-shoulder ball gown from Dolce & Gabbana. Her “Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between” look was adorned in a tropical print with various vibrant colors, floral motifs, and even a few realistic-looking parrots throughout.
2018
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For her fourth Met Gala, Zendaya dressed true to the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” theme in a silver Joan of Arc-inspired design from Versace. Overtop her cowl-neck chainlink gown were two medieval-esque armor additions, including a metal fauld plate around her waist and hips, and a pauldron on her neck and shoulders.
2019
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Zendaya and Roach made the pink carpet their stage ahead of the 2019 “Camp: Notes on Fashion” ball as they reenacted the iconic transformation scene from Cinderella with a blue light-up gown from Tommy Hilfiger. Zendaya fully committed to the Disney princess character as her hair was pinned back in a classic blonde bun, she carried a pumpkin coach handbag from Judith Leiber, and she even donned a pair of glass slippers (which she fittingly left behind as she walked up the stairs).
2025
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Last year, for the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme, Zendaya suited up in a white blazer and matching flared trousers— a modern nod to the zoot suit — designed by Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton, where the actor has served as a brand ambassador since 2023. The multi-hyphenate topped off the tailored look with a sculptural hat.
This article was originally published on May 4, 2024
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