Arriving on the red carpet as co-chair for MET Gala 2024, Zendaya undeniably nailed the dress code once again. Always one to watch, the Dune 2 actress worked in combination with her longtime stylist and “image architect,” Law Roach. The Maison Margiela Couture piece was paired with razor thin Clara Bow brows (maybe she’s a tortured poet, too?) and a gothic red and pink eye look that brings all the impact.
The one-shoulder blue and deep green gown isn’t just stunning in its look, but its quick construction. Roach admitted to the New York Times that the gown wasn’t done yet just a few days before the Gala. In fact, it would be created and fitted just two days before the biggest night in fashion.
And the resulting gown’s moody look and earthy colors make it clear that Zendaya and Roach understood the assignment. This year’s dress code is based on a short story by English novelist and essayist J.G. Ballard, “The Garden of Time.” The theme: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.”
A tale steeped in the cycle of creation and destruction, the story follows a wealthy couple in their garden estate. Packed with flowers and the stuff of luxury (rare books, vases, artworks), their villa stands completely alone. That is, until they spot an encroaching mob in the distance. Discovering that cutting a flower causes time to reverse, pushing the mob back, the couple adjusts and begins cutting away their garden. When nothing more will bloom and the garden is empty, the wealthy couple prepare for their utopia to come quickly crashing down.
Our guess is that Roach and Zendaya were feeling inspired by the end of the story.
Brow Beauty
A razor-thin brow is one of the defining features of Zendaya’s MET Gala 2024 look. Even with all the pink eyeshadow and dark lipstick, her brows standout. We’re not sure if she’s channeling Clara Bow, Taylor Swift or every art goth I ever had a crush on in high school. But regardless, she’s rocking the long, thin arch.
Beneath a veiled fascinator, her skinny brows and moody makeup deliver the edge. The same edge that the “Garden of Time” undeniably ends with. Standing out among a sea of florals, Zendaya’s look is punchy, soft punk that has something to say. With all the confidence and romanticism she brings to the carpet, you’d never know she was feeling nervous just last week.
Zendaya talked her return to the MET Gala after a five year hiatus on Live with Kelly and Mark. “Going up the steps is very daunting, and I haven’t been back for maybe four or five years,” she said. “So this is, like, my first time back at the MET in quite a while.”
The actress has been a staple in “Best of MET Gala” roundups since her very first Gala in 2015. That year’s theme, “China: Through The Looking Glass,” saw Zendaya stun in an artful Fausto Puglisi piece.