Zendaya's Met Gala Looks Through the Years

The actor tops the best dressed list every single time.

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Zendaya and the Met Gala are a perfect match. The actor's presence at the annual event is always a highlight, so you can imagine how excited we were when it was announced that she was going to be part of the Met Gala 2024's hosts alongside Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth. Any time Zendaya stands on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, we know we're in for a great fashion show.

Zendaya has attended the Met Gala six times; she attended from 2015 to 2019, then had a notable absence in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, before her triumphant return in 2024. And all six times she's easily topped the best dressed lists of the evening. So, to prepare us for what's sure to be a great Met Gala 2025, let's revisit Zendaya's Met Gala looks through the years.

2015: China: Through the Looking Glass

Zendaya at the 2015 Met Gala

Larry Busacca/Getty Images

At just 18 years old, Zendaya made her debut at arguably the most important event in the fashion world—and in the best way possible! By Fausto Puglisi, the dress perfectly embodied the theme with its red embossed skirt and astral design.

What we loved most about her look? How much it suited the theme of the night as well as Zendaya's age. It's an elegant dress that matched the tone of the event, but still felt youthful and sweet. The perfect way to shine for the first time at such a big event.

2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology

Zendaya at the 2016 Met Gala

George Pimentel

On a night in which silver tones and extreme looks were the theme, Zendaya went for a relatively minimal one-shoulder dress by Michael Kors. But with its body-hugging fit and glittery gold material, it stood out among the crowd. The jaw-length bob she wore for the occasion also turned heads.

What we liked most about her look? That it proves you don't have to always go big to succeed at the Met Gala.

2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between

Zendaya at the 2017 Met Gala

Jackson Lee

After 2016's more minimal approach, Zendaya went for the full drama in a maximalist look by Dolce & Gabbana Haute Couture that topped the best dressed lists that year. Her long tropical print dress and matching coral lipstick were designed to catch everyone's attention in the best way.

What we liked most about her look? The bright lip and colors of the dress really gave Zendaya a stunning glow. Plus, let's be honest, we can't think of anyone else who could wear a dress this bold and pull it off like she did.

2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination

Zendaya at the 2018 Met Gala

John Shearer/Getty Images

The 2018 Met Gala was one of the best, fashion wise. From Ariana Grande's dress that was a true work of art to Rihanna's priestly look, there are dozens of moments from the night that will forever be burned into our collective memory. And that includes Zendaya's modern Joan of Arc approach by Versace. “I had a dream about Joan of Arc one night, and I called Versace and was like, ‘What if we do some Joan of Arc reference?’” her stylist Law Roach told Women's Wear Daily at the time.

What we liked most about her look? First of all, the fact that they decided to do an ode to the powerful figure. Zendaya's 100% commitment to the look and the aesthetic she and Roach were going for is also worthy of praise. Come on, not everyone would dare to change their hair to that color or cut.

2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion

Zendaya at the 2019 Met Gala

Gotham

Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach set the tone on the pink carpet at the 2019 Met Gala—fantasy, a bit of irreverence, and lots and lots of fashion. The dress, by Ralph Lauren, was a stunningly accurate reinterpretation of Disney's Cinderella, from the light blue color to the puffed sleeves and black choker necklace. Even the hairstyle and iconic crystal shoes were spot on.

What we liked most about her look? The performance was just the touch we needed, from the abandoned shoe on the stairs to lights that lit up the dress from bottom to top thanks to Roach's magic wand.

2019: A Bonus Modern Cinderella Look

Zendaya at the Met Gala 2019. © GettyImages.

Matt Winkelmeyer/MG19/Getty Images

Zendaya makes it clear: The Met Gala red carpet and the party inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art itself are two completely different events and, therefore, require looks that suit each one. In 2019, she switched from her blue Cinderella gown to a bubblegum pink dress by Tommy Hilfiger that was pure elegance. Minimalist, with a lot of flounce, an asymmetrical hemline, and a glitter-filled sash, this look from Z is the perfect post-Met dress.

What we liked most about her look? Despite being a pretty simple style, it has details that make it modern, like the open back and glittery sash.

2024: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion

Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

The unstoppable duo of Zendaya and Law Roach once again found a way to surpass even the highest expectations for the 2024 Met Gala. After a four-year absence from the event, Zendaya returned as one of the hosts as a garden nymph in a custom design by John Galliano for Maison margiela, inspired by a piece from the 1999 Christian Dior Couture collection, also designed by Galliano during his time at Dior. The dress was a sculpture that wrapped around Zendaya's body to perfection and complemented by a dramatic headpiece with feathers designed by Stephen Jones, along with a bouquet of grapes that adorned her arm like a vine.

What we loved most about her look? What made this appearance unforgettable was the meticulous theatricality of every detail, from her makeup to her shoes.

2024, Part Two

Zendaya at the 2024 Met Gala

Taylor Hill/Getty Images

When you're Zendaya and you have Law Roach as your stylist, why settle for one look when you can have two? Hours after blowing us all away with her first dress, Zendaya returned to the red carpet with a second look, again by John Galliano, but this time a vintage design from the spring-summer 1996 Haute Couture collection from his time at Givenchy. A fact that makes it even more spectacular is that this dress belongs to the first collection that Galliano created in haute couture in his entire career. Featuring a Bardot neckline, a corset, long sleeves, and a voluminous long skirt with a train, the dress was completed by a headdress made up of numerous colorful roses on a black background, which was designed by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen's spring-summer 2007 fashion show.

What we liked most about her look? Besides wearing a literal bouquet of roses on her head and maintaining an impeccable posture, we love that both pieces were “sleeping beauties” designed by Galliano for Dior and Givenchy, respectively, and that it was he himself who woke them up and brought them to life on Zendaya.

A version of this story was previously published in Glamour Spain.

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