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Zendaya’s Jaw-Dropping Met Gala Looks Through the Years

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at San Francisco chapter.

If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Zendaya being the best dressed at the Met Gala year after year. This is in large part due to her stylist, Law Roach, who always knows the perfect look for every event. Those two are cementing themselves as an iconic fashion duo and it’s completely deserved. So, let’s take a look back at every time Zendaya proved why she should be at the top of the Met Gala invite list every year. 

2015: China: Through the Looking Glass

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Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic

2015 was Zendaya’s Met Gala debut and she made it one to remember! Her Fausto Puglisi dress was right on theme, with suns decorating the bottom half of the dress. The look was tied together with a tiara and bracelets adorned with suns. This look was eye-catching, on theme, and she looked stunning. 

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

George Pimentel/WireImage

In 2016, Zendaya hit the carpet with a sleek gold Michael Kors dress and a bowl cut. The sparkly gold gives a futuristic feel and the bowl cut is eye-catching. This definitely isn’t one of her most bold Met Gala looks, but still encapsulates the technology-related theme. Maybe she just needed a more chill year before proceeding to eat everyone up at every future Met!

2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between

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Jackson Lee/FilmMagic

In 2017, Zendaya was back and better than ever! She wore a bright and intricate Dolce & Gabbana dress. The yellow dress was detailed with parrots and had red accents at the shoulders and along the bottom of the train. But what really ties the look together is her red lip and gorgeous hair. 

2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

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Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan Via Getty Images

2018’s theme was perhaps the best the Met Gala has had in the past decade and competition for best outfit was fierce. But Zendaya came to compete! She stunned in a chainmail Versace dress based on Joan of Arc. The red bob with bangs perfectly tied the look together. This take on the theme was unique and in a league of its own. Zendaya is a fashion icon and this look is proof! 

2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion

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Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

The 2019 theme was certainly interesting and resulted in many different interpretations. Zendaya, however, actually did look camp right in the eye. She stunned in a Cinderella Tommy Hilfiger dress with Law Roach dressing up as her fairy godmother. The dress at first was a gray color before Law pointed a wand at it and it began to light up blue. Zendaya’s fun and whimsical take on the theme further cemented her status as a Met Gala icon. 

2024: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion 

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Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

After being absent from three Met Gala’s, Zendaya was invited back as a co-chair this year! Everyone was highly anticipating her return and she did not come to play! Her dress was a custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano, inspired by a 1999 Dior look. It encapsulates the theme with its revival of an older look and also the dress code (The Garden of Time) through its fruit and floral embellishments and overall peacock-esque vibe. Her dark makeup perfectly tied the look together. However, this was not the last we saw of Zendaya at the 2024 Met!

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Jaime McCarthy/Getty Images

Near the end of the evening, Zendaya reappeared on the carpet in a 1996 Givenchy gown also by John Galliano. The massive, flowing black gown stunned in contrast to the bright floral headpiece. Two incredible outfits in one night prove why Zendaya was the only choice for a Met co-chair!

That concludes the journey through Zendaya’s Met Gala looks! Every year the Met features some wins and (unfortunately) many misses, but you can guarantee that Zendaya will be on every best dressed list every year she attends. I, personally, can’t wait to see what she wears in the future! 

Marisa Pendola

San Francisco '25

Marisa Pendola is an Associate Editor at Her Campus' San Francisco State University Chapter. Her responsibilities include both editing and writing articles. Marisa's main area of interest is in film, television, and music news. Along with Her Campus, Marisa is in her final year of study at SFSU where she is pursuing a Bachelor's in Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts with a focus area in media criticism. She also spoke in the SFSU multicultural center's panel for Banned Books Week in 2023. The panel focused on how women's narratives are censored. In her free time, Marisa enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and watching as many movies and TV shows as possible. Her current favorite is "Survivor" and can be found overanalyzing each new episode to figure out who the winner is going to be.