Zendaya has come a long way since she posed for cameras at Justin Bieber\u2019s Never Say Never showcase as a bright-eyed teenage Disney star \u2013 in a silver lam\u00e9 blazer, vest, patent skirt, tights and wedge booties \u2013\u00a0which marked the actor\u2019s first major Hollywood premiere. And while her love of fashion was instantaneous, it was not always easy. So, the actor\u2019s stylist Law Roach came up with a long-term strategy \u2013 \u201cI was like an architect working on a blueprint,\u201d he previously told British Vogue \u2013 to evolve her image from sweet Disney princess to red-carpet trailblazer.<\/p>\n
Central to his plan was the Who Wore It Best? column: an archaic fixture in weekly glossies. By dressing his client in the same looks worn by high-profile stars \u2013 but \u201cbetter,\u201d as he said \u2013 Roach quickly got Zendaya\u2019s name on the \u201cbest\u201d section. Emerging designers were happy to lend looks to the rising star and big-name brands soon started taking notice. Now that Zendaya can have her pick of any house, Roach\u2019s mission, \u201cto help an amazing girl show the world what I saw in her\u201d, seems hard to fathom.<\/p>\n
There have been some jaw-dropping red-carpet moments along the way \u2013 Zendaya has a mercurial wardrobe that makes the concept of a signature look seem pass\u00e9. She gives every moment in the spotlight her all because of the research she and Roach put into a single turn in front of the cameras. \u201cWe play dress-up and create outfits to make ourselves happy, or to pay homage to the people we\u2019re inspired by,\u201d added Roach.<\/p>\n
Getting done up for a step-and-repeat \u201cgave her this real confidence, like, OK, let me put it all on and go out there and give this to the world, and then let me come home and take it all off and become myself again,\u201d Roach later told British Vogue in April 2024. \u201cIt\u2019s so funny. People were like, \u2018Oh, she\u2019s so fierce.\u2019 And, yeah, she is, on the inside. But she\u2019d rather be at home, with her hair down and no make-up, with Noon, her dog, watching a movie.\u201d Zendaya agreed, noting that in everyday life she\u2019d likely be \u201cregurgitating the same sweater-slack combo,\u201d whereas shoots and red carpets demand full commitment to character. \u201cShe\u2019s a different being that comes into me \u2013 my own Sasha Fierce,\u201d she said of her fashion-forward alter-ego. \u201cI have to buy her. I have to buy that this woman exists, or that this fantasy exists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related: Zendaya\u2019s favorite books make the perfect summer reading list<\/a><\/p>\n Fantasy is one word. The duo have deployed science \u2013 revisit her mesmerising light-up Cinderella gown at the 2019 Met Gala to see true commitment in action \u2013 and welding techniques \u2013 her Versace Met look the year prior was a modern-day ode to A Knight\u2019s Tale \u2013 to make Zendaya stand out. Myriad hair transformations \u2013 from blunt bobs and waist-length braids to disco curls \u2013 have heightened the transportive qualities of her red-carpet moments, which are never anything but a pleasure to behold.<\/p>\n As Zendaya turns 30, that strategy has resulted in a red-carpet record few of her contemporaries can match. She\u2019s moved from feats of architectural engineering \u2013 including the 20 carbon-fibre rods and 40 metres of LED lights required for her Cinderella gown at the 2019 Met Gala \u2013 to archival couture and Mati\u00e8res F\u00e9cales method dressing. This year alone has brought Grecian creations for The Odyssey press tour; if-you-know-you-know Spider-Man references; and bridal gowns courtesy of The Drama (though still no word on what she wore for her actual wedding). Off duty, her style is decidedly more low-key: she\u2019s often spotted walking the dog she shares with husband Tom Holland in Maison Margiela Tabis and a trench coat, like all the best London girls.<\/p>\n Related: 17 looks I\u2019d love to see Zendaya wear on the The Odyssey press tour<\/a><\/p>\n