Zendaya's 2025 Golden Globes Louis Vuitton Gown Expertly References Old Hollywood History
She and stylist Law Roach tapped their favorite designer for a special custom moment.


Almost a year after Zendaya nailed back-to-back press tours for Dune: Part Two and Challengers, she's embarking on a double-header awards season. Her first stop? The 2025 Golden Globes, where both films were nominated for top prizes—and where Z herself hasn't attended since 2016.
This look says the star is wasting no time assembling her best red carpet fashion of 2025. Zendaya hit the 82nd annual Golden Globes—and the best-dressed list—in an outfit dripping in Old Hollywood glamour and Hollywood history. She and stylist Law Roach chose a custom Louis Vuitton gown in a delicious shade of citrus orange. The gown featured a strapless neckline accentuated by a diamond and emerald Bulgari necklace. She paired them with a cocktail ring, pointed-toe heels, and what fans speculated looked like a diamond engagement ring. (By Jan. 6, her engagement to Tom Holland was, in fact, confirmed.)
Zendaya arrives at the 2025 Golden Globes in custom Louis Vuitton.
With a curled bob to complete the ensemble, Zendaya looked like a glimpse through time at Hollywood's heyday. On Instagram Stories, Law Roach confirmed this look went several steps beyond a nod to the past. The dress's silhouette was actually a reference to a few legendary figures: First, the designs of Zelda Wynn Valdes, an African American costume designer who dressed stars throughout the twentieth century. (One of her major contributions? The first-ever Playboy Bunny outfit.)
The ballgown silhouette and sculpted bodice also referenced the closet of Joyce Bryant, a singer in the 1940s and 1950s. Once Valdes began dressing her in form-fitting dresses, Bryant was referred to in the press as the "Black Marilyn Monroe." Speaking to the New York Times ahead of the Golden Globes, Roach confirmed that Bryant was a major inspiration for Zendaya's red carpet look.
Zendaya's gown referenced costume designer Zelda Wynn Valdes.
The 2025 Golden Globes will go down in Zendaya history whether her projects clinch the awards they're nominated for or not. This is only the second Golden Globes red carpet Z has ever walked.
She was last spotted at Hollywood's biggest party nine years ago, gracing the step-and-repeat with a tiered lace Marchesa gown that transformed into a cocktail-length dress after the ceremony. She kept her accessories simple the first time around, with an oversize burgundy cocktail ring (matching her dress) and chandelier earrings.
Zendaya attended her first, and only, Golden Globe awards in 2016.
At her final red carpets of 2024, Zendaya and Law Roach seemed to lean into a minimalist movie star vibe. She earned her first trophy for her Challengers performance at the Dec. 3 Gotham Awards, and accepted it in a custom Louis Vuitton gown. This take on Wimbledon white read like a blank canvas for her upcoming awards show circuit: It was sleek and unadorned, letting the halter neckline and cut-out back do the heavy lifting. Compared to the sequin tennis racket embellishments and chartreuse palette of her press tour, the Gotham gown felt much more restrained.
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Zendaya started the 2024-2025 awards season in a custom Louis Vuitton gown for the 2024 Gotham Awards.
It's early enough in award season for Zendaya to add to her trophy shelf. Either way, her looks are consistently the front-runners.
Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty product launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what style trends—like the rise of emotional support accessories or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. She also justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”
Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.
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