Zendaya Warms Up for the 2024 Met Gala in a Vintage John Galliano Dress

She tackled the "Garden of Time" theme an entire day early.

Zendaya arrives in New York City ahead of the 2024 met Gala wearing a vintage Galliano dress
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Zendaya, co-chair of the 2024 Met Gala, has just arrived in New York City for the annual fashion benefit. Twenty-four hours before ascending the Metropolitan Museum of Art's famed steps with stylist Law Roach, the Challengers star is already proving she understands this year's theme better than any other attendee.

On Sunday, May 5, Zendaya arrived at the Met Gala's co-chair dinner in a piece perfect for the "Garden of Time" dress code. It's vintage—an archival number coming from John Galliano's Fall 1998 collection—and it's dotted with tiny pink flower embellishments.

Zendaya arrives in New York City wearing a vintage Galliano dress and white pumps

Zendaya braved the New York City rain on Sunday, May 5, in a vintage John Galliano dress.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Zendaya's midi-length gown featured a sheer overlay set with a pink bow and floral details at the neckline, plus a woven floral effect through the skirt. She paired the piece with white pumps—her favorite Louboutins that appeared throughout the Challengers press tour, most likely. Her beauty also channeled the start of spring, with a bright pink lip and rosy cheeks.

A dress that hasn't been seen in decades is perfect for the first of two events honoring this year's Costume Institute exhibit. The Metropolitan Museum's "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" collection will gather archival fashion from over 400 years of style history.

Law Roach sourced the piece from Aralda Vintage, a Los Angeles-based boutique that many A-list stylists visit to source rare looks for their clients. "Aralda Vintage for the win again," Roach wrote on an Instagram Story.

Zendaya walks in the rain wearing a vintage John Galliano dress and white pumps

Zendaya's dress, sourced from Aralda Vintage, combined the archival and floral references implied in this year's Met Gala dress code.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In the lead-up to the 2024 Met Gala, Zendaya and Law Roach have flexed their archival connections for the star's back-to-back press tours. Promoting Dune: Part Two, the pair dipped into the Mugler and Givenchy archives for cyborg-couture outfits. Then for Challengers, they reinterpreted tennis whites with vintage Vivienne Westwood and Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton (among dozens of other looks).

Zendaya's packed schedule has kept her from the Met steps for nearly half a decade. The last time she appeared was in 2019, for the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" installment. On that occasion, she and Roach made Met Gala history by dressing as Cinderella and her fashion fairy godmother in light-up Tommy Hilfiger looks.

Law Roach and Zendaya attend The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City.

Zendaya and Law Roach last attended the Met Gala in 2019 for the "Camp: Notes on Fashion"-themed event. On that occasion, she wore Tommy Hilfiger designed to look like Cinderella's gown.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

After a five-year hiatus, anticipation couldn't be higher for the co-chair's 2024 Met Gala look. Whatever Zendaya wears will be a feat of fast tailoring and impeccable styling. According to a recent New York Times interview with her image architect (Roach), her dress hadn't been fitted until Saturday, May 4.

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Halie LeSavage
Senior Fashion & Beauty News Editor

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire. She is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, and emerging brands. In 8+ years as a journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from profiles on insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson to breaking brand collaboration news. She covers events like the Met Gala every year, and gets exclusive insight into red carpet looks through her column, The Close-Up.

Previously, Halie reported 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. 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.