When Zendaya walks on to a red carpet in a Cher-inspired naked dress, or a Mugler cyborg suit crafted from actual metal, the last emotion she seems to telegraph is anxiety. But looks are deceiving: Even the undisputed fashion icon of the twenty-first century has her hesitations from time to time.
In a new interview for Vanity Fair's 2025 Hollywood Issue, Zendaya opened up about how she's really feeling when she and Law Roach reveal their latest red carpet experiments to the world. Asked whether she ever feels anxiety about her outfits, Z replied, "Sometimes, for sure."
Zendaya, in a Cher-inspired naked dress, with her longtime image architect, Law Roach.
Who can blame her? Zendaya is often the first to wear extremely rare archival pieces after several decades in storage (see: her cyborg couture Givenchy suit for the Dune: Part Two press run). Or, she's the first to try a completely custom creation from one of fashion's most famed designers—which was the case with the Louis Vuitton, Thom Browne, and Loewe gowns she wore on the Challengers tour.
Risks are a key ingredient in the Zendaya red carpet outfit formula, whether she's playing up proportions or trying a daring cut-out silhouette. Still, the actor told Vanity Fair that these looks are ultimately more like "armor" than a source of anxiety.
"I also think that fashion, in many ways, is a tool for me. I consider myself a shyer person, which I guess you wouldn’t quite realize from the crazy, sometimes ridiculous things that I wear," she said. Z added that she and Law Roach will invent characters with full-on backstories for each outfit—allowing her to treat the red carpet outfit like an acting opportunity.
Zendaya co-chaired the annual Met Gala in 2024, wearing two archival looks by John Galliano.
"I just embody this girl—whoever this woman is tonight," Zendaya explained. "It makes the whole process easier because it’s not yourself; it’s a version of yourself. It feels less like 'What am I doing?,' and more, 'This is really cool and fun.'"
Zendaya in a dramatic hip cut-out gown at the Dune: Part Two premiere in New York City.
Before she appeared on the Vanity Fair cover in fresh-off-the-runway Alaïa, Z had been spotted around Boston in much more low-key outfits. Filming with Robert Pattinson, she's worn cozy sweaters and deliciously oversize winter coats; the fashion equivalent of a hug. Outfit anxiety? When she's off the red carpet, there's no way she's anything but comfortable.
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