Zendaya Gives a Master Class in Method Dressing

It is almost impossible to scroll through Instagram or any fashion website without running into an image of twenty-seven-year-old superstar actress Zendaya. Recently, it feels as if she has been on an endless stream of press tours filled with media appearances and red-carpet interviews. Earlier this year, the actress was promoting the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two alongside her co-stars Timothee Chalamet, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh. 

Zendaya’s co-stars, especially Chalamet, are known for their red-carpet looks and are widely admired for their fashion sense. However, at the Dune: Part Two world premiere in London on February 1st, Zendaya appeared on the carpet wearing a vintage silver Mugler robot suit, complete with plexiglass cutouts from the fashion house’s fall/winter 1995 “Cirque d’hiver” collection. The look went viral on social media, and fans were quick to point out that it was reminiscent of the costumes and overall tone of the upcoming movie set on a futuristic desert planet. 

The look was crafted by Zendaya and her longtime renowned stylist Law Roach. The pair have been collaborating since 2011 when Zendaya was only 14 years old and still acting for Disney Channel. Since then, over the years, Roach has dressed Zendaya in numerous couture looks and helped her establish herself as a generational fashion icon. 

Zendaya, with the help of Law Roach, has perfected the art of method dressing for her promotional press tours. The concept of method dressing is essentially when an actor or actress embodies the film they are promoting through their outfits. Reminiscent of method acting, which encourages actors to immerse themselves in the character they are portraying, method dressing is almost performance art itself. 

Journalist Andre Wheeler coined the term, describing method dressing as “a chance to extend a project’s cinematic universe onto the red carpet even before the film’s premiere.” Through method dressing, actors and actresses use fashion to appeal to their audiences as well as the general public to generate excitement for a film or other projects. 

With the Dune: Part Two press tour and her recent promotional appearances for her upcoming movie Challengers, Zendaya continues to demonstrate her prowess as a method dresser and overall fashion star. Below, we examine Zendaya’s long archive of looks and take a deep dive into her use of method dressing to promote upcoming and past films.

Challengers

In Challengers, set for release on April 26th, Zendaya plays a tennis player turned coach who is now focused on transforming her husband into a grand slam champion. Her recent looks have cheekily alluded to the tennis theme, featuring elements like a mesh skirt reminiscent of a tennis net or a custom Loewe dress embellished with the silhouette of a tennis player.

Zendaya in custom Loewe (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Zendaya in custom Lacoste (Courtesy of W Magazine)

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two, which premiered on March 1st, is the second installment of the planned sci-fi trilogy in which Zendaya plays a leading role. The movie is set on the futuristic desert planet Arrakis, and many of Zendaya’s looks channeled the planet’s earthy sci-fi palette. The previously mentioned Mugler silver suit stood out the most among her many outfits, but vintage Alexander McQueen and Stephane Rolland couture were other highlights of the recently-wrapped press tour.

Zendaya in Stephane Rollande couture (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Zendaya in archival Alexander McQueen for Givenchy (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Dune 

Zendaya’s press tour looks for the first Dune installment back in 2021 took the world by storm as she showed she wasn’t afraid to take risks in emulating the sci-fi world created in the movie. Most notably, she wore a custom-molded Balmain full leather dress to the Venice Film Festival, complete with a bright Bulgari emerald.

Zendaya in Rick Owens (Courtesy of Red Carpet Fashion Awards)

Zendaya in custom Balmain (Courtesy of Vogue)

Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man Trilogy

No list would be complete without Zendaya’s multiple press tours for the most recent Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Spider-Man: No Way Home. During the Spider-Man: Far From Home premiere, she referenced Spiderman’s costume in her version of his suit, and later, during the Spider-Man: No Way Home premiere, incorporated a nod to a spider’s web with a custom Valentino on the red carpet.

Zendaya in Armani Privé couture (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Zendaya in custom Valentino (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Judging by the effusive responses to Zendaya’s latest looks, method dressing will continue to play a role in the promotion of her movies and other upcoming projects. Her example and use of the trend offer a master class in the technique, prompting others to take notes and follow her lead.

Featured image: Zendaya in archival Mugler, courtesy of ABC News