All of Zendaya's Met Gala looks, ranked from least to most iconic

Samantha GrindellMay 1, 2024, 05:20 IST

Zendaya always makes a splash on the Met Gala red carpet.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Dia Dipasupil/WireImage/John Shearer/Getty Images for THR

Zendaya is cohosting the 2024 Met Gala with Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny.
The star has attended five Met Galas, wearing looks styled by Law Roach.

The most exciting fashion event of the year is almost here, as the 2024 Met Gala is set to take place on May 6.

On the first Monday in May, celebrities will flock to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City dressed to the nines for the "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion"-themed event, which has a "The Garden of Time" dress code.

Jonathan Anderson, the creative director for Loewe, and Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, are serving as the 2024 event's honorary chairs, while the co-hosts include Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, Bad Bunny, and Zendaya, who is fresh off her whirlwind "Challengers" press tour.

Though she hasn't attended the event since 2019, Zendaya always makes a splash on the Met Gala red carpet. Zendaya has become synonymous with high fashion as her career has progressed, working with her stylist, Law Roach, to create showstopping looks for red carpets and cement herself as a brand unto herself.

Ahead of her return to the event, take a look back at all of Zendaya's Met Gala ensembles, ranked from least to most iconic.

Zendaya's gold gown for the 2016 Met Gala was beautiful, but it paled in comparison to her other Met Gala ensembles.

Zendaya attends the 2016 Met Gala.Larry Busacca/Getty Images

For the "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology" Met Gala, Zendaya chose a one-shoulder Michael Kors gown.

The metallic dress had a high neckline and was covered in sparkles.

Although Zendaya looked stunning, and the dress had the futuristic feel the theme required for the event, the gown itself wasn't one of the night's standout looks.

It looked like it could be worn to any red-carpet event, which isn't ideal for a Met Gala ensemble.

For the Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology Met Gala, Zendaya chose a one-shoulder Michael Kors gown.

The metallic dress had a high neckline and was covered in sparkles.

Although Zendaya looked stunning, and the dress had the futuristic feel the theme required for the event, the gown itself wasn't one of the night's standout looks.

It looked like it could be worn to any red-carpet event, which isn't ideal for a Met Gala ensemble.

Her colorful gown for the 2017 gala was definitely a step up.

Zendaya attends the 2017 Met Gala.Theo Wargo/Getty Images

The theme for the 2017 Met Gala was "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between," celebrating the artist's avant-garde work.

Zendaya's colorful Dolce & Gabbana gown fit the theme. The yellow ball gown featured a pattern of red parrots and flowers, and red fabric flowed off the off-the-shoulder sleeves and the train.

The dress could have looked tacky or old-fashioned, but Zendaya made it look effortlessly cool with simple jewelry.

The theme for the 2017 Met Gala was Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, celebrating the artist's avant-garde work.

Zendaya's colorful Dolce & Gabbana gown fit the theme. The yellow ball gown featured a pattern of red parrots and flowers, and red fabric flowed off the off-the-shoulder sleeves and the train.

The dress could have looked tacky or old-fashioned, but Zendaya made it look effortlessly cool with simple jewelry.

When she made her Met Gala debut in 2015, Zendaya nailed the "China: Through the Looking Glass" theme.

Zendaya attends the 2015 Met Gala. Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic

The 2015 Met Gala was the first that the star attended, with the theme "China: Through the Looking Glass."

Her high-low Fausto Puglisi gown nodded to the theme with its black-and-red color scheme, as well as the suns adorning the skirt.

Her gold tiara also featured suns, making the look feel cohesive. Zendaya couldn't have asked for a better Met Gala debut look.

The 2015 Met Gala was the first that the star attended, with the theme China: Through the Looking Glass.

Her high-low Fausto Puglisi gown nodded to the theme with its black-and-red color scheme, as well as the suns adorning the skirt.

Her gold tiara also featured suns, making the look feel cohesive. Zendaya couldn't have asked for a better Met Gala debut look.

Zendaya's Joan of Arc-inspired outfit for the 2018 Met Gala was one of the most memorable looks of the event.

Zendaya attends the Met Gala 2018Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Attendees examined the interaction between style and Catholicism at the 2018 Met Gala, themed "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination," and Zendaya didn't shy away, arriving in an outfit inspired by Joan of Arc.

Her figure-hugging Versace dress was made of chain mail, and it had an overlay of armor that sat on her neck, shoulders, and waist. A train flowed off the long-sleeve gown, adding even more drama to the ensemble.

Zendaya also wore her hair in a short, red bob for the event, fully committing to how Joan of Arc looks in paintings.

Attendees examined the interaction between style and Catholicism at the 2018 Met Gala, themed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, and Zendaya didn't shy away, arriving in an outfit inspired by Joan of Arc.

Zendaya also wore her hair in a short, red bob for the event, fully committing to how Joan of Arc looks in paintings.

None of Zendaya's Met Gala outfits could top her "Cinderella"-inspired dress for the 2019 event.

Zendaya attends the 2019 Met Gala.Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Many celebrities struggled with fashion choices for the Met Gala's "camp" theme, but Zendaya and Roach seemed to have nothing but fun with it.

The pair arrived wearing Tommy Hilfiger. Zendaya's ball gown looked almost like a replica of the dress Cinderella wears in the Disney film, which Roach said at the time was a nod to the start of Zendaya's career on "Shake It Up."

It had white puffy sleeves, a low-cut and structured bodice, and a full skirt, and Zendaya wore her hair in Cinderella's signature bun with a coordinating headband. She even carried a small purse that looked like a carriage.

Many celebrities struggled with fashion choices for the Met Gala's camp theme, but Zendaya and Roach seemed to have nothing but fun with it.

The interactive element of the look made it perfect for the gala.

The ensemble lit up on the Met Gala carpet.AP

When Zendaya arrived at the gala, the gown was a pale shade of gray.

Roach, dressed in the likeness of the fairy godmother from "Cinderella," then pointed a wand at Zendaya and lit the dress up, taking it to another level.

She then left a glass slipper behind as she entered the gala, completing her performance as a Disney princess.

The look was everything a Met Gala ensemble should be: beautiful, unique, on-theme, and memorable. Plus, it served as a metaphor for the astronomical rise of Zendaya's career from her Disney days to superstardom, which was the perfect cherry on top of the look.