Zendaya’s Stylist Law Roach Teases What to Expect From Met Gala 2026
You can always count on Zendaya to bring the drama.
The Euphoria actress is only 29 years old, but she’s already taken the Met Gala steps by storm at seven of the annual Costume Institute benefits for The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“I first went when I was 18 years old,” she shared on Live with Kelly and Mark in 2024. “It was such an exciting and new experience but still terrifying, you know?”
Indeed, as Zendaya put it, “Going up the steps, it’s very daunting.”
But that hasn’t stopped her from being a fashion risk-taker and ensnaring us all in her web of style. After making her debut at the 2015 bash—in a custom Fausto Puglisi dress for the “China: Through the Looking Glass” theme—the Emmy winner has upped the ante with one look after the next.
Take 2018, when she dressed up for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme in a suit of armor—not to mention an Atelier Versace chainmail dress, which, according to stylist Law Roach, channelled a certain patron saint of France.
“I dreamt of Joan of Arc one night and called Versace and was like, ‘What if we did something to reference Joan of Arc?'” he told WWD. “They came back with really, really great sketches.”
The Shake It Up star wasn’t afraid to commit, even changing her hair color to get into character, rocking a red bob with bangs as she ascended the New York museum’s famed staircase.
Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Yet, Zendaya and Law took it to a whole other level the following year, when the Disney Channel alum came as a real-life Disney princess in honor of the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” soiree. She embodied Cinderella in a light-up Tommy Hilfiger gown made with 40 meters worth of LED lights, with Law as her fairy godmother.
While her sartorial slay made jaws drop faster than you can say bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, Zendaya revealed that it wasn’t so magical behind the scenes.
“This Met stressed me out,” she told British Vogue afterward. “I was basically wearing a dress that was electronic. I got there, and it wasn’t ready. It was supposed to do a little bit more than it did, like it was supposed to start smaller and get bigger.”
Acknowledging she was “so grateful for the team who worked so hard,” Zendaya admitted they were “under a lot of pressure” and the clock struck midnight before the gown was done: “It needed a week more.”
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Her stylist Law has also been candid about the challenges of fashion’s biggest night, telling E! News in March, “It’s a lot of stress and they’re only on the carpet for like five minutes, and then you go in and it’s all over. So, it’s months and months of hard work for a five-minute payout.”
Though it remains to be seen if Zendaya and rumored husband Tom Holland will make their Met Gala debut at the 2026 ball on May 4, Law hinted that the “Costume Art” theme and “Fashion Is Art” dress code are “very broad” and will inspire many different interpretations, quipping to E!, “Maybe we’ll see someone dressed as the Mona Lisa.”
While awaiting to see who steps out this year, look back at Zendaya’s best Met Gala moments over the years, inspired by not just Joan of Arc and Cinderella, but also Diana Ross and Bianca Jagger.
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
2015
Zendaya made her Met Gala debut in 2015, opting for a custom Fausto Puglisi sun-motif dress to coincide with the year’s theme, “China: Through the Looking Glass.”
The Euphoria star, who only tried on the dress twice before making her appearance at the New York City event, later admitted to People that the high-pressure night was “overwhelming but in the best way.”
Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage
2016
Keeping with the “Manus x Machina” theme for 2016’s ball, Zendaya rocked a bronze one-shoulder gown by Michael Kors and a chic mushroom-cut wig.
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
2017
Zendaya looked ethereal in her tropical-print Dolce & Gabbana gown at the 2017 event, which boasted a “Rei Kawakubo & Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between” theme.
The get-up turned so many heads that even Rihanna had to take note. Sharing a photo of the Challengers actress on her Instagram, Rihanna wrote in the caption, “Brown goddess.”
Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
2018
The Disney Channel alum had her Joan of Arc moment in 2018, arriving to the Metropolitan Museum of Art clad in a silver, armor-inspired Atelier Versace dress with chain mail detailing. She completed the look—which gave a nod to the theme of “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”—with metallic Jimmy Choo heels and a red bob similar to the French saint’s hair.
Zendaya later declared it one of her favorite red carpet looks of all time, telling InStyle in October 2021, “I was like a warrior.”
And she wasn’t the only one who was a big fan. Her Spider-Man costar Tom Holland—whom she started dating in 2021 before the pair confirmed their engagement in 2025—also gave the daring attire a special shoutout at the time, writing on Instagram, “All hail the queen. Killing it mate.”
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
2019
Zendaya channeled her Disney roots to transform into a real-life princess in 2019. Since the theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” the Shake It Up actress didn’t shy away from going all-out with a blue Tommy Hilfiger gown that lit up. To cap off her Cinderella moment, she was accompanied by her stylist Law Roach, who was dressed as her fairy godmother.
But as iconic as her outfit was, Zendaya said the logistics behind the it made her walk down the red carpet pretty anxiety-inducing.
“This Met stressed me out,” she told British Vogue afterward. “I was basically wearing a dress that was electronic. I got there, and it wasn’t ready. It was supposed to do a little bit more than it did, like it was supposed to start smaller and get bigger.”
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
2024
As a cochair for the 2024 event alongside Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth, the Challengers star rose the occasion, sporting two separate red carpet looks. Her first, pictured, was a garden-inspired gothic look by John Galiano fitting well with the Sleeping Beauties theme’s “Garden of Time” dress code.
It certainly made her return to the ball after five years all the more exciting.
Cindy Ord/MG24/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
2024
Put this look on replay. The Dune actress shocked fans by returning as one of the last people to walk the Met Gala carpet in 2024, donning another John Galliano look, along with a rose hairpiece.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
2025
Zendaya embraced menswear for the theme “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” looking sharp in a Louis Vuitton design by Pharrell Williams. Her stylist Law Roach told Entertainment Tonight that the look paid homage to Diana Ross and Bianca Jagger, though she also offered a nod to partner Tom Holland by flashing her engagement ring on the steps of the Met.
Tune in to E! on Monday, May 4, starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT for every must-see moment from the Met Gala 2026.
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