Zendaya has long been a red carpet force, and her seven appearances at the Met Gala have cemented her status as the event's reigning princess. The 29-year-old actress first attended in 2015 at age 18, wearing a custom Fausto Puglisi dress for the "China: Through the Looking Glass" theme. Since then, she has delivered show-stopping looks that push fashion boundaries.
In 2018, for the "Heavenly Bodies" theme, Zendaya channeled Joan of Arc in an Atelier Versace chainmail dress and a red bob wig. Stylist Law Roach revealed the inspiration came from a dream. The following year, she brought Cinderella to life at the "Camp" gala with a Tommy Hilfiger gown embedded with 40 meters of LED lights. Roach acted as her fairy godmother, but the dress was a last-minute stress—it needed a week more of work, Zendaya admitted.
Roach has described the Met Gala as "months of hard work for a five-minute payout." Yet Zendaya keeps coming back, also paying homage to Diana Ross and Bianca Jagger in past years. With the 2026 Met Gala theme "Costume Art" and dress code "Fashion Is Art," Roach hinted at surprising interpretations, joking, "Maybe we'll see someone dressed as the Mona Lisa." Whether Zendaya and rumored husband Tom Holland attend together remains to be seen, but her legacy as the gala's princess is secure.