Zendaya: Something old… with meaning

Zendaya, of course, was the main character at the premiere of The Drama last night in Los Angeles. She continues to not answer directly whether or not she and Tom Holland are married – but she also continues to wear the wedding band at all her appearances.

It’s not just the wedding band, it’s also the bridal fashion. But that goes beyond just wearing white all the time. As usual, Zendaya and Law Roach have found a way to be on theme, and make it so much more. Last night is a great example, yet again, of their creativity and intentionality as Zendaya pulled from her own archive – the white Vivienne Westwood dress she wore to the Oscars in 2015. This is her… then…

And this is her… now…

@varietymagazine #Zendaya ♬ original sound - scarlett

Back in 2015, though, it wasn’t the dress that ended up being the headline, it was her hair. Giuliana Rancic made racist comments about Zendaya’s hairstyle that resulted in so much backlash, with Zendaya commenting at the time that what Giuliana said was “outrageously offensive”. A few years later, when reflecting on her decision to call out Giuliana’s ignorance, Zendaya told W Magazine that:

"That's how change happens. And it made me think, 'How could I always have a lasting impact on what people saw and associated with people of color?'"

This white dress, then, is connected to a profoundly important moment for her both personally and professionally, which she acknowledged last night on the carpet when she was asked why she chose to wear the Vivienne Westwood to the premiere. Second slide below.

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"It was such an important moment for myself, for my community, for my loved ones...it felt right.” It felt right for her and she is right in that it was an important moment, in so many ways. Because that marked the beginning of her ascent. In 2015, Zendaya was not a household name – but her decision to wear her hair in locks, styled by Law Roach in Vivienne Westwood, heralded the arrival of a fashion superstar. We all know what has happened in the eleven years since. But if we’re looking back at key points, turning points, this would be one of them, and so it’s understandable what this dress represents.

Oh, right, Robert Pattinson is also in this film. He showed up in a salmon suit with a green shirt and snakeskin boots – points for creativity, I’m not mad at it – clashing hard with Suki Waterhouse’s dress that I’m pretty sure Odessa A’Zion just wore to the Vanity Fair Oscar party, or a variation on it (scroll to the bottom of this post to see). Both of these looks kinda work as an illustration of their relationship, non? Weird, at times chaotic, but somehow complementary.

@hollywoodreporter Mom & Dad 🥹❤️ #RobertPattinson and #SukiWaterhouse pose together on the carpet for the movie #TheDrama ♬ original sound - suki lyric bot