I will be beginning this post with a bit of gloat, just a heads up, because I just want to remind you that I called this, which I’ve already gloated about but I’ve never been good at being humble. But it was on the second day of this year when I predicted that Zendaya would co-chair the Met Gala and by extension cover Vogue ahead of the event. 

 

It was confirmed in February that she will co-chair the Met Gala and now here we are, Zendaya covers not just Vogue US and British Vogue, one of very few people who’ve been given the distinction. 

Here's the cover of Vogue US: 

 

The British Vogue vibe is totally different. American Zendaya is couture and drama. British Zendaya is sporty, cool, and all movement.

And the purpose isn’t just to keep things different or each magazine, but to highlight her style versatility. She is, after all, the ultimate fashion model, why wouldn’t you want to put her in as many looks as possible? Look at her in this Schiaparelli:

But at the same time, she can also give Bob Fosse x Halle Berry: 

 

And, by the way, as I mentioned in my post yesterday about Zendaya and Louis Vuitton and how it’s not as bad as people constantly bitch about, scroll down Vogue US’s cover story and look at that shot of her in the custom gold and ropy LV she’s wearing while posed up against what looks like a sculptured wall. This is not a miss. 

Fashion, then, is a big part of this feature, as Zendaya talks about how fashion is inextricably tied to her career and how she considers it a function of her job – which means that it’s not just about wearing a pretty dress, but about becoming a version of herself in that dress; it’s expression, it’s character, it’s work… and few people are as good at it as she is. Certainly no one in the game right now. 

 

Fashion also is, in a way, her barrier. Zendaya has spoken openly about her anxiety and how she manages being a public-facing person, and being so popular, with her private life, and finding a way to maintain it, stay within herself, and keep parts of herself to herself. So that she can be present for her loved ones, and so she can protect the essence on the inside that makes her so appealing when she goes outside. 

Zendaya is candid about that push and pull throughout this piece. She seems to be more open, for instance, about talking about Tom Holland these days and acknowledging their relationship, but is able to find a way to do it without revealing more than necessary – by keeping it to their shared experiences. Both of them became super famous around the same time, and both of them have found productive ways to process that strange and unique existence. When she mentions him in this piece, this is what she focuses on: being an observer as he basically skyrocketed to fame overnight and then reaching another level together as the internet’s favourite couple. It sounds like this too is a collaboration, an emotional one. As romantic partners, they’ve intentionally set their boundaries, they’ve decided in tandem what they’re comfortable with and where their lines will be. 

But let’s get back to the fashion, because there’s also a lot to be learned about Zendaya when you hear her talk about fashion. This is the Life in Looks that we’ve been waiting for! Zendaya going through a lookbook of some of her most memorable outfits – here’s the teaser: 

 

And the full video is here, 14 minutes and worth every second. 

 

First of all… it’s the first Oscars look. She wore white Vivienne Westwood and her hair in locks and, well, she talks about it. Not about That Comment but she does actually mention her hair, she leads with her hair, and it’s telling for her to mention it, because while she does not engage in the controversial moment that came after, she’s making a point about it, perhaps to remind us that it hasn’t always been praise and universal gagging over her appearances. When she was just 18, with her first Oscars experience, she went through some bullsh-t. And a reminder that not too long ago, on the Oscar red carpet, women and girls like Zendaya often did not feel welcome. So the fact that she’s become, now, basically THE ruler of the red carpet is a testament to a lot of work against a lot of resistance. 

While still retaining all that charm! She’s so f-cking cute in this video – goofy and funny and light, but also serious, as in she takes fashion seriously, she speaks to construction and fit, she gives us amazing insight into so many of her internet-breaking looks. Like the Thierry Mugler she just wore in London at the premiere of Dune: Part 2 and the high degree of difficulty required in even being able to put on the piece. We also get a better sense of just how collaborative she and Law are when it comes to the looks they’ve produced. For instance, she was the one who came up with the idea for the Mugler and he was the one who was like, girl, if we do this, you better not back out. Which tells us that for her, when it comes to stunting, she needs to work herself up to it. And once she gets there, Zendaya fully commits. I think that’s one of the reasons we’re collectively so enamoured with her. Because even though, sure, she’s tall and lean and pretty, it’s never effortless and she has no interest in pretending that it is. Zendaya tries. She tries all the time. And this is what grounds her. 

 

Here she is in Rome in Calvin Klein and Bulgari: 

Click here for more of Zendaya in US Vogue and here for her piece in UK Vogue.