Zendaya's Dune: Part Two Premiere Look Has Us Even More Excited For Her 2024 Met Gala Return

Zendaya's jaw-dropping "Dune: Part Two" premiere outfit has fashionistas everywhere in a veritable frenzy. All eyes were on the 27-year-old actor during the film's London premiere on February 15, 2024, as she made a memorable entrance in a futuristic armor suit styled by stylist-to-the-stars Law Roach. The London event was one of the cast's first stops on the "Dune" global tour, and while Zendaya's previous outfits certainly turned heads, her unique armored look is one for the books. 

As if the premiere wasn't enough excitement for one day, The Metropolitan Museum of Art officially announced Zendaya as one of four co-chairs of the 2024 Met Gala, which takes place on the first Monday in May each year — that's May 6 this year for those wondering — in New York City. She will serve alongside Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny this year, with Anna Wintour at the helm, as always. The news has stirred excitement among fans, as the last time the "Dune" star attended the Met Gala was back in 2019. A lot has changed in her career and the fashion world since then, so we're excited to see what kind of look she debuts on the Met's carpet. Ultimately, it appears 2024 has much in store for the talented young actor, and her recent premiere look has created high expectations for her Met Gala return.

Zendaya's avant-garde "Dune: Part Two" ensemble is both futuristic and vintage, as it pays tribute to Thierry Mugler's robot look that was first featured in the designer's fall 1995 collection. The premiere outfit is nearly identical to the original haute couture design, with cheeky plexiglass cutouts, matching pumps, and a corset-inspired silhouette. However, Zendaya chose to forgo the space-themed headpiece and instead wore a slicked-back bun with a loose curl. The "Spider-Man: No Way Home" actor also accessorized the look with a jeweled statement necklace. Creating even more layers of inspiration and history, the robot look design was based on the character Futura from "Metropolis," a novel by Thea von Harbou published in 1925.

According to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's announcement, the theme for this year's event is "The Garden of Time," which coincides with The Costume Institute's spring exhibition launch. (PSA: It's called "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" this year, which sounds positively mesmerizing if you ask us.) The gala's 2024 theme — "The Garden of Time" — is inspired by a 1962 short story of the same name, written by British author J.G. Ballard. With a theme as nature-inspired and whimsical as this, we have no doubt that Zendaya will bring a full concept to life, just as she's done with her previous Met Gala looks.

Zendaya's fans have stylist Law Roach to thank for the star's revolutionary fashion choices, and the duo has yet to disappoint. At the London premiere of the first "Dune" installment, for instance, the young celebrity walked out in a regal ivory gown. As with the robot suit, the dress' asymmetric neckline and sleeve detail were true to the film's dystopian theme.

The star has also displayed her taste for creative attire at previous events, including her 2018 and 2019 Meta Gala ensembles. In 2019, Zendaya's mesmerizing Cinderella Met Gala look was a dream come true and complemented the fantastical theme of the year's event. Similarly, Zendaya dazzled the crowd with her daring Joan of Arc look in 2018, which consisted of a chain mail dress featuring metal armor detailing and a thigh-high slit. According to a 2021 interview with InStyle, the Joan of Arc dress was one of Zendaya's favorite Met Gala looks. "Nothing could hurt me – I was like a warrior," she told the outlet.

The impenetrable chain mail dress and the armored "Dune" suit are arguably her best looks to date. They also happen to carry the same battle-ready themes. Is Zendaya indirectly expressing her unyielding values through her style? Regardless, fans must wait in suspense to see what the star has in store for this year's Met Gala. If the style evolution we've witnessed from Zendaya so far is anything to go by, her upcoming red-carpet looks are guaranteed to keep us all on our toes.