They have done it again... Law Roach and Zendaya have pulled off the impossible and created another unforgettable fashion moment. At the 'Dune 2' world premiere in London this week, the fashion icon, Zendaya, stepped out in archival Thierry Mugler couture from 1995! This was such a huge moment for so many reasons, so much so that I feel we must take a deep dive into everything Zendaya, Dune, Mugler and more right now.
Let's begin with the look in question, which is quite literally a full body, metal armour suit. It features see-through panels which display parts of the body that other designers - even in 2024 - would cover up, making it risqué and sexy, even though it is literally a robot suit. In this piece, Zendaya looks like an other-worldly being, sent down to earth to bless us with a legendary fashion moment. She paired the look with Bulgari Haute Joaillerie, naturally - in the form of the most glamorous necklace I have seen in months - which honestly just disappears when placed on such a bold, powerful look. On the runway 29 years ago, this outfit also featured a matching headpiece - a seemingly attached cyborg-esque robot helmet - which perhaps would have been too restricting or suffocating, but Zendaya's take on the look has the same full effect without it.
The look is from the Thierry Mugler Fall 1995 Couture collection, which caused quite the commotion during its debut and is, to this day, way ahead of its time. Somehow, this look feels like the perfect representation of the past, present and future of fashion all in one. In 2024, we are in an era where there is a major conversation around fashion conservation, we understand that important pieces of work and iconic garments in fashion history are too fragile to be worn - or even touched - meaning that most collections (particularly couture) from pre-2000 are under lock and key. So, when Law Roach announced via instagram that Zendaya's Dune 2 premiere look was not a replica, but it was in fact THE ORIGINAL robot suit from Mugler's archives, the internet broke. Let's be honest though, if anyone could have made this happen, it could only have been Law Roach. He told his instagram after Zendaya walked the carpet: 'I am the greatest' and I couldn't agree more.
Time to give Law his flowers: Law is best known for his historic work with Zendaya as her stylist over the years, but has now transitioned into a new phase of his career. Among other things, you could think of him as Zendaya's creative director, coming up with inspiration and concepts for style moments (red carpet and day-to-day alike) alongside her. Due to his work over the last decade, he has become one of the most prominent celebrity stylists, which has undoubtedly forged some incredible connections with designers. It is thanks to these connections that Law is able to pull such magnificent pieces for Zendaya all the time, and now, he has pulled perhaps the most iconic look to date. With this collaboration, he has fully escaped the confines of the title 'stylist', pushing the boundaries as a creative and seemingly making the impossible happen. To be given access to the early Mugler archives at all is a huge feat, but to loan this piece - a one-of-a-kind, body conscious suit, that has no room for alterations at all - is mind-blowing. It truly is a miracle that Zendaya was able to get it on in the first place, knowing that it can't be modified, let alone to move at all with it on. It walked the runway 29 years ago and remains in perfect condition, with this event being its first ever public outing - the only other time it was seen being a photoshoot, shot by Helmut Newton, for Vogue US in the November of 1995 - which adds to the topic of the preservation of fashion in 2024.
On that note, let's talk about the Met Gala. This year, the theme of the exhibition in New York is 'Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion'. The intention is to bring pieces to the surface of the waters of fashion that have been lost in the sea of time, that are too delicate to be worn or touched again. It will allow us to look - but not touch - at around 250 beautiful moments in the history of fashion that have been monumental within the industry and the world. Zendaya's Dune 2 look speaks to this theme, as it is a 1 of 1 piece, that can't be tailored, from a 1995 collection that is undeniably one of the most culturally significant fashion collections of the 90's. It seems that the fashion world has a lot of trust in Law and Zendaya as style soulmates, allowing them to work with pieces like this, so it comes as no shock that Zendaya has also just been announced as one of the co-chairs of this years Met Gala. After this stunning Mugler moment, just for a premiere, there is already mass anticipation around what she will wear on the first Monday in May. Knowing Law Roach, we are not ready.
The pair - Law and Zendaya - have always had that certain magic that no other duo seem to be able to replicate, turning out look after look throughout both their careers, but especially during the Dune era. Since the first film in 2021, we have been given the best of fashion, at premieres and press tours from Venice Film Festival to London and Paris. This year, with an all star cast of stylish celebrities like Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh, the press tour for Dune 2 was bound to be one to keep an eye on, but no-one saw this coming. Then again, are we all actually surprised that Zendaya stole the show yet again, as if she doesn't at every red carpet? This moment immediately lands on a new page of the history book and now we're more ravenous that ever to see what the two stars put out during the rest of the Dune 2 press release and beyond. Law and Zendaya are doing a great job of what is essentially 'Method Dressing', putting her in pieces that are relevant to the character she is portraying in this movie, which expands the universe of Dune to the real world and truly pulls you in to the fantasy.
I could write forever about this look and everything Law and Zendaya do, so if you enjoy this conversation, or anything fashion at all, check out my other posts and follow my socials for constant fashion content.
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