“A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He is called to it, and he answers” - Leto Atreides, Dune
We know Zendaya isn’t in the public eye often, leading a relatively private life for a celebrity of her caliber. Still, when she’s called to the red carpet, she never fails to answer. Because she has blessed us with serve, after serve during the Dune: Part Two press tour.
She and her long-time stylist, Law Roach, have once again worked together to create her press tour wardrobe, and here are the amazing looks they’ve created:
For the Mexico City premiere, she wore two looks, and I can’t decide which one I like more:
This fully custom Bottega Veneta by Matthieu Blazy ensemble made up of a mocha crop top and matching slit skirt, has a drool-worthy silhouette and is impossibly chic.
Furthermore, she wore a jaw-drop gorgeous twisted halter-neck crop top and maxi skirt (a popular combination on the press tour) from up-and-coming British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer, Torishéju Dumi.
In Seoul, she wore this vintage Givenchy fall/winter 1999 motherboard dress, designed by Lee McQueen. The pattern is mesmerizing and becomes even more hypnotic once the light hits it, and you realize the appliqués are filled with a liquid that delicately trickles from its enclosure.
Meanwhile, in Paris, she delivered with two more breathtaking outfits:
First, she donned this 3D-printed white Alaïa dress from their most recent collection, which I talked about in my latest post. It captures the movie’s futuristic sci-fi ambiance, and I can’t think of a better person to wear this masterpiece.
Later, she wore what Law Roach considers his personal favorite from the press tour. A Louis Vuitton gold-foiled crop top and skirt that references one of Nicolas Ghesquière’s early LV collections, showing off the abs we all wish we had. By topping off the already extravagant look with Bvlgari jewelry, Zendaya looks like a member of the glamorous Bene Gesserit rather than the Fedaykin warrior she plays in the movie.
Once in New York, she served once more in a Stéphane Rolland Spring 2024 gown, with sharp and unique cut-outs and gold trim. Law Roach says he selected the dress since it reminds him of the Bene Gesserit in Dune: Part One. Roach and Zendaya paired the gown with Bvlgari diamonds, gold Jimmy Choo’s, gold manicure, and natural curls.
And, finally, my favorite leg of the tour: London.
If you haven’t seen this iconic look yet, I’m sorry to tell you, that you live under a rather large rock. Zendaya emerged in an archival Mugler robot suit, from the late designer’s fall/winter 1995 couture collection. She wore a legitimate piece of history, one that had to be treated with all the care in the world to preserve the decades-old craftsmanship. This outfit is everything that should be on a Dune red carpet and more, Zendaya really said “It’s the year 10,191? Alright, bet.”
Since she could barely move, she switched into another outfit further into the night. And, how can I fault her when she looks this good? Another Mugler dress, this one from Casey Cadwallader’s pre-fall 2024 collection.
Those are all of the Zendaya red-carpet looks that needed to be mentioned, although I must say, every cast member did an amazing job with their looks (it’s just hard to compete with the Zendaya). But I wanted to take a second to talk about this movie’s all-encompassing, life-changing, masterpiece of a costume design department. The outfits worn in the film have me believing I wasn’t meant to be born in 2006, but ten thousand years in the future so I could wear the same clothes as these cunning space witches.
Costume designers Jaqueline West and Bob Morgan drew inspiration from medieval references, ancient tarot cards, and even alchemy. They make continuous references to history, and even Greek tragedies. Since, at its core, the Dune franchise feels deeply historical even though it’s set thousands of years into a future we’ll hopefully never encounter. It’s a legendary story of great houses, epic battles, and tragic demises. The elegant and simple uniforms of House Atreides, a family that ends in massacre, are modeled after the once-great Romanov dynasty. While the chains and headpieces that adorn the Bene Gesserit allude to medieval nuns. Jaqueline West even came up with the term “Mod-evial” (modern-medieval) to describe Dune’s style.
Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Lady Jessica says: “The costumes gave me everything”, and I can see how. The combination of textiles tells a story, the chains build character, and each desert ensemble praises the art of survival. From the veils to the armor, the 200 artists working within the costume department took me to paradise. Jaqueline West and Bob Morgan, you are the true saviors here. Who needs the kwisatz haderach when we have you?
Love,
a wannabe space witch
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