The last place I expected to see a summer dress trend rise was the set of Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey. But it only took one photo of Zendaya, costumed like a Greek goddess in a high-neck, creamy beige dress, to send me on an epic journey I consider just as vital as titular character's. Instead of island hopping in search of my long-lost home, of course, I'm now on the hunt for a flowing, ethereal, light cotton or linen dress like hers. And considering how many dresses flood the market each summer, I consider this shopping trip a task of Herculean proportions.
Zendaya was snapped on location in Favignana, an Aegadian Isle off Italy's southern coast, looking like she could lure sailors to a watery death with a single swish of her layered skirt. Her dress selected by costume designer Ellen Mirojnick featured a high neck and a belted waist, coordinated with a middle-parted, braided bun.
To be clear, there's little information available at press time on which Homeric heroine or villain Zendaya will play opposite Matt Damon's Odysseus. (Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Calypso, a scheming nymph in search of an eternal husband, have both been floated online.) But a few snaps of her billowing summer dress were enough to launch a thousand shipping notices for similar pieces.
The Odyssey definitely isn't a film where costumes will be sourced from off the rack collections. There's nothing historically accurate for an ancient Greek epic in 2025's reigning fashion trends—nor in the versions of linen, cotton, and flax designers use in the here and now. Still, I found a modern-day mirror to Zendaya's dress in an on-sale style from Toteme. The label's sleeveless midi dress has a panel resembling Z's cinched-in waist; the skirt, while not quite as exaggerated, is just as imperious. (And, the perfect ankle-grazing length to pair with a strappy sandal.)
I'm inclined to find the Challengers star's onscreen outfits as compelling as her street style. Zendaya's latest film and TV projects came with heaps of contemporary—and readily shoppable—costuming. Last fall, she filmed A24's The Drama alongside Robert Pattinson in a range of deliciously oversize winter coats and cozy sweaters. That film is rumored to revolve around a couple with a fractured marriage, but her outfits fit my definition of domestic fashion bliss. On set for Euphoria's final season earlier this month, a pair of high-top Converse costarred in nearly every one of Zendaya's scenes—and reminded me to give the decidedly anti-trend sneaker another shot.
Zendaya's Odyssey style expedition has only just begun. Fiancé Tom Holland is her co-star, and I'm definitely hoping for more here-and-now vacation outfit inspiration from their side-quests around the Mediterranean Sea during filming. In the meantime, I predict her dip into ancient Greek sandals and dresses will inspire next summer's dress trends—and some on-point method dressing with help of shipwreck-chic designers like Vettese or vintage Jean Paul Gaultier. For anyone else who wants to feel equally regal now, I got a head start on shopping her look below.
