In an evening full of head-turning live Oscars red carpet fashion updates, Zendaya's arrival at the 97th Annual Academy Awards on March 2 might have been the most anticipated. Her first and only red carpet of the year so far—the 2025 Golden Globes—came with a custom tangerine Louis Vuitton gown and an engagement ring reveal, and she wasn't even up for a major nomination. So, the predictions went, her part in Dune: Part Two earning a 2025 Oscar nod for Best Picture would definitely draw out another best red carpet fashion nomination for the star and stylist Law Roach.
But alas, there was no 2025 Oscars look with Zendaya's name on it—just a hole in the lineup where one of her stunning custom looks would be. It seems that Z opted to sit out of the ceremony entirely this year.
Zendaya's past Oscars red carpet looks (five in total) have toed the line between thoughtful homages to best-dressed winners past and nods to her own work. At the 2024 Academy Awards, she chose a pink and black Armani Privé gown and Old Hollywood-curled bob—her way of winking at theChallengers poster while remaining formal enough for Hollywood's biggest night.
Two years earlier, at the 2022 Oscars, Zendaya and Law Roach looked back at Sharon Stone's 1998 Academy Award ensemble for inspiration. They took her '90s minimalist template of a crisp white button-up and column skirt—but amplified it for the twenty-first century with help from Valentino. Cropping the shirt and coating the skirt in silver sequins made it a standout among the night's classic gowns.
But the most significant entry in Zendaya's Academy Awards style file might be her very first. At the 2015 Oscars, the then 18-year-old actor attended the ceremony in a white Vivienne Westwood gown with off-the-shoulder straps and a draped, corseted bodice. She and Law Roach had decided to style her hair in locs—a move that would play a major role in red carpet representation, after Z responded to unfairly negative commentary about her hairstyle. Years later, she still recognizes her impact: “My wearing my hair in locs on an Oscar red carpet was to showcase them in a positive light, to remind people of color that our hair is good enough,” she said.
It makes sense that the star decided to sit out, even though her presence was sorely missed.
Zendaya is booked and busy this year, filming projects that could earn her nominations on the 2026 awards circuit. (One notable entry: Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey, where she'll star alongside fiancé Tom Holland.) The star already has Emmys for her performance on Euphoria under her belt, so it's only a matter of time before her talent is recognized on film's biggest night, too. When, exactly, she'll earn her first little golden man is anyone's guess; but until then, she's a shoe-in for the annual Oscars best-dressed list at every installment she decides to attend.
