If Zendaya ever finds herself with a bit of spare time, she could — nay, should — give a fashion masterclass. Whether she’s method dressing or rocking the most popular trends on red carpets, she always manages to give her ’fits a little something extra and look different than everybody else.
Her chic takes on barely-there dressing prove this point. Everyone who’s anyone in fashion and Hollywood has donned at least one naked trend including exposed underwear, plunging necklines, and see-through numbers. The trends are so ubiquitous, in fact, that it’s difficult to stand out in them. However, with the help of Law Roach, her longtime image architect, Zendaya’s spins on trends feel fresh and masterful.
For instance, when she wore one particular lingerie-inspired number, it was a two-toned ball gown worthy of red-carpet glamour. And when she channeled Cher in a cutout dress, she dipped from the archives and turned out in a look that stood the test of time.
Below, see Zendaya’s most revealing looks — that also happen to be so fashion-forward.
Exposed Bra
When Zendaya tried the exposed bra trend (a celeb favorite) at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week in early 2023, she flaunted a triangle brassiere in a three-piece matching set from the brand.
She wore a zebra print jacket left open with itty-bitty shorts and matching knee-high boots.
Pelvic Cutouts
When she’s not pushing the boundaries of what naked dressing looks like, she’s paying homage to barely-there dressers who’ve come before. Case in point: at the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October, where Cher was inducted, Zendaya channeled the legend being honored.
She dipped into the 2001 archives of Bob Mackie, Cher’s go-to designer, and borrowed a number that was more cutout than dress.
Lingerie-Inspired
While fashion girls have taken “lingerie-inspired” looks literally, wearing items that could’ve come straight out of underwear drawers, Zendaya managed to give her lacy sheer bustier look a glamorous makeover.
To attend the Los Angeles premiere of Challengers in April, she wore a dress that was half lingerie, half ball gown. The result? A total slay.
Peekaboo Underboob
Method dressing won’t stop her from flaunting her masterful skill at pairing proportions. At the Dune: Part Two brown carpet, the Euphoria star wore an oversized sweater that was all sports of boxy on top — with the teeniest, underboob-flashing crop.
She paired it with a maxi that had a thigh-high slit. Dystopia but make it fashion.
Sheer Separates
Sheer doesn’t need to be boring. Zendaya attended Valentino’s Spring/Summer 2023 Paris Fashion Week shoe in a head-to-toe look from the brand. Both her top and tights were sheer, while her jacket and shorts weren’t.
All, however, was blanketed in the label’s monogram, giving it a fun twist.
Navel-Plunging
Zendaya always commits to the bit. At the Challengers premiere after-party, she dressed like a tennis ball in a neon green hue with a plunging neckline. As in, the dip went past her navel, the end of which was marked with a tennis ball.
Butt Cutouts
Her most infamous look in 2024 was when she dressed up as a stylish C-3PO at the Dune: Part Two London premiere. Borrowing from Thierry Mugler’s 1995 collection, she wore a metallic silver cyborg robosuit that had the most risqué cutouts.
Breast, navel, and butt holes? This look had them all.
Naked Dressing
There are many interpretations of the naked dress — typically cream, sheer pieces that match the skin. Zendaya’s naked dress, however, had sci-fi leanings.
When Zendaya attended the Dune premiere during the Venice International Film Festival in 2021, she wore a dress that looked like it was wet, strategically draped to cling to the body. Like the film’s sandy universe, her dress mimicked the colors of the desert.
Metallic Breastplates
Back in 2020, before Rihanna made breastplates chic at the Super Bowl in 2023, Zendaya already rocked the chest-forward item at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards. Her choice? A metallic pink cropped breastplate paired with a fuchsia maxi skirt.
She’s iconic.
