Zendaya's Show-Stopping Look For The Odyssey New York Premiere Is A Fun Fashion Callback

Nobody leans into a theme like Zendaya, and that's no less true on the press tour for Christopher Nolan's upcoming adaptation of "The Odyssey," in which Zendaya plays the goddess Athena. While her costumes in the film are somewhat more plain, the star and her stylist, Law Roach, have gone all in on ethereal Grecian beauty, from flowing white fabrics to gladiator sandals, which fashionistas have been leveling up their outfits with. Things really took a mythological turn at the film's July 14 New York City premiere, with an angelic gown complete with huge feathered wings, which had an even deeper connection to Zendaya's work that fans instantly noticed.

— how time flies by ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ꒰ঌ ໒꒱ 🪉 pic.twitter.com/z3aNvuGF9d

— ❦. (@filmsbratz) July 14, 2026

Even though her style transformation is jaw-dropping, in 2011, she rocked a very similar look on the Disney Channel original series that propelled her to fame, "Shake It Up." In the episode "Model It Up," her character, teenage dance star Rocky Blue, scores a modeling gig where she's photographed as an 'angel who represents everything that is good and pure.' Neither she nor Roach confirmed that her look for "The Odyssey" premiere was a 15-year-old callback, but the nostalgia is palpable.

This isn't the first time one of Zendaya's outfits during "The Odyssey" press tour made waves, and not the kind you encounter on an exciting adventure at sea. At the July 6 London premiere, she walked the red carpet in a stunning Schiaparelli gown featuring a form-fitting bodice in homage to a Greek statue, and a silver and white beaded fringe skirt that came straight from the runway. We mean that literally: Roach escorted the dress from the Paris fashion show where it debuted just hours earlier to the London event via private jet — a move many frowned upon as irresponsibly wasteful in these ecologically fragile times.

Her later look at a Paris photocall might have been more eco-friendly, but it set tongues wagging for entirely different reasons. The outfit, which came from an Alexander McQueen collection for Givenchy inspired by Greek mythology, included a highly structured white dress with dangling folded sleeves and a lacy gold headpiece that covered her face, coming to a point above her head. Fans were divided, especially by the headpiece, which some declared bird-like and concluded that Roach had flown 'too close to the sun,' while others simply marveled at his access to the iconic 1997 collection. We love a show-stealing celebrity vintage look.