Zendaya’s Winged Look at The Odyssey Premiere Was Years in the Making
Zendaya has gone full goddess mode. After a week of deity dressing on The Odyssey press tour in London and Paris, the actor reached her final fantastical form at the New York City premiere on July 14. She stepped onto the red carpet in a white strapless gown by Matières Fécales, featuring a dramatic high slit, a plunging neckline and intricate ruching throughout. She even swapped her signature Louboutin So Kates for a decidedly more otherworldly footwear design: heeless gravity-defying shoes by Matières Fécales, made in collaboration with Christian Louboutin.
She finished with Chopard jewels, soft barely-there glam and a long braid that reached down her back, courtesy of hairstylist Coree Moreno. The focal point, however, was the dramatic feathered wings attached at the back of the gown. The angelic ensemble first premiered on the Paris fall 2025 runway nearly two years, and it’s been waiting for Zendaya ever since.
In an interview on the premiere red carpet, stylist Law Roach said that, upon seeing the show, he immediately wrote to designers Hannah Rose and Steven Raj asking to reserve the dress for this moment. “I knew she had this movie coming up—I don’t think the movie was made yet,” he said. “I asked them to hold the look for us, and they held the look this entire time. They didn’t send it to anyone else.”
In an Instagram statement of their own, the designers added that they “turned down so many great requests,” but knew that this was the right fit for the ethereal couture design.
While Zendaya’s elaborate press tour aesthetic leading up to this has been imbued with regal, ancient Greek energy (The couture Schiaparelli breastplate! The custom Louis Vuitton bolero!), this is undoubtedly her dreamiest—and most on-theme—look yet.
In The Odyssey, Zendaya plays Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare. While Athena herself does not fly, wings are an archetypal motif in Greek mythology and reminiscent of other divine Grecian figures. Take Nike, the goddess of victory, or Psyche, the goddess of the soul. Ultimately, the cascading feathers are a satisfying fashion finale for Zendaya, who has, over the past week, embodied the image of effortless mythic glamour.
Prior to the premiere on July 14, she stepped out of her hotel in a silk chiffon Pamella Roland dress, from the fall 2026 collection, similar of the toga she wears in the film. After the red carpet, she changed back into that very same gauzy gown—nodding to the message that gods are mortals walking among us. Indeed, no one proves this better than Zendaya.
