FASHION

Zendaya Is Real-Life Dune Desert Princess In Custom Nensi Dojaka

It’s a look that Chani would wear on the sands of the Dune homeworld.

by Meagan Fredette

Zendaya in a brown-black multi-part custom Nensi Dojaka dress and a face mask walking
Photo: Ricky Vigil M/GC Images.

The highly-anticipated remake of Dune is here, which can only mean one thing: more astonishing Zendaya looks as she hits the red carpet to promote the film. Her Dune press looks have been as futuristic and avant-garde as Frank Herbert’s novel when it was published in 1965. At the London premiere, she amazed us all in a sequin-covered conceptual Rick Owens dress, with a geometric silhouette befitting any science fiction heroine. She changed into another mind-blowing piece at the screening’s after party, in a look that blends the deserts of Arrakis with designer Nensi Dojaka’s signature allure.

Once again wearing something straight from the runway, Zendaya’s sheer slip dress from Dojaka’s spring 2022 collection features lingerie-style elastic strapping and strategically-placed cutouts. Dojaka’s exquisite tailoring keeps the lines of the dress looking precise, down to the neon pink heart gently gracing the bodice. With a thigh-high slit and trailing black straps, it embodies Dojaka’s vision of her wearers feeling “sexy and chic,” as she told W last year. Zendaya kept her shimmery lilac makeup on, and it contrasted beautifully with the neutral tones of the dress for a look that is sublimely sensual, no matter what planet you’re on.

The dress comes from Dojaka’s first runway presentation earlier this year. That she’s been able to build such a cult following during a pandemic and without the cachet of several runway shows owes to her business acumen as much as her deeply evocative designs. It’s why Dojaka won the coveted LVMH Prize in September 2021, and why her cult fanbase includes Bella Hadid and Sophie Turner. With this look, Zendaya proves that she’s just as flawless when she wears emerging designers and big-name houses — and the right choice to be honored as the next, and youngest ever CFDA Fashion Icon in November. See more photos of her look below.

Photo: Ricky Vigil M/GC Images.
Photo: Ricky Vigil M/GC Images.
Photo: Ricky Vigil M/GC Images.