FASHION

Zendaya’s Off-Duty Skirt Ditches Thematic Dressing For Artsy Abstraction

by Matthew Velasco

Zendaya at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
Splash by Shutterstock

In theory, Zendaya—the rightful Queen of method dressing—would grasp at an opportunity like a day at the Paris Olympics to channel her inner Tashi Duncan. Instead, the actor attended the Paris games on Sunday while wearing a very on-trend, but explicitly non-themed, street style look.

The Challengers actor sported a nipple-baring halter top that featured a plunging neckline and an ab-baring silhouette. Zendaya then dressed up the simple piece with an artsy wrap skirt that extended past the knee. Her skirt was lined with a gradated green stripe pattern and draped with mismatched layers of fabric. For a French Girl finish, Zendaya slipped into a white pair of The Row’s cult-favorite ballet flats. Everyone from Kendall Jenner to Jennifer Lawrence have worn the flat-sole shoe. Zendaya rounded out her look with a slicked-back hair style, stud earrings, and a vintage Louis Vuitton shoulder bag called the “Diane.”

A-list stars have been seated in the crowd during various Olympic events this week, but Zendaya appeared to spend her day greeting fans around Paris (something that likely explains the non-themed style choices here). But, rest assured. Zendaya and her stylist Law Roach pulled out an Olympic-size method dressing moment not long after.

Splash by Shutterstock

The actor quite literally channeled the Olympic rings in a romper from Jean-Charles de Castelbajac’s 2008 “Sportacus” collection. Her look featured multi-color embellishments meant to imitate the games’s iconic signage. The quirky vintage pull received mixed reactions from fans, with some telling the actor to “put it back in the archives.”

@luxurylaw
@luxurylaw
1/2

Last week, Zendaya kicked off her Paris stay by attending Louis Vuitton’s Prelude to the Olympics event. On that occasion, she rivaled the Eiffel Tower’s sparkle in a medal-worthy gown. Her bodycon dress was dripping in flashy black sequins.

For the most part, stars have nixed the method theme dressing trend at the Olympics in favor of simple, unfussy silhouettes like Zendaya’s latest outfit. Perhaps, we’ll have to wait until the actor is back promoting a project for her themed style to reawaken.

Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images