Zendaya Explains Why She Almost Didn’t Wear Wild Body Armor Suit to ‘Dune: Part Two’ Premiere

When looking back on her most memorable fashion looks, the actress shared new insight into how she pulled off an unforgettable ‘Dune’ outfit.

Zendaya is shining a light on one of the greatest red carpet fashion moments of her career. Nearly two months after showing up to the Dune: Part Two red carpet premiere in London in see-through silver body armor, the actress explained how the look came to be.

“I was like, ‘I wonder if I could wear that?’” Zendaya recalled to Vogue on April 9 as part of the publication’s “Life in Looks” series. “And so I sent it to [my stylist] Law [Roach] and I was like, ‘What if we wore this for the premiere?’”

She continued, “He was like, ‘Are you being serious? Don’t play with me! Don’t get me started on something and make me do this and you’re gonna chicken out last minute and be too scared to wear it.’”

One of the men who originally made the Mugler ensemble was unsure if Zendaya would be able to fit into the piece.

“He was like, ‘We can try it but there’s also a world where certain parts won’t fit. Our proportions might be very different,’” Zendaya recalled. “My elbow is a little bit lower or whatever. We tried it on and it fit like a glove. It just felt like it was very meant to be.”

As soon as cameras photographed Zendaya arriving at London’s Leicester Square in the outfit, the look spread online with critics sharing rave reviews.

While the positive feedback was nice, the actress said the outfit wasn’t always the most glamorous.

“Immediately, I think after wearing it for like 10 minutes or less than that, I got really lightheaded,” Zendaya recalled. “The medal conducts and holds onto heat very quickly and kind of traps heat in. I’m wearing a complete body suit so there’s a barrier so you already have a layer of material kind of on your skin. As the days were coming up, I was like, ‘This is a bad idea. Why did I do this?’”

Now, Zendaya realizes that the fashion risk totally paid off.

“I put it on,” she said. “I went out there and I did it.”

Throughout her press tour for Dune: Part Two, Zendaya wowed fashion lovers with her must-see looks. At the sci-fi film’s New York City premiere, the actress wore a white floor-length dress with daring cutouts in the front.

And at the premiere in Paris, Zendaya rocked a matching sleeveless crop top and a long, flowing skirt.