Zendaya’s Angel Wings Steal the Spotlight at ‘The Odyssey’ Premiere, and the Story Behind the Dress Is Wilder Than You’d Think

Red carpet season has been especially busy for Zendaya lately, with press tours for both ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ overlapping in ways that have kept fashion watchers glued to every appearance. The actress and her longtime stylist, Law Roach have built a reputation for turning even routine premieres into full-blown style moments, and this latest stop was no exception.

The occasion this time was the New York premiere of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey‘, held Tuesday night at AMC Lincoln Square ahead of the film’s July 17 release. Given that Zendaya plays the goddess Athena in the sprawling adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, expectations were already high for a look that leaned into mythology rather than a standard formal gown.

She delivered exactly that, stepping onto the carpet in a dramatic white gown by the Paris-based label Matières Fécales, complete with sculptural feathered wings bursting from the bodice. The dress featured a swirling, hand-pleated design with an intentionally tattered train and a high slit that added movement to the already theatrical silhouette.

According to the brand, the piece is described as a wrapped micro hand pleated chiffon dress with what the designers call couture mutant wings, framed as their own interpretation of a French couturier wedding dress archetype. The gown actually first appeared on the runway during the label’s Fall 2025 show in Paris back in March 2025, long before it ever touched a red carpet.

That timeline turned out to be more than a coincidence. Zendaya revealed during an appearance on Live from E! that she and Roach had actually locked in this exact dress for the premiere years in advance.

“Law put this on hold a long time ago. Like, two years ago,” she exclusively told Justin Sylvester at the event, describing the kind of long game styling strategy that has become a signature of her partnership with Roach.

She went on to explain just how in sync the two of them tend to be when it comes to major fashion decisions. “We’re usually on the same page,” she said, adding that the process still involves plenty of back and forth before anything is finalized. “It’s family, so that’s how we do it,” she noted, underscoring the trust built over years of collaboration.

Zendaya rounded out the ethereal look with more than 30 carats of diamond jewelry from Chopard, along with a pair of white pumps featuring an unexpected inverted heel that echoed the curved shape of the wings on her back. Her hair was styled in a long, loosely undone braid, while her makeup stayed soft and understated, allowing the sculptural gown to do most of the talking.

This wasn’t Zendaya’s first time in Matières Fécales, and the pairing continues to make sense given the brand’s avant garde, boundary-pushing aesthetic. The label, run by creative duo Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran, has been having a breakout stretch, and seeing their work anchor one of the summer’s biggest premieres only adds to that momentum.

The moment also carried personal significance beyond fashion. Zendaya’s husband, Tom Holland, who costars with her in the Nolan film, was in attendance alongside castmates including Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway, making the premiere something of a family affair for the couple. Zendaya has previously shared that Holland actually introduced her to the script before she was officially cast, adding an extra layer of history to the night.

Fashion outlets have largely praised the look for balancing spectacle with substance, noting that the wings felt less like a costume gimmick and more like a genuine extension of her character’s mythological presence. It is a tricky needle to thread on a red carpet, and reactions suggest Zendaya and Roach pulled it off with room to spare.

With ‘The Odyssey’ hitting theaters just days after the premiere, and ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ set to follow at the end of the month, Zendaya’s red carpet run shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

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