Zendaya’s Latest Shoot For W Magazine’s Annual Director’s Issue Declares Her A Work Of Art, And We Couldn’t Agree More
Zendaya never fails to surprise me, even in the comfiest pyjamas that she at times is spotted wearing, Queen Z shines like a star in ’em all. And showcasing her sartorial jaadu yet again, Zendaya turned muse for the W magazine for their latest cover and I am like ‘ek hi too dil hai Z, kitni baar jeetogi?’ Glimmering like a moon with scintillating shadows lighting up every frame she’s put herself in, Euphoria‘s Rue has taken over another unrecognisable avatar for her latest experiments with fashion and art.
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Photographed by Jack Davison, the magazine cover image features Zendaya in a stunning black attire, pulled out from the archives of label Schiaparelli’s Haute Couture SS22. Joining the spectacular ensemble is the show stopper Apollo Of Versailles sun rays embellished with dégradé golden blade threads, tubes and beads. Styled by her special collaborator and image architect Law Roach, who BTW is credited for most of Zendaya’s sartorial decisions, the shoot has been directed and conceptualised by Zendaya’s blockbuster science-fiction film Dune‘s filmmaker Denis Villeneuve. The entire aesthetic has been inspired by actor David Bowie in the film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, as Zendaya’s look depicts the story of a vulnerable creature witnessing the current state of the world and affairs, with a zest to study about humanity. While Z looks unimaginably stunning in all the photographs, what caught our eyes apart from the Schiaparelli ensemble, was Valentino’s Haute Couture, semi-sheer silver foil catsuit. Another image stops me to scroll further, which features Z in a Maximilian dress looking like a work of art.
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Also Read: Zendaya Brings Valentino’s 1992 Dress To Life At The Premiere Of ‘Euphoria’ Season Two
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Another glimmering still from the shoot features her in a Courrèges halter top and a yellow Loewe dress, that projects a stunning silhouette. Titled as the ‘Future Human,’ Zendaya in the special feature talks about her experience of shooting the sci-fi film Dune, and acting being her safe spot in the world. Curating a trail of splendid pairings, we think the nature of the photographs and styling gives an outer perspective of the world we reside in.
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Also Read: The Many Times Hollywood’s *Aww-dorable* Couple Zendaya And Tom Holland Made Us Feel Single AF
From the metallic, sequinned and glitter laden colour palette to form-fitting silhouettes, it is as if Zendaya zips herself into an anonymous being that contrasts her own identity. It’s imaginative, and a far-fetched reality. Based on actor David Bowie’s character Thomas Jerome Newton in the 1976 film, The Man Who Fell To Earth, the shoot in some ways weaves a visual narrative close to David’s portrayal of an alien in the film, who lands upon Earth in search of water in order to save his homeland, talking about which director Denis mentions about the ‘creative fun’ through which he approached the process of shooting the cover. He further talks about the magic of cinema that helps ‘create poetry with a camera.’
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Wearing the best of labels like Burberry, Saint Laurent and Valentino, we spot illustrative head accessories, truckloads of tinsels, as stylist Law puts to use the 90’s dearest chain-mail trend on Zendaya’s garments with smokey eyes and painted lips being a constant, throughout the string of images. The backdrops as we perceive, accommodate partially constructed brick walls, shadow play and reflections making their way in every possible frame, with colour entering the monochromatic visuals through a sign of water featuring in them. This to me is a manufactured poetry, we definitely didn’t see Zendaya try her hands on. We feel this cover officially declares Queen Z–a work of art and we definitely agree.
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However, the second instalment of Dune awaits a big release in 2023, Zendaya teases some surprises for the readers in the magazine issue. Throughout her conversations in the feature, she unpacks her feelings about heading back to the Dune 2 set, and diving into the world of Dune and we feel this cover just falls in the right place, to flag off the journey of this film.
Image Credits: Instagram/W Magazine
