Zendaya Steals The Show At The Emmys In A Strapless Black Gown—And Wins Outstanding Lead Actress!

No matter what red carpet Zendaya steps foot on, she is bound to steal the spotlight! This was especially true of her 2022 Emmys look, as the Dune actress stunned in a custom black satin Valentino gown and took home one of the most iconic awards of the night— Outstanding Leading Actress. Zendaya snagged the trophy for her acclaimed role as Rue on Euphoria, and gave a heartfelt acceptance speech while dazzling us with her timelessly gorgeous get-up.

The Spider-Man: No Way Home star’s strapless, waist-cinching and floor-length gown broke the internet almost instantly this week, as it flattered her figure with its peplum design. The dress, according to the official Valentino Instagram account, was especially designed for the star by Pierpaolo Piccioli, and inspired by a vintage piece from the luxury Italian label. Initially inspired by a Fall-Winter 87/88 red dress, Piccioli wanted to help to “resignify an iconic piece by transporting it to the contemporary” with its sleek black color.

Along with this Old Hollywood-esque, bow tie-adorned garment, Zendaya donned a sparkling Bulgari white gold necklace, diamond stud earrings and rings that were as sentimental as they were beautiful. These pieces, eagle-eyed fans pointed out, are the exact jewels that she wore the first time that she won an Emmy back in 2020.

To complete her look, the Shake It Up alum wore her long, wavy brunette tresses up into an elegant half-up, half-down style with a headband to hold her hair in place. As for makeup, the beauty rocked a classic cat-eye eyeliner wing, rosy blush on her cheekbones, shimmering highlighter and a peachy lip color.

In her acceptance speech, Zendaya thanked her Euphoria team and fans, and graciously spoke from the heart as she recognized how much her character means to viewers. “My greatest wish for Euphoria was that it could help heal people,” she said. “I just want to say thank you to everyone who has shared their story with me. I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are a Rue, I want you to know I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me, and I carry them with her,” she continued, “So thank you so much.”

Zendaya shared a breathtaking portrait shot of her full look for the evening in an IG post for her 150 million followers. She captioned it, “I’m on my way” with a black heart as fans hyped up her ensemble in the comment section. “A classic Beauty!” one user wrote as another added, “Absolutely stunning look for another historic night.” As her gown creator highlighted in another IG comment, Zendaya is notably the “first Black woman to win the Emmy for a leading role in a drama series twice” and she is also the “youngest two times winner in the whole Emmys history.” Congrats are in order!