Law Roach's 10 Most Memorable Styling Moments

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Law Roach is a student and master of the game. The stylist turned “image architect” seamlessly integrates fashion references and cultural messaging into the fabulous looks of his celebrity clients. He is the wardrobe wizard behind Zendaya Coleman, Celine Dion, Tiffany Haddish’s head-turning style. Through his cohesive selections, Law honors and highlights pop icons, African heads of state, and fashion mavericks. 

Law’s passion for fashion is present in all his style decisions. He selects clothing from designers like Jason Rembert, Cushnie, and Vetements and pairs them with familiar faces to present them in ways we’ve never seen them before. Roach has brought his extensive fashion knowledge to moments that have birthed magazine covers, beauty campaigns, and even Barbie dolls. 

From waving his magic wand to illuminate Zendaya’s dress, at the 2019 MET Gala to digging in his archive to pay homage to Beyonce, Law lays down the law in this styling game.

See 10 of his most memorable styling moments below. 

1. Zendaya At The 2019 Met Gala

With a wave of his wand, Law Roach created one of the most memorable moments of the 2019 Met Gala. The theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion” and Law understood the assignment. He sent Zendaya onto the red stairs in a light-up Tommy Hilfiger dress that won the crowd and fashion critics’ approval. 

2. Lala Anthony At The 2014 Met Gala 

This transitional look for Lala Anthony, who was seeking to prove she could serve different looks on screen as a budding actress, allowed us to see her in a different light. 

Roach could have fed into the temptation to overdo it for his very first Met Gala 

red carpet but he showed restraint instead. He leaned into the theme of  “Charles James: Beyond Fashion,” with precision proving that he understood the occasion required a specific approach. The careful construction and vampy lip spoke to the legacy of American haute couture better than many of the other looks presented that first Monday in May. 

3. Malcom and Marie 2021

If 80% of a movie is going to center on a conversation that happens in a single dress, that dress better be a winner. As the Costume Designer for the polarizing Malcom & Marie Roach placed Zendaya in a show stopping gilded gown from Jason Rembert’s Aliétte. The pick was worthy of the pivotal moment in her poisonous relationship. We may have been triggered by the protagonists’ arguments but thanks to the impact of Roach choosing this Black designer’s masterpiece we couldn’t turn away.

4. Zendaya At The 2015 Academy Awards 

Roach’s decision to style Zendaya in a pairing of fresh faux locs and an ivory Vivienne Westwood gown unexpectedly went from a routine photo opp to a teachable moment when the fashion police popped off on her outfit. 

After years of little Black girls thinking their special days had to be punctuated with a press and curl, a star embracing a protective style at a major awards show was a game changer. 

The look became so iconic after the scandal that it was immortalized as a one-of-a-kind Barbie doll. 

5. Zendaya At The 2021 BET Awards 

18 years after Beyonce drove all crazy in love on the BET Awards stage rocking a vibrant Versace mini Roach and Zendaya paid tribute to the Telfar toting star. 

Roach sent Zendaya to the same awards show in a vintage gown from the same collection. The sight of the star in the eggplant and neon green number nearly broke the internet. Now if only we could convince more Black stars, stylists, and design houses to bring that same energy to all of our functions.   

6. Jada Pinkett Smith At The 'Girls Trip' Premiere 

Roach slipped Jada Pinkett Smith into a copper gown from Prabal Gurung for the Los Angeles premiere of Girls Trip. The off the shoulder dress and the simple top know that accompanied it was part of a pattern. He often places her in form fitting metallic looks that play solo. 

Pinkett Smith’s matronly character Lisa might have been dressed homely for “intelligent men of academia,” but the performer was serving serious movie star energy in this look. 

7. Kerry Washington At The 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars Party 

Washington shut down the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars after party in a regal two-piece look from Zuhair Murad. Roach used the moment to respond to centuries of whitewashing by sending her down the carpet in a look he described on Instagram as “What Cleopatra really looked like…” 

The star did the Egyptian Queen justice by bearing the weight of the hefty embellishments with perfect poise. 

The look was accessorized with jewelry from Azza Fahmy. He closed it out with a pair of delicate golden sandals from Sophia Webster.  

8. Tiffany Haddish At The 2018 Emmys 

A few years after she stole hearts by rocking the same look over and over (like most normal humans have to) Haddish became a red carpet darling. 

Haddish twirled on the carpet at the 2018 Emmys in a custom rainbow Prabal Gurung gown that matched the cheerfulness of her personality and held personal significance. She reported that the colors on the dress were chosen to represent the flag of her father’s home nation of Eritrea. 

9. Aldis Hodge At The 2021 Academy Awards  

After years of identical tailoring men are stepping up their fashion game yay! 

The Screen Actors Guild award-winning actor arrived on the carpet to greet his One Night In Miami  director Regina King in a pure white and stark Black double breasted tuxedo from Dolce & Gabbana. The suit’s subtle embossing added texture and an angelic sheen that elevated the sensible. We were already obsessed with the pattern on the lapels but then Roach finished the look with a well selected jewelry from Harry Winston and crisp shoes from Jimmy Choo. Well played.