By Clare ThorpFeatures correspondent
Getty ImagesZendaya wore Thierry Mugler’s robot suit at the Dune: Part Two premiere in London – from Grace Jones to Lady Gaga, the French designer has created outrageous outfits for the world’s most glamorous figures.
There was a distinctly futuristic vibe on the red carpet for the Dune: Part Two premiere in London this week. Timothée Chalamet wore metallic trousers, Florence Pugh wore a sequined black hooded dress by Valentino. But no one understood the assignment more than Zendaya, who showed up in a silver cyborg suit proving that, when it comes to fashion, she’s in not just another league – but another world.
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Zendaya’s stylist Law Roach sourced the bodysuit from French fashion designer Thierry Mugler’s 1995 couture collection. The robot suit was originally created with artist Jean-Jacques Urcun, and inspired by the character Futura from the 1925 novel Metropolis. Constructed from chrome, and featuring plexiglass cutouts, it took six months to make. The futuristic look was the perfect choice to launch a sci-fi movie – and if Zendaya was looking to create an iconic red carpet moment, then she chose wisely. Because if there’s one designer whose creations are almost guaranteed to turn heads, it’s Thierry Mugler.
GettyMugler, who died in 2022 aged 73, was known for this love of spectacle. When Zendaya’s bodysuit was first seen on the catwalk in the mid-90s, it was as part of a special show held at Paris’s Cirque d’Hiver to mark 20 years of the Thierry Mugler brand. The show, dubbed “the Woodstock of Fashion”, featured the actress Tippi Hedren wearing a dress covered in black birds (a nod to her most famous role), along with many of the era’s biggest supermodels, musical guests, drag queens and porn stars. It was both a ridiculous and over-the-top show – and also entirely typical of Thierry Mugler.
Mugler first broke through as a designer in the 1970s and quickly became known for his theatrical designs. Mugler – who had wanted to be a dancer when he was young – was inspired by superheroes, goddesses, cabaret stars and cartoon characters. He loved feathers, sequins and crystals, and was known for his sculptural, architectural designs. His signature silhouette was an inverted triangle, with big, structured shoulders and a tightly cinched in waist.
He quickly established himself as the go-to designer for celebrities who wanted to command attention. It’s no surprise that Grace Jones was an early fan. In 1979, David Bowie wore a pink Mugler dress in the video to Boys Keep Swinging.
In the 1980s, his fashion shows became legendary. In 1984 he staged the first commercial fashion show, selling 6,000 tickets for his spectacle at Zénith Paris stadium. For the finale, model Pat Cleveland (then six months pregnant) descended from the sky as a Madonna in a transparent chiffon gown. In 1985, he sent models down the runway with gold plates covering their nipples (and, at one point, gave Iman a live monkey to perch on her shoulder).
Beyond fabulous
In the 1990s, his thirst for flamboyance only got greater, even when many other designers were embracing a more minimalistic look, and the grunge aesthetic was everywhere. “I don’t believe in natural fashion,” he told The New York Times.
Getty ImagesIn 1990 he sent models including Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell down the catwalk wearing bondage-inspired outfits, complete with whips. In 1991, the outfits were cartoonish, with Christy Turlington wearing a dress made from huge balls of fur. In his fall 1997 couture collection, model Adriana Karembeu walked down the runway in a corseted dress covered in scales made from horse hair, feathers and Swarovski crystals, looking like a high-fashion fish. That same year, Jerry Hall – a longtime muse – walked the runway dressed as an exceptionally glamorous peacock.
Mugler’s costume-like designs meant he was – and still is – particularly loved in the music world, with Madonna, Celine Dion and Diana Ross all wearing his creations on stage. Mugler provided the outfits for George’s Michael’s 1992 video for Too Funky, including a motorcycle inspired bustier from his spring/summer 1992 show.
Beyoncé also wore a Mugler motorcycle bustier on the cover of her 2009 album I Am… Sasha Fierce, and went on to wear his designs on stage for years. On last year’s Renaissance tour, she wore a custom Mugler cyborg suit inspired by his original design. Now she’s entering her country era, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see her reach for his glittering red cowgirl outfit from the Spring Summer 1992 show. Lady Gaga, too, is a long-time Mugler fan, frequently wearing vintage pieces both in her videos and on the red carpet.
Getty ImagesAt the 2019 Grammys, Cardi B wore a pastel pink 1995 Mugler creation – his “Birth of Venus” dress – that gave the impression she was a human pearl inside an oyster shell. That same year, Kim Kardashian wore a custom Mugler gown to the Met Gala. The latex beaded dress, which looked like water dripping from her body, took eight months to make – and was the first creation Thierry Mugler had made for his namesake house in 20 years.
With Mugler no longer with us, stars are now left to dive into his archive to create incredible fashion moments. And with Zendaya setting the bar extremely high, we can expect more to come.
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