When Zendaya stepped onto the red carpet at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, she did more than deliver another memorable fashion moment. The Euphoria star’s custom Prada gown and dramatic new pixie cut were a deliberate homage to Halle Berry—a tribute that Berry herself acknowledged with a public display of admiration the following morning.
According to stylist Law Roach, the Zendaya 2026 Emmys look was designed as “a little homage to Halle Berry,” transforming a standard awards-show appearance into a cross-generational fashion conversation that resonated across social media.
The connection was confirmed on the night of the ceremony. Roach shared a side-by-side image on his Instagram Story, pairing a photograph of Berry from the early 2000s with Zendaya’s fresh red-carpet appearance, captioning it “The original @halleberry.” By Tuesday morning, Berry had responded with characteristic warmth, reposting the comparison and writing, “She murdered the night.”
The moment felt earned rather than engineered. Berry and Zendaya have exchanged public praise for years, with Berry naming Zendaya in 2021 as her pick to represent the future of Hollywood. The 2026 Emmys tribute was both a fashion statement and a continuation of that mutual admiration—a rare instance where a red-carpet reference carried genuine personal history.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Celebrity | Zendaya |
| Event | 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, September 14, 2026 |
| Look | Custom Prada silver sequin gown with plunging neckline and sheer detailing |
| Inspiration | Halle Berry’s early-2000s red-carpet style, including her 2002 Die Another Day premiere look |
| Designer | Prada (custom) |
| Stylist | Law Roach |
| Hairstylist | Coree Moreno |
| Halle Berry’s Reaction | “She murdered the night” (Instagram Stories) |
| Fashion Connection | Silver sparkle, pixie cut, and sheer styling echoing Berry’s iconic era |
Zendaya’s gown was a custom creation by Prada, designed specifically for the occasion. The floor-length piece was constructed from silver sequins and intricate beading, with a sheer tulle underlayer that gave the dress an almost liquid quality under the red-carpet lights. The silhouette was figure-skimming, featuring a plunging V-neckline that extended down the bodice and a delicate train that trailed behind her as she moved.
The embellishments were the dress’s defining feature. Crystals and pearls were woven into the design in cascading strands, catching light from every angle and creating a kinetic shimmer that photographers noted made the gown feel alive in motion. A sheer white fabric detail added contrast against the metallic base, preventing the look from tipping into pure costume territory.
Accessories were deliberately restrained. Zendaya wore Mikimoto diamond and pearl jewelry, including statement earrings that framed her newly cropped hair, along with a Rolex watch that added an unexpected note of polished practicality. The watch was a particularly on-brand choice for Zendaya, whose red-carpet styling often incorporates one element of surprise to keep a formal look from feeling overly precious.
The most talked-about element, however, was her hair. Zendaya debuted a full pixie cut on the Emmys red carpet—a dramatic departure from the waist-length styles she had favored throughout much of her recent press tours. Hairstylist Coree Moreno described the approach as “a classic pixie reimagined through a modern, editorial lens,” styling the crop with texture and lift through the crown while keeping the sides sleek. Makeup artist Ernesto Casillas built the beauty look around “late ’90s red carpet glam,” using Prada Beauty products to create a glowy, sophisticated finish that complemented the dress rather than competing with it.
The inspiration was not a single look but an era. According to reporting from Grazia Daily, Zendaya’s styling echoed Berry’s red-carpet wardrobe from the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s, particularly Berry’s appearance at the 1996 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, where she wore a silver vest top with an embroidered skirt and her signature short hair. The combination of silver sparkle and a cropped silhouette created a visual through-line that fashion observers immediately recognized.
People.com specifically identified Berry’s 2002 Die Another Day premiere look as a direct reference point. For that event, Berry wore a sparkling, sheer Collette Dinnigan minidress paired with her own pixie cut—a look that Roach featured in his side-by-side Instagram Story comparison.
Law Roach confirmed the intention explicitly. Speaking to Refinery29 before the ceremony, he said, “We are paying a little homage to Halle Berry tonight, you’ll see it.” The confirmation removed any ambiguity: this was not a case of fans projecting a connection onto two similar outfits. It was a deliberate creative decision.
The visual parallels were clear without being literal. Zendaya’s gown was floor-length and dramatically embellished, while Berry’s referenced looks ranged from mini-dresses to vest-and-skirt combinations. The common threads were the metallic palette, the sheer or semi-sheer construction, and—most importantly—the hair. Both women have used a short, textured crop as a defining element of their public image, and Zendaya’s decision to debut her pixie at the Emmys, rather than at a lower-stakes event, signaled that the reference was central to the look rather than incidental.
Berry’s response was swift, warm, and public. On the morning after the Emmys, she shared a series of posts to her Instagram Stories. The first was a repost of Law Roach’s side-by-side comparison, originally shared by The Zoe Report, with Berry adding an animated heart and tagging both Roach and Zendaya.
She followed with a second post sharing Refinery29’s interview with Roach, in which he confirmed Berry as the inspiration, adding her own comment: “She murdered the night.”
A third post rounded out the tribute. Berry shared a clip from her appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in which she had said she would like to play Zendaya’s mother in a project one day—a comment that, in the context of the fashion homage, read as both a compliment and a gentle nod to their shared Hollywood lineage.
The reaction carried additional weight because of the pair’s history. In 2021, Berry had named Zendaya as her singular pick to represent the future of Hollywood, describing her as “wildly talented, young and already has an Emmy… brave, not afraid to take chances, authentic and wildly beautiful.” Zendaya responded at the time by saying she was “incredibly honored” and noting that Berry had “always been so lovely and so supportive” whenever they crossed paths. The Emmys tribute, and Berry’s response to it, felt like a continuation of a relationship that had been publicly affectionate for years.
The look that anchored the tribute—Berry at the 2002 Die Another Day premiere—came at a pivotal moment in her career. She was weeks away from the release of the James Bond film that would elevate her to global stardom, and months away from her Oscar win for Monster’s Ball in 2002. Her red-carpet style during this period was characterized by confidence and experimentation: short hair, body-conscious silhouettes, and a willingness to mix glamour with a certain downtown edge.
The Collette Dinnigan minidress she wore to the Die Another Day premiere was sheer, sparkling, and unabashedly sexy. It reflected an era when Berry was establishing herself not just as an actor but as a fashion presence—someone whose red-carpet choices were as closely watched as her performances.
That look, and the broader Berry aesthetic of the late ’90s and early 2000s, has remained a reference point in fashion. The combination of a pixie cut with a shimmering, revealing dress was a template that Berry made her own, and it is precisely that template that Zendaya and Law Roach drew upon for the 2026 Emmys.
Zendaya’s Emmys tribute to Berry fits into a broader pattern in her red-carpet career: the deliberate use of fashion history as a storytelling tool. Working with stylist Law Roach since her early Disney Channel days, Zendaya has built a reputation for looks that reference archival pieces, specific designers, and even cinematic moments, rather than simply wearing whatever is newest.
Notable examples include her 2019 Met Gala appearance in a light-up Cinderella gown by Tommy Hilfiger, which interpreted the event’s “Camp” theme through a Disney lens; her 2021 Dune press tour, where she and Roach created a series of looks that echoed the film’s desert palette and sci-fi aesthetic; and her 2024 Challengers press tour, which featured tennis-inspired couture that turned promotional obligations into fashion events.
The through-line is intentionality. Roach and Zendaya approach red-carpet dressing as a form of visual communication, using clothing to extend the narrative of whatever project or moment Zendaya is promoting. The Halle Berry homage at the Emmys operated on multiple levels: it celebrated a fashion forebear, it complemented Zendaya’s new pixie cut, and it reinforced her position as an actor who understands and respects Hollywood history.
Red-carpet references to earlier fashion moments are not new. Celebrities have long drawn on the archives of designers, and stylists frequently look to past decades for inspiration. What has changed in the social-media era is the speed and scale with which these references are identified, analyzed, and celebrated.
When a star like Zendaya wears a look that echoes a specific predecessor, the comparison can spread across platforms within hours. Fan accounts, fashion critics, and the celebrities themselves participate in a conversation that turns a single outfit into a broader cultural moment. The Halle Berry connection resonated because Berry engaged with it directly—her Instagram Stories response transformed what could have been a one-sided homage into a dialogue.
There is also a practical dimension. Referencing a well-known look from an earlier era gives contemporary styling a ready-made narrative. It connects the present star to a lineage of fashion risk-takers and signals that the wearer is not just following trends but engaging with the history of the medium. For Zendaya, whose career has been defined in part by her willingness to treat fashion as a creative discipline, the Berry tribute was consistent with her established approach.
Zendaya arrived at the 2026 Emmys as both a nominee and a presenter. She was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the third and final season of Euphoria, the HBO series that had already earned her two Emmy wins in 2020 and 2022—making her, at the time of her second win, the youngest two-time acting winner in Emmy history.
She did not win the category in 2026; the award went to Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus. But the nomination itself marked a significant milestone: it was Zendaya’s sixth Emmy nomination overall, all for her work on Euphoria as both an actress and musical artist.
The evening also marked one of Zendaya’s first major red-carpet appearances alongside her husband, Tom Holland, following their reported marriage. Holland made a discreet entrance at the Peacock Theater, and the pair were photographed together inside the venue, with both visibly wearing wedding rings. The Emmys, in other words, served as both a professional milestone and a personal one—a context that may have made the Berry tribute feel particularly meaningful, given Berry’s own history of navigating stardom, fashion, and public life on her own terms.
Halle Berry’s connection to this story extends beyond the specific looks referenced. She has been a consistent red-carpet presence for more than three decades, and her style has evolved through distinct phases: the athletic, body-conscious looks of her early career; the elevated glamour of her Oscar-winning era; and a more relaxed, modern sensibility in recent years.
Her fashion influence is perhaps best understood through her willingness to take risks. The pixie cut that Zendaya referenced was itself a statement when Berry first wore it—a rejection of the long-hair conventions that often governed Black women’s styling in Hollywood. By choosing that cut, Berry signaled that she would define her own beauty standards rather than conform to industry expectations.
That legacy of self-definition is part of what makes the Zendaya tribute meaningful. It is not just an homage to a dress or a haircut; it is a recognition of a predecessor who used fashion to assert agency.
The response to the Zendaya-Halle Berry connection was concentrated primarily in fashion and entertainment media, with Berry’s own Instagram Stories providing the most significant amplification. The side-by-side comparison shared by Law Roach and reposted by Berry circulated widely, and the phrase “She murdered the night” became the most-quoted element of Berry’s reaction.
WWD’s style director Alex Badia named Zendaya among the night’s best-dressed, describing her as “simply a winner when it comes to the red carpet, understanding that the goal is not just to look beautiful but to create an image.” The sentiment was echoed across red-carpet coverage, which consistently highlighted Zendaya’s look as one of the evening’s defining fashion moments.
The reaction did not reach the scale of a viral internet “moment” in the sense of millions of posts or trending hashtags, but the combination of Berry’s personal engagement and the clarity of the fashion reference gave the story a narrative weight that a standard best-dressed list entry would not have had.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1996 | Halle Berry attends the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards in a silver vest and embroidered skirt with short hair |
| 2002 | Berry wears a Collette Dinnigan minidress and pixie cut to the Die Another Day premiere |
| 2021 | Berry names Zendaya as her pick to represent the future of Hollywood; Zendaya responds with gratitude |
| September 14, 2026 | Zendaya attends the 78th Emmy Awards in a custom Prada gown and new pixie cut, styled by Law Roach |
| September 14, 2026 | Roach posts side-by-side comparison on Instagram Story, captioning it “The original @halleberry” |
| September 15, 2026 | Berry responds on Instagram Stories, writing “She murdered the night” |
Zendaya’s look was a deliberate homage to Halle Berry’s red-carpet style from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Stylist Law Roach confirmed to Refinery29 that the team was “paying a little homage to Halle Berry,” specifically referencing Berry’s pixie cut and silver, sheer red-carpet aesthetic from that era.
Yes, according to confirmed reporting. Law Roach stated explicitly that Berry was the inspiration, and Berry herself acknowledged the tribute by reposting a side-by-side comparison on Instagram.
In a series of Instagram Stories posts, Berry shared Roach’s comparison and wrote, “She murdered the night.” She also shared a Refinery29 interview in which Roach confirmed the inspiration.
Prada designed Zendaya’s gown. It was a custom creation featuring silver sequins, intricate beading, and a sheer tulle underlayer.
Law Roach styled Zendaya for the Emmys, continuing a long-standing creative partnership. Hairstylist Coree Moreno created the pixie cut, and makeup artist Ernesto Casillas handled beauty.
The primary reference was Berry’s 2002 Die Another Day premiere look, where she wore a sparkling Collette Dinnigan minidress with a pixie cut. Broader inspiration came from Berry’s late-1990s red-carpet style, including her 1996 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards appearance.
Zendaya wore a custom silver Prada gown with a plunging V-neckline, sheer tulle detailing, crystal and pearl embellishments, and a delicate train. She accessorized with Mikimoto jewelry and a Rolex watch.
Zendaya has built a reputation for using fashion as a storytelling tool, often referencing archival designs, specific eras, or cinematic themes. Her collaborations with Law Roach have produced looks that are analyzed and discussed as cultural moments rather than simple celebrity outfits.
Zendaya has drawn on fashion history in previous appearances, including her 2019 Met Gala Cinderella gown and her Dune press tour looks. The Emmys tribute to Berry is consistent with her established approach of engaging with fashion history.
Licensed photographs from the 2026 Emmys are available through major photo agencies and entertainment publications that covered the event. Social media accounts for Zendaya, Law Roach, and the Emmy Awards may also feature official images.
Berry was not present at the ceremony. Her reaction to Zendaya’s look was shared via Instagram Stories the following morning.
Berry and Zendaya have a documented history of mutual admiration. Berry named Zendaya in 2021 as a talent she admired, and Zendaya has spoken warmly about Berry’s support. Berry’s response to the tribute was consistent with that relationship.