Long Before Nolan’s The Odyssey, Fashion Was Obsessed with Ancient Greece

If you’ve been anywhere near social media this week, you’ve definitely seen Zendaya serving absolute mythical perfection on the red carpet. With Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster The Odyssey finally landing in theaters, Zendaya and her legendary stylist Law Roach have brought method dressing to legendary heights.

Playing Athena—the goddess of wisdom and war—Zendaya has been stepping out in white draped column dresses, winged masterpieces, and literal ancient artifacts. But while The Odyssey is the biggest movie event of the year, high fashion’s deep obsession with Ancient Greece didn’t start on this press tour. In fact, Grecian style has been low-key shaping our modern wardrobes for over a century.

From freeing women from tight corsets to dominating the 2026 Met Gala, here is how Classical Greek attire became fashion’s ultimate muse.

Zendaya’s Odyssey Press Tour: A Masterclass in Mythology

Before we dive into fashion history, we have to talk about Zendaya’s wardrobe for The Odyssey. Law Roach pulled out all the stops, serving an ethereal, all-white color palette with sculptural silhouettes that scream divine power:

• The Winged Victory: Her New York premiere look was a dramatic draped gown by Matières Fécales, complete with life-sized feather wings. It paid homage to the famous Winged Victory of Samothrace statue in the Louvre, paired with sun-flushed blush inspired by Icarus.
• Ancient Bling: She wore a custom white Jacquemus column dress paired with actual earrings made from first-millennium B.C. ancient discs.
• Archival Heat: We saw her in a 2006 Trussardi micro-pleated dress, a 1997 Givenchy couture skirt suit, and a vintage 2008 Alberta Ferretti gown paired with knee-high gladiator sandals.

Costume designer Ellen Mirojnick (the genius behind Bridgerton) took surrealist creative liberties with the film’s wardrobe. But fashion designers have been taking liberties with Hellenic style long before this movie hit the big screen.

1900s–1930s: Ditching Corsets for Goddess Chitons

At the turn of the 20th century, women’s fashion was dominated by stiff, bone-crushing corsets. Designers looking to revolutionize female clothing turned straight to Classical Greece, where traditional tunics—like the chiton and peplos—offered fluid, unconstrained movement.

• Paul Poiret: In 1906, Poiret designed a classical draped dress for dancer Isadora Duncan, using soft folds of fabric and rope sashes to completely liberate her waist. His iconic cocoon coats drew heavily on seamless Greek silhouettes.
• Madeleine Vionnet: Known as the queen of the bias cut, Vionnet constructed floating, ethereal dresses out of single pieces of fabric tied softly at the waist, directly inspired by ancient chitons.
• Mariano Fortuny: In 1909, Fortuny created the legendary Delphos gown, a heat-pleated silk dress modeled after the Charioteer of Delphi statue. It offered total body freedom and became an instant icon of futuristic style.

Mid-Century Glam: Draping as Art

After World War II, Christian Dior brought back tight waistlines with his “New Look.” Naturally, a new wave of rebel designers countered this by bringing back Grecian draping to free the body once again.

• Madame Grès: During the ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, Madame Grès created jersey dresses that looked more like marble sculptures than fabric. Her fluid, micro-pleated gowns adapted to the female body rather than forcing it into a mold.
• Jean Dessès: Born to Greek parents, Dessès used complex pleating and delicate fabrics to transform mid-century socialites into modern-day goddesses.
• Claire McCardell: The pioneer of American sportswear debuted the Monastic dress in the 1930s. It was a shapeless, tent-like dress heavily pleated through the middle that could be cinched with a simple sash—a direct, functional nod to Greek revivals.
• Mary McFadden: In the 1970s, McFadden patented her own “Marii” micro-pleated synthetic fabric, crafting tunic-like gowns worn by style icons like Jackie Onassis.

80s & 90s: Camp, Logos, and Pop Culture Myth

By the end of the 20th century, designers stopped just copying ancient draping and started playing with Greek mythology in cheeky, pop-culture ways.

• Versace’s Empire: Gianni Versace grew up in Southern Italy near ancient Greek ruins. He made the Medusa head and the Greek Key (Greca) border the permanent signature of his brand, dressing 90s supermodels like warrior princesses and mythic deities.
• Norma Kamali: Kamali created her famous Diana dress in the 1970s—a one-shouldered, ruched jersey dress that serves pure goddess energy and remains a best-seller today (you might remember Sarah Jessica Parker rocking it in And Just Like That).

Iconic Runway Tributes of the 2000s

As fashion shows turned into major theatrical spectacles, designers repeatedly looked back to Ancient Greece for inspiration:

• Givenchy Spring 1997 Couture: Alexander McQueen’s debut titled “Search for the Golden Fleece” featured an all-white and gold palette with warrior-goddess draping.
• Yohji Yamamoto Spring 2005: Yamamoto paid homage to Madame Grès with twisted, intricate pleatwork on crisp white shirting.
• Chanel Resort 2018: Karl Lagerfeld staged a runway show inside Paris’s Grand Palais surrounded by ancient Acropolis ruins, complete with column-heeled gladiator sandals and ceramic-patterned prints.
• Dior Cruise 2022: Maria Grazia Chiuri took her show directly to Athens, styling modern interpretations of the peplos dress with chunky sneakers for the ultimate modern athletic vibe.

Ancient Styles Dominating Today’s Street Style

You don’t need a red carpet invitation to wear Greek-inspired fashion today. Classical elements are baked right into our daily style:

• Gladiator Sandals: Whether they’re subtle ankle wraps or dramatic knee-high leather straps, gladiator sandals remain the ultimate summer shoe staple.
• Runway Draping: Top houses like Loewe, Alaïa, Schiaparelli, and Balenciaga continue to make heavy, liquid-like draping a central part of their seasonal collections.
• Sculpted Breastplates: The ultimate warrior-chic trend! Metallic body-armor bodices dominated the 2026 Met Gala, worn by Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Kim Kardashian.

The Final Verdict

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey might be giving us the visual spectacle of the year, but the relationship between high fashion and Ancient Greece runs deep. Whether it’s a floating maxi dress on your summer vacation or a sculpted red carpet gown, we’re all still channeling our inner goddess—and that’s a trend that will never go out of style.

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