Zendaya opens up about her worst outfit ever: 'You could’ve done better!'

Actress and designer darling Zendaya has turned heads on the red carpet for years, so it's no surprise she covers the September issue of Elle alongside a stunning photo spread styled by her longtime stylist, Law Roach.

Speculation that the two had fallen out began in March, when, at the Louis Vuitton Paris Fashion Week show, Zendaya gestured for Roach to sit in the row behind her since the front row was full. Roach announced his retirement as a stylist shortly after, but immediately defended his "forever" relationship with Zendaya and calling her his "little sister."

Noting that "people want to assume the worst" when it comes to those types of viral moments, Zendaya further defended Roach, telling Elle: "He's involved in every fashion contract, everything I do. If I have an opportunity where he can come with me, he's always going to be there. He's always been my creative director in a sense, and he continues to fill that role, because it's more than just clothes on a red carpet. It's a bigger thing."

Despite Roach's retirement announcement, he has since taken on the official role of creative director for Zendaya and helped her cut a lithe figure in the spread. A super-long, slicked-back ponytail highlights the edginess of the shoot's looks, including a leather jacket and lace bra combo, a slinky black gown with a barely-there back, and an oversized, white fur coat paired with a sculptural red two-piece and Louboutin pumps.

The striking ensembles harmonize perfectly with the rooftop pool setting featuring a sprawling cityscape in the background, as well as the high-definition approach of the photographs. In one particularly eye-catching pic, Zendaya lounges on the water-stained edge of the pool in a sleek, strapless gown, allowing for textural interplay that enhances the visual interest.

However, this high-concept attention to detail wasn't always at the foreground of Zendaya and Roach's sartorial vision. She relays a hilarious anecdote from her first press tour in 2012, when she was in Germany to promote the Disney program "Shake It Up."

After Googling "Zendaya Germany" for the Elle interviewer, Zendaya held up her phone to display an early Roach-styled ensemble of flared jeans, wedge espadrilles, and a yellow tee layered under a striped cardigan and aqua blazer. We looked it up for fun and it's definitely, shall we say, of its era.

"I'm angry at him to this day," Zendaya joked. "Like, why would you put me in this? B----, you could've done better!"

Fashion flubs behind her, Zendaya's schedule for the next year is packed. Next April, she'll move into a more adult role with the "Challengers," a Luca Guadagnino film that stars the actress as a pro tennis player caught in the middle of a love triangle. On her character's femme fatale qualities, she notes, "I can't play a teenager for the rest of my life."

Before then, the second installment of Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" will arrive on November 3. You can watch the trailer in a pinned post on Zendaya's Instagram.