Zöe Kravitz

Z is for Zöe

So maybe Zöe Kravitz inherited some acting talent and vocal chops from her world-famous parents. But her sense of style? That’s all her own. By Haley Longman

Actress, singer and model Zöe Kravitz admits she didn’t have much trouble getting an agent. The daughter of actress Lisa Bonet (The Cosby Show) and musician Lenny Kravitz (“American Woman” and four annual Grammys in a row), who divorced when she was 5 years old, she’s been a “celebrity kid” ever since Jet magazine announced her birth at “just over seven pounds.” As we all know, such a pedigree opens doors—and poses challenges. But much like fellow fame brats Kaia Gerber, Ava Phillippe and the Beckham boys, Kravitz has forged her own path in Hollywood—and on the red carpet.

Kravitz, who turns 34 on December 1, is half Jewish on both sides—and half Black on both sides too. She’s lived on both sides of the country, spending the bulk of her childhood with her talented mom in Topanga, California, then summers in Miami with her coolas-heck dad. Eventually, she made her way up to SUNY Purchase, where she studied acting; she stuck it out on the East Coast for the long haul, and currently calls Williamsburg, Brooklyn, home.

Many style bloggers describe this millennial’s aesthetic as rocker chic, as grungy, as edgy, and it’s undeniably all of the above. In fact, her style is as distinctive as her dad’s, as chunky boots, oversized tees, cropped tanks, large sunglasses and big wool coats are among her street signatures. She has a constellation of tiny tattoos that peek out from underneath certain outfits. And she isn’t afraid to rock a pixie cut or long dreads, platinum-blonde hair or her natural black hue, depending on her role and her mood. She’s always keeping the fashion spectators and the paparazzi wondering what she’ll wear next.

As for her red-carpet looks? When Kravitz gets a good fashion opportunity, she runs with it. She was a Chanel ambassador as a teenager, has collaborated with Alexander Wang and is currently the face of Saint Laurent Beauty (those Bonet-esque cheekbones of hers no doubt helped). Her red-carpet style is skimpy but stylish—think of a long column skirt paired with a barely-there top, such as the 18K gold bra (from Alexander Wang) that she wore with confidence to the 2019 Vanity Fair Academy Awards after-party. And this 5-foot-3 Z-star is often seen wearing pieces from an A-list luxury designer, such as the aforementioned fashion houses or other celeb-adored brands like Armani Privé. “I think it’s always very important to be comfortable and just kind of expressive,” Kravitz has said. “If you take fashion too seriously, then you lose the fun of it.”

Her fashion is fun, for sure, as are the roles she chooses to play. After 2007’s No Reservations, her acting debut alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kravitz starred in many big blockbuster franchises, including X-Men: First Class, followed by the Divergent series, Fantastic Beasts, Mad Max: Fury Road and, most recently, 2022’s The Batman, in which she plays Catwoman opposite Robert Pattinson. We’d be remiss not to mention the one-off 2015 film Dope, too, where she showed her range as the girlfriend of a drug dealer.

The star’s two most notable TV roles have been based on books of the same names; she was one of four lead actresses on HBO’s Emmynominated Big Little Lies and played the sole leading lady in Hulu’s High Fidelity. Her character in the latter, Rob, is a diehard music lover and record-store owner whose on-screen wardrobe of vintage band tees, knitted vests, Hawaiian shirts and sneakers became iconic among the Gen Z set—and also became Kravitz’s real-life style inspo during the show’s tenure circa 2020.

Kravitz was dating Karl Glusman for five years and married to him for 18 months before filing for divorce in 2021. Now she plays coy on her rumored relationship with Channing Tatum—she hasn’t stopped keeping us guessing. “Playful, mischievous behavior is something I always hope to have, even when I’m 70 years old,” she told Elle for its February 2022 cover story. “The point of being alive is to experience life and play with it. There’s still so much fun to be had.”

She’s the daughter of two style icons, actress Lisa Bonet and rock star Lenny Kravitz, but Zöe Kravitz has paved her own way to Hollywood’s A-list—and its best dressed list. The former Chanel ambassador often takes to the red carpet in skimpy yet stylish looks by Alexander Wang, Saint Laurent and Armani Privé.