Zendaya and Father Kazembe Ajamu Coleman Light Up the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards Red Carpet

Throwing it back to the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Zendaya lit up the red carpet in a colorful, head-turning ensemble at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Joined by her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, the then-18-year-old star was already showing the fearless approach to fashion that would become one of her red carpet signatures.

Zendaya keeps it playful on the red carpet while accessorizing with statement Carla Amorim and Pasquale Bruni jewelry

Her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, accompanied her on the red carpet.

Zendaya lights up the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet in a bold Fausto Puglisi mini dress paired with hot-pink Jimmy Choo pumps, posing playfully alongside her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman

Zendaya grew up in California and has spoken proudly about her family background and the meaning behind her name.

“I literally have, like, a timeline in history in my name,” she explained in a video for Immigrant Heritage Month.

Zendaya pulls a funny face on the iHeartRadio Music Awards red carpet, showing off her glam makeup and glossy pink lips

Zendaya Pairs a Fausto Puglisi Mini Dress With Hot-Pink Jimmy Choo Pumps

The then-18-year-old K.C. Undercover actress wore a multicolored mini dress from the Fausto Puglisi Fall 2015 collection, featuring a graphic black-and-white skirt with a vivid green-and-pink bodice.

She accessorized with jewelry by Carla Amorim and Pasquale Bruni and finished the look with hot-pink pointed-toe “Anouk” pumps from Jimmy Choo.

Zendaya poses with her father, Kazembe Ajamu Coleman, at the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 29, 2015 (Credit: WENN / FayesVision)

With so many strong colors and graphic elements competing for attention, the outfit could easily have felt overwhelming. Zendaya’s matching pink pumps instead helped connect the upper half of the dress to her footwear, making the saturated color palette feel intentional.

Zendaya strikes playful poses in a Fausto Puglisi Fall 2015 mini dress featuring a green-and-pink color-block bodice and graphic embellished skirt

Close-up of Zendaya wearing hot-pink Jimmy Choo Anouk suede pumps with pointed toes and slim stiletto heels

A Year Later, Zendaya Returned to Pink Pumps in Casadei Blades

Zendaya revisited pink footwear almost exactly a year later, but with a much softer approach.

On March 31, 2016, she attended the Los Angeles premiere of HBO’s Confirmation at the Paramount Theater wearing a mosaic-print Rani Zakhem ensemble with pale-pink patent Casadei “Blade” pumps.

Zendaya attends the premiere of HBO’s Confirmation at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles on March 31, 2016 (Credit: WENN)

The Rani Zakhem look paired a mosaic-print bustier with a coordinating ruffled skirt, exposing a narrow section of her midriff while keeping the focus on the colorful pattern.

Zendaya shows off the colorful mosaic-print Rani Zakhem bustier and coordinating ruffled skirt, finished with pale-pink Casadei Blade pumps (Credit: WENN)

She kept the beauty look relatively understated, styling her hair in soft waves and letting the patterned separates and shoes carry the outfit.

Zendaya complements the colorful Rani Zakhem outfit with soft waves and understated makeup (Credit: WENN)

Instead of repeating the saturated fuchsia of her 2015 Jimmy Choo pumps, Zendaya chose soft-pink patent Casadei Blade pumps.

The lighter shade picked up the warmer tones in the print without competing with them, showing two very different ways to work pink heels into a red carpet outfit.

Close-up of Zendaya wearing pale-pink patent Casadei Blade pumps with pointed toes and signature metal stiletto heels (Credit: WENN)

Zendaya also had some fun with the polished red carpet moment, later sharing a video of the look with the caption, “When you hear your crush call your name lol 😂.”

Zendaya’s Pink-Heel Style: From Hot Fuchsia to Pale Patent Pumps

These two appearances illustrate why pink heels have remained such a useful styling tool in celebrity fashion. At the 2015 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Zendaya used saturated Jimmy Choo pumps to echo the vivid pink in her Fausto Puglisi dress. At the Confirmation premiere in 2016, her pale Casadei pumps worked more like a neutral, quietly pulling color from the Rani Zakhem print.

Other celebrities have used the same idea in very different ways. Explore more pink-shoe styling examples below:

More of Zendaya’s Unforgettable Shoe Moments

From pointed pumps and towering platforms to playful statement heels, Zendaya has built one of the most varied celebrity footwear archives on the red carpet. Explore more of her standout shoe moments below: