Zendaya Fuses Tennis and Coquette Fashion Codes as Only She Can
Four cities deep into the Challengers global press tour, Zendaya and stylist Law Roach arrived at the London premiere on April 10 ready to reinvent tennis fashion yet again. This time, the pair managed to fuse two familiar trends into one completely unique gown—all while continuing Z's streak of Wimbledon white Challengers premiere looks.
Zendaya walked the central London red carpet on Wednesday evening in a custom white Thom Browne dress that mixed preppy insignias with coquette bows, both tied in her hair and fixed to her gown.
The drop-waist piece, her second of the press tour featuring the silhouette, included a high Peter Pan collar and a thin, flat bow belt. A thigh-high slit broke up her netted, pleated skirt (referencing a tennis net, of course), which was dipped in Thom Browne's signature red, blue, and white stripe logo along the hem. A subtle shimmer came from sequins stitched all over the gown, some in the shape of itty-bitty tennis rackets. (From far away, they could be mistaken for even more bows.)
From the back, the gown featured a low cut ideal for emphasizing Zendaya's long braided ponytail and oversize satin hair ribbon. Working with hairstylist Ursula Stephen, Zendaya's newly-blonde hair was lengthened with extensions for the dramatic yet sporty up-do.
She once again accessorized with a sprinkling of diamond Bulgari jewelry and pointed Louboutin heels.
Between the hair bow, the netted skirt, and the racket print, the dress looked like the girlhood aesthetic had gone through a four-week tennis intensive with the Williams sisters.
A photo posted by luxurylaw on
Coincidentally, Zendaya's gown had a few features in common with Bridal Fashion Week's biggest wedding dress trends from the Spring 2025 shows last week. Exaggerated hair ribbons, stacked bow decals, and drop-waist silhouettes were all prominently featured throughout bridal collections by Monique Lhuillier, Elie Saab, and Viktor & Rolf.
Of course, this isn't meant to be a bridal look—it's a continuation of Zendaya and Law Roach's clever approach to "method dressing" throughout the Challengers press tour. The pair have worked together to bring Zendaya's character, tennis phenomenon-turned-coach Tashi Duncan, to the carpet in the form of sport-inspired outfits. Some Grand Slams have manifested with obvious-yet-opulently-rendered tennis references (like tonight's), while others were more abstract.
For the official premieres, Zendaya has stuck to a range of optic white outfits perhaps inspired by Wimbledon's all-white dress code (and the prevalence of white outfits in tennis generally). Those looks range from a minimalist Calvin Klein suit in Rome, to a gauzy Louis Vuitton gown in Paris. So far, the main exception came on the tour's first stop, when Zendaya wore a court-green Loewe gown to the Sydney, Australia, premiere. (Jonathan Anderson, the Loewe creative director, also designed the costumes for Challengers.)
Morning and mid-day photocalls have also come with Grand Slam inspiration. Zendaya spent her Paris press conferences in vintage, tennis ball chartreuse looks by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton. Later on in Rome, she wore stilettos with tennis ball heels and a glittery varsity tennis dress, both designed by Loewe.
While Zendaya has spent the past month delivering serve after serve by the likes of Loewe, Calvin Klein, and now Thom Browne, she wouldn't call these looks the epitome of her personal style. Instead, they're more like slipping into a role. In her recent Vogue cover story, Zendaya referred to the fashion plate appearing on the Challengers red carpet (and others) as a form of alter-ego. "I have to buy her," the actress said. “I have to buy that this woman exists, or that this fantasy exists."
Clearly, "method dressing" is so much more than winks to tennis tournament style on the Challengers tour. But fashion fans are happy to watch Zendaya perform until the press tour ends either way.
