Four cities are in the middle of the Adversaries’ international press tour, and designer arrived at the London premiere on April 10 prepared to resurrect golf vogue once more. This moment, the pair managed to combine two well-known trends into one fully original gown, all while extending Z’s trend for Wimbledon white Challengers premiere looks.
On Wednesday night, Zendaya walked the main London red carpet in a custom white Thom Browne clothing that had coquette bows and fashionable insignias tied to her tresses and fixed to her dress.
The drop- stomach piece, her second of the press tour featuring the silhouette, included a large and a slim, toned bow belt. A hip- high cut broke up her won, pleated skirt (referencing a tennis online, of course), which was dipped in Thom Browne’s personal red, blue, and white stripe symbol along the hem. Sequins were sewn all over the outfit, some in the shape of itty-bitty tennis rackets, giving the gown a gentle shimmer. (From far away, they could be mistaken for even more bows.)
The gown had a small cut from the back, which was perfect for highlighting Zendaya’s much braided ponytail and excessive satin ribbon. Working with hairdresser, Zendaya’s recently- blonde tresses was lengthened with extensions for the spectacular yet sporty up- perform.
She was once more given a diamante Bulgari accent and pointed Louboutin feet.
The dress appeared to have undergone a four-week tennis aggressive with the Williams sisters due to the hair arrow, the won skirt, and the racket print.
For the London event, Zendaya altered her hair by tying her locks up in a twisted ponytail and adding a massive white bow to top it off.
Ironically, Zendaya’s dress had a few attributes in common with Bridal Fashion Week’s biggest from the Spring 2025 shows last year. 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 obvious, yet lavishly rendered tennis references (like tonight’s), while others were more abstract.
Zendaya’s tennis- meets-coquette gown was a cheeky sports reference made with every inch of fabric, from the sequin decals to the netted pleats.
Zendaya has adhered to a variety of optic white outfits for the official premieres, which is perhaps influenced by Wimbledon’s all-white dress code ( and the prevalence of white outfits in tennis in general ). From a minimalist in Rome to a gauzy in Paris, those looks are all there. So far, the main exception came on the tour’s first stop, when Zendaya wore a court- green to the Sydney, Australia, premiere. ( Jonathan Anderson, the Loewe creative director, also designed the costumes for Challengers. )
Grand Slam inspiration has also been present during morning and mid-day photocalls. For her Paris press conferences, Zendaya donned vintage, tennis ball chartreuse outfits from Marc Jacobs. Later in Rome, she donned stilettos and a glittery Loewe varsity tennis dress.
Zendaya acted as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s channel at the start of the week while wearing a Calvin Klein white skirt suit.
Zendaya wouldn’t consider these looks to be the epitome of her personal style despite the fact that she has delivered serve after serve by the likes of Loewe, Calvin Klein, and now Thom Browne. Instead, they’re more like slipping into a role. Zendaya mentioned the fashion plate on the Challengers red carpet as a sort of alter-ego in a recent interview. “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. However, fashion enthusiasts will enjoy watching Zendaya perform until either way the press tour ends.