Zendaya’s London Challengers Premiere Dress Mixes Rackets With Coquettes

Zendaya’s latest Challengers premiere serve? Another win for tenniscore. But also a major victory for the coquette crew. Today, the actress continued her barrage of sporty press fashion for the Challengers London premiere.

Zendaya slipped into a custom look from Thom Browne for the occasion. The actress’s sleeveless look further cemented her status as the master of theme dressing, this time with some on-trend twists. The bodice of her gown imitated the feel of an athletic top, from the folded collar to the series of buttons, and was embroidered with sequined tennis rackets. A drop waist detail added intrigue to the look as did the thigh-high slit and tri-color trim (a Browne signature) that lined the hem of the dress. Browne is known for his preppy, formal designs, making this red carpet choice a natural one. Still, Zendaya managed to accent her tennis dress with a trendy coquette accessory: a matching hair bow.

The actress tied a long white ribbon into her braided hair which has been fluctuating between shades of honey blonde and her usual brunette over the past few weeks. She seems to be right in the middle of those two hair colors at the moment. The bow-braid combination turned out to be just the right amount of prep—tennis might be the preppiest sport, perhaps only in competition with golf—and perfectly accented the completely open back of her dress.

Zendaya styled her premiere look with a bold red lip, white heels, and blinding silver jewels from Bulgari. Earlier this week on Monday, Zendaya attended the film’s Rome premiere in a business chic Calvin Klein suit. Her latest outfit, though, took a more literal approach to themed fashion when compared to her shirtless tailoring. There were the more on the nose references—the hair bow, racket motifs—as well as more subtle nods like tennis skirt pleats and sheer neoprene fabric.

In a recent interview with Vogue, Zendaya opened up about Challengers which sees her take on the role of Tashi Duncan, a buzzy tennis coach embattled in a love triangle with her clients (played by Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist). “Typically, I play the person that ultimately is easier to empathize with,” she told the publication. “There was something about her that felt very, ‘Oh, damn’” the actress said, adding “Even I was kind of scared of her.”