With the Challengers global press tour now underway in four cities, Zendaya and stylist Lo Roach arrived at the London premiere on April 10 ready to reinvent tennis fashion once again. This time, the duo blended two familiar trends to create a completely unique gown.

Zendaya walked the red carpet in central London on Wednesday evening in a custom Thom Browne white dress with a mix of preppy insignia and coquette ribbon.

The drop-waist dress was the second of the press tour featuring this silhouette, with a high Peter Pan collar and a thin, flat ribbon belt. The pleated skirt, with a thigh-high slit, had Thom Browne's signature red, blue, and white striped logo at the hem. The subtle sparkle was due to sequins sewn throughout the gown, some in the shape of small tennis rackets. (5]

The gown was ideally low-cut from the back to emphasize Zendaya's long braided ponytail and oversized satin hair ribbons. Working with hairstylist Ursula Steven, Zendaya's newly blonde hair was lengthened with extensions to create a dramatic yet sporty updo.

She once again accessorized with a smattering of diamond Bulgari jewelry and pointed Louboutin heels.

Between the hair bows, net skirt, and racket print, the dress looked as if the girlish aesthetic had undergone four weeks of intensive tennis lessons with the Williams sisters.

Coincidentally, Zendaya's gown had some of the biggest wedding dress trends in common with the Spring 2025 Bridal Fashion Week shows last week. Exaggerated hair bows, layered ribbon seals, and drop-waist silhouettes were prominent in the bridal collections of Monique Lhuillier, Elie Saab, and Viktor & Rolf.

Of course, this was not meant to be a bridal look, but rather a continuation of Zendaya and Lo Roach's clever approach to "method dressing" throughout the Challengers press tour. the two were a perfect example of Zendaya's character, a tennis phenomenon turned coach-turned-coach, has worked together to bring Tashi Duncan to the carpet in the form of sports-inspired outfits. At several Grand Slams, some (like tonight's) were obvious yet broadly tennis-inspired, while others were more abstract.

For the official premiere, Zendaya stuck to a variety of optical white outfits, perhaps inspired by Wimbledon's all-white dress code (and white outfits in tennis in general). From minimalist Calvin Klein suits in Rome to gorgeous Louis Vuitton gowns in Paris. So far, Zendaya wore a coat-green Loewe gown to the premiere in Sydney, Australia, the first stop on the tour. (Loewe's creative director, Jonathan Anderson, also designed the costumes for "Challengers.")

Morning and daytime photo calls were also inspired by the Grand Slam. Zendaya wore a vintage tennis ball-like chartreuse look designed by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton at a press conference in Paris. Later in Rome, she appeared in tennis ball high heels and a glitter varsity tennis dress designed by Loewe.

Zendaya would not describe these looks as typical of her own style, as she has been serving up one Loewe, Calvin Klein, and now Thom Browne after another over the past month. But she would not call these looks typical of her own style. In a recent cover story for Vogue, Zendaya describes the fashion plates on the Challengers red carpet (and others) as a kind of alter ego. 'I have to buy her. I have to buy that this woman exists, or that this fantasy exists."

Clearly, "method dressing" is more than a wink to the Challengers Tour's tennis tournament style. But fashion fans will be happy to see Zendaya perform until the press tour is over.