Here are some photos from last night’s London premiere of Challengers, the Luca Guadagnino film starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. In Zendaya’s Vogue profile, I learned that Zendaya came onto the film as a producer early on, and she was the one suggesting O’Connor and Faist for their roles. The three actors have an easy chemistry with each other – they’re not hanging all over each other, but you can tell that there’s a lot of respect between them.
Zendaya chose another tennis-themed look for this premiere. When in the UK, go for something Wimbledon-inspired, I guess. The top of this Thom Browne dress would be at home on the grass courts of Wimbledon, absolutely, but Wimbledon has rules against those color blocks at the bottom of the dress. I like Zendaya’s braid and the bow – it’s very tennis princess, America’s sweetheart. If you look closely, you’ll see that the raised motif on the dress is not a series of bows, but crossed tennis racquets. Adorable!
As a tennis fan, I genuinely wonder if tennis’s clothing sponsors are watching Zendaya’s fashion choices for this promotional tour. They should – while Zendaya chose a Lacoste look for a photocall, she’s mostly been working with designers outside of the tennis world to create “tennis-inspired” couture. While a variation of this dress would absolutely be at home on the grass courts of Wimbledon, the current clothing sponsors wouldn’t bother creating it. Even when Nike brought in Virgil Abloh for custom kits for their biggest female stars, it was never anything like this.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Celebrities dazzle at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London for the UK premiere of ‘Challengers,’ bringing glamour and excitement to the heart of the city. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Mario Mitsis / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Celebrities dazzle at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London for the UK premiere of ‘Challengers,’ bringing glamour and excitement to the heart of the city. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 BYLINE MUST READ: Mario Mitsis / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Josh O’Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Zendaya BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – Cast crew and guests attend the premiere of “Challengers” at Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square in London. Pictured: Josh O’Connor, Zendaya and Mike Faist BACKGRID USA 10 APRIL 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcW5ma4Nze9mepZ2ZqZasuLvRnpaal6eeuqO4xJ2mp2WZo8CxtdGem5ismKS6oK7RqK6nnY%2BpvKDAx56WrqOPmLWiuMuepaCdoqissb7EpqCeqpVk