Zendaya’s latest Challengers press tour look is a nod to tennis royalty.
After weeks of rocking sporty looks while promoting the film — which centers around a love triangle between three tennis stars — Zendaya, 27, and her “image architect,” Law Roach, recreated Venus and Serena Williams’ iconic 1998 Vogue shoot.
In the spread, taken by longtime Vogue photographer Annie Leibovitz, the champion sisters posed in matching black-and-white, billowing Carolina Herrera gowns. The dresses were complemented by the white beads they wore in their hair — a signature accessory for Venus, now 43, and Serena, now 42, in the early days of their careers.
Zendaya, for her part, wore the exact Carolina Herrera creation and a beaded wig by Kim Kimble.
“An ode to GREATS @venuswilliams @serenawilliams,” Roach, 45, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, April 18, alongside side-by-side images of Zendaya and Venus and Serena. “We thank you for all you have done!”
This wouldn’t be the first time Zendaya and Roach paid tribute to a tennis legend during the Challengers press tour.
While in Monaco earlier this month, Zendaya wore head-to-toe On — made to look like a sleeveless polo and a pleated miniskirt Althea Gibson wore. Gibson was one of the first Black athletes to cross the color line of international tennis. She became the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam in 1956.
With the Challengers press tour nearly wrapping up — as the film hits theaters on Friday, April 26 — fans are curious as to what style era Roach and Zendaya will usher in next.
Roach playfully teased his vision at the Challengers premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 16. “I would just love to dive into the world of porn and see how I can translate porn and hardcore sex into fashion,” he told Complex on the red carpet.
