Zendaya is busy promoting Challengers in New York City, packing eight outfits into two days of talk show appearances, fan meet-and-greets, and strolls for the paparazzi cameras. Her ninth look (that I've counted) broke with her pattern of modern custom pieces and runway vintage for a one-of-a-kind archival dress. Its age? Nearly one hundred years old.
Law Roach and Zendaya showed off their affinity for a fashion throwback with pieces that date to the 1930s. Her outfit, pulled out for a trip to the members' club Zero Bond on Wednesday, April 24, consisted of a semi-sheer midi dress in a wispy, flowy fabric with a ruffled jacket tied over the top. The star paired her dress with nothing but Gianvito Rossi sandals in a coordinating shade of green and a glowy, minimal beauty look.
Sweet Disorder Vintage, a luxury consignment store, confirmed Law Roach pulled the piece for Zendaya almost one year ago. (The piece was first listed on Sweet Disorder's Instagram in June 2023.)
"Thank you @luxurylaw for seeing the beauty in this piece," the store's owner wrote in the caption of a post highlighting Zendaya's look. "It is a 1930s dress set found in an old trunk that I had hand-dyed the perfect shade of green."
Archival pieces have been rare, but expertly deployed, on Zendaya's Challengers tour. In Paris, she paid homage to a local legend (and her brand contract) by wearing two looks from Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton collections. Those included a checkerboard coat dress from the Spring 2013 collection and a silky chartreuse set from the Spring 1999 lineup.
Then in London, Zendaya paid homage to Vivienne Westwood—another designer synonymous with the city's fashion scene—with a pinstriped, feather-tailed set from the 1994 Café Society collection.
Zendaya and Law Roach have incorporated vintage pieces into their "method dressing" approach on several press tours. Earlier this year, Dune: Part Two's fantastical sci-fi setting came to life with rarely-seen pieces by Mugler and Givenchy, among others.
But the pair haven't been afraid to play with brand-new items for Zendaya's Wimbledon-coded Challengers outfits, either. Much of the New York City stop has involved ready-to-shop pieces including Longchamp skirts, Tory Burch tennis sets, and Loewe T-shirts—plus custom items like a hooded Alaïa dress in tennis white.
All these looks are presumably leading up to one last red carpet before the nationwide Challengers premiere on Friday, April 26. Zendaya's century-old dress can't be replicated, but vintage-infused pieces by Rixo, Reformation, and more come close. Shop them below.
