Zendaya's Vintage 'Challengers' Dress Is Nearly a Century Old

Zendaya leaving Zero Bond wearing a vintage 1930s gown in Challengers green

(Image credit: Splash by Shutterstock)

published 25 April 2024

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.

Zendaya wears a chartreuse chiffon dress with coordinating shoes in New York City to promote Challengers — Zendaya stopped by Zero Bond, a members' only club, wearing a chartreuse chiffon dress and Gianvito Rossi heels.

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.)

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"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."

Zendaya wears a semi-sheer chartreuse gown in New York City with coordinating sandals — A piece that looks very similar to Zendaya's sheer dress was posted on Sweet Disorder Vintage's Instagram nearly a year ago.

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 wearing a checkerboard Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton dress in Paris — Zendaya started her Challengers press stop in Paris with an archival Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton coat dress, pulled from the Spring 2013 collection.

Zendaya wearing a Vivienne Westwood vintage set in London — Then in London, she wore a pinstripe set from Vivienne Westwood's *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.

Zendaya wears a white hooded dress to promote Challengers in New York City — Zendaya's New York City press appearances for *Challengers* have involved modern interpretations of tennis whites, including a hooded Alaïa dress.

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.

Shop Vintage-Inspired Dresses Like Zendaya's

Reformation Madrigal Satin Dress

Rixo Sadie Dress

Sister Jane Watercress Maxi Dress

Halie LeSavage is the senior fashion and beauty news editor at Marie Claire, where she assigns, edits, and writes stories for both sections. Halie is an expert on runway trends, celebrity style, emerging fashion and beauty brands, and shopping (naturally). In over seven years as a professional journalist, Halie’s reporting has ranged from fashion week coverage spanning the Copenhagen, New York, Milan, and Paris markets, to profiles on industry insiders like celebrity stylist Molly Dickson, to breaking news stories on noteworthy brand collaborations and beauty product launches. (She can personally confirm that Bella Hadid’s Ôrebella perfume is worth the hype.) She has also written dozens of research-backed shopping guides to finding the best tote bags, ballet flats, and more. Most of all, Halie loves to explore what style trends—like the rise of emotional support accessories or TikTok’s 75 Hard Style Challenge—can say about culture writ large. She also justifies almost any purchase by saying it’s “for work.”

Halie has previously held writer and editor roles at Glamour, Morning Brew, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has been cited as a fashion and beauty expert in The Cut, CNN Underscored, and Reuters, among other outlets, and appears in newsletters like Selleb and Self Checkout to provide shopping recommendations. In 2022, she earned the Hearst Spotlight Award for excellence and innovation in fashion journalism. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Harvard College. Outside of work, Halie is passionate about books, baking, and her miniature Bernedoodle, Dolly. For a behind-the-scenes look at her reporting, you can follow Halie on Instagram and TikTok.