A Courtside Wardrobe for Keeping Two Men
Warning: Spoilers for the 2024 film Challengers below.
Maybe I’m just embracing my narcissistic tendencies and squashed professional-athlete dreams, but it’s starting to feel like we are entering the perfect season for daydreaming about being in the center of an all-encompassing love triangle. To be more specific, I am daydreaming about being Zendaya, decked out in designer clothes, bouncing back and forth like a tennis ball between two men who look like Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
In Challengers, Zendaya’s self-assured character, Tashi, is a teen tennis prodigy well on her way to becoming the next Serena Williams. Aside from a night of dressing up in a strapless blue minidress for an Adidas party in her honor, her wardrobe during this time consists mostly of tiny shorts, big tees, and sneakers, a realistic look at what a burgeoning athlete would be wearing in 2007. Even in athleisure, people have a hard time taking their eyes off her, particularly childhood best friends Art (Faist) and Patrick (O’Connor). Their advances seem to immediately deter her (“I’m not a home-wrecker,” she tells them, another tell-tale sign of just how much she knows about Patrick and Art’s real feelings) though she later promises to give her number to whomever wins their match the following day. While the boys assume that Patrick is going to win, Tashi doesn’t care — she just wants to watch “some good fucking tennis.”
After an injury causes Tashi to put her racket away and become a coach, we watch her volley between men, never really letting anyone in on her true desires. She dresses the part, too, plucking out neutral basics, expensive silks, and Cartier jewelry from her closet. She oozes authority and dominance, while looking just like a country-club regular. (The guys’ looks, on the other hand, volley between sponsored pro-tennis superstar and dirtbag jock.) Even when shit hits the fan, her thousand-dollar outfit conveys that she’s never going to break a sweat. Tashi may not always be in control, but she knows how to continue pretending she is, and it makes me think that maybe, if I add a few items to my closet, I can too.
I Told Ya Tee
While this is a teen Tashi look, Patrick steals the tee after a hookup turned fight in their college years, and continues wearing it deep into his adulthood, a reminder of their past that Tashi can’t avoid. This shirt is based on a design worn by JFK Jr. in the 1990s — costume designer Jonathan Anderson’s nod to the Waspy Kennedy lifestyle — and it’s the only piece of Tashi’s that I could actually afford. After Josh O’Connor sported a button-up with the same text at the London premiere, I’m positive that this shirt/slogan will be taking off.
Intimissimi Silk Slip
I aspire to be someone who lounges around in silk slip dresses, much like Tashi does every single time she’s not sitting courtside. Regardless of the time, when Tashi stays in her hotel room, she opts for chic slip dresses instead of nightwear or loungewear. When she sneaks away from Art at night, she throws a delicate white T-shirt over this ensemble and heads out to Patrick’s car, possibly signaling the level of comfort she feels with Patrick.
Chanel Espadrilles
As an adult, Tashi exclusively wears designer, but one of the only visible labels is on her Chanel flats. Trading in her tennis shoes, she sports these several times throughout the film, though the most notable is during the 2019 match between Patrick and Art, which serves as the dramatic center of the film.
Some cheaper espadrilles:
Stella McCartney Long-Sleeve Handkerchief Shirtdress
A relaxed yet elevated look for a tennis spectator. If you find yourself at a U.S. Open match, you can expect to see ample blue button-downs. Tashi’s designer option allows her to seem relatable while still showing off her wealth. Remember, her ensemble is still paired with thousand-dollar jewels.
Some cheaper shirtdresses:
Panthère de Cartier Watch
Joining her Cartier bracelet wrist candy is a Cartier Panthère watch, a delicate timepiece that has no small price tag.
Some cheaper watches: