Zendaya continues living her best outside life, appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night in a mini suit dress with killer white pumps.
After her Vera Wang ballgown moment at the LA premiere of Challengers, there was a discussion over on The Squawk about how that look ties into the tennis theme of this press tour, but I think the point is not so much tennis—not in the way the afterparty look is a direct reference to a tennis ball—but power and sex, which are themes in Challengers.
It’s the same with this look at Kimmel, it’s total Eighties power suit vibe. Tashi Duncan is an athlete, but she’s also a businesswoman.
I mentioned before that I’m getting a little sick of theme dressing on press tours, but this is a way to refresh the concept, by taking a step back from the literalness of theme dressing. That ballgown, this take on a power suit, they touch on elements of Zendaya’s character in the film without being directly tennis-inspired outfits. It’s refreshing to mix in these “step back” looks with the actual tennis outfits and ball dresses and whatnot.
The fit can be on point without being a Halloween costume, such as this homage to Venus and Serena Williams:
It’s like just as people were starting to roll their eyes at theme dressing, Law Roach and Zendaya, er, served a couple looks that aren’t so literal and reset our expectations. No one is doing it better!
