The 'Challengers' star teamed up with her stylist, Law Roach, to pay tribute to the sisters' iconic 1998 photo shoot.
Zendaya and Law Roach have done it again! The dynamic duo have teamed up to pay tribute to two tennis legends: Venus and Serena Williams.
In a stunning gallery of photos shared on Instagram Thursday, the Challengers star is perched on a velvet sofa wearing a recreation of Carolina Herrera's black and white striped, full-skirted formal gown first worn by the iconic tennis pros in the May 1998 issue of Vogue. Zendaya is posed similarly to the Williams sisters in the original shoot photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
"An ode to the GREATS @venuswilliams @serenawilliams We thank you for all you have done," Roach captioned the Instagram post. The award-winning stylist also thanked Ｗes Gordon, the creative director of Carolina Herrera, and the glam team that helped bring Zendaya's look to life.
Ernesto Casillas, the makeup artist who also captured the look on camera, shared the post, writing, "Thank you @luxurylaw @zendaya for letting me capture this moment 📸 🫶🏽"
Gordon also shared the photo shoot to his Instagram page and shared his perspective on the iconic recreation.
"Annie Leibovitz's iconic photo of Serena and Venus in Vogue's May 1998 issue in matching Carolina Herrera remains one of my favorite images," he captioned the slides. "I was immediately excited when @luxurylaw reached out about recreating this look for @zendaya as part of the storytelling around #challengers 🎾 Thank you so much Law! ♥️"
Zendaya shared the post to her Instagram Story, writing on the slide that she was "forever inspired" by Venus and Serena.
Venus, who attended the Los Angeles premiere of the actress' new film, Challengers, on Tuesday, shared her Story for her followers and shared a sweet message for the Emmy winner.
"My heart melted on this one," Venus wrote alongside the shared Story. "Iconic @zendaya"
Zendaya has given a new definition to "tennis chic" as she promotes her new film with stops in Australia, London, Paris and Rome. The star has stolen the spotlight in dresses and looks inspired by the film and the sport at the center of the Luca Guadagnino flick.
"I've really enjoyed this press tour. I think just the idea of tennis whites in general and kind of playing with that in each of my looks," she told ET at the Los Angeles premiere. "It's just been fun, you know, just experimenting and building this other red carpet character."
For her looks over the last month, she and Roach have dabbled in everything from bedazzled tennis dresses to tennis-ball green get-ups and one gown with a person playing tennis on the front. For the Los Angeles premiere, however, the pair decided to keep it simple with a lacy black and pink gown designed by Vera Wang, which she said relates to the film in a way fans will understand after watching.
"It's interesting 'cause we've had this dress for a while and it just felt like the right time to bring her out," Zendaya said, hinting that the look mirrors a potentially scandalous scene in a nightgown.
Zendaya also commented on one big-name guest in attendance and one who may have an expert opinion on the more technical side of the film's sport. She confessed that knowing Venus showed up to support the movie made her a little nervous.
"I heard that she came and I was like, 'No way, this is the coolest thing!' So I'm very nervous 'cause I know Serena has seen the movie but I'm very nervous about her seeing my tennis," she shared.
Should Venus, 43, find faults in Zendaya's skill with a tennis ball and a racket, Zendaya added, "I apologize in advance."
Challengers is in theaters April 26.
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