Challengers: The Core Tennis of L. Guadagnino and J. Anderson

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After a heartbreaking summer romance with Call Me By Your Name, and a coming-of-age tale with a backdrop of cannibalism in Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino returns this time with a passionate love triangle set against the backdrop of tennis courts. Released in theaters on Wednesday, Challengers captivates with its frenetic pace, electro soundtrack, and a revenge spirit infused with a perfectly mastered tennis core. However, here, beyond creating a simple aesthetic reminiscent of Wimbledon, the costumes designed by Jonathan Anderson are integral to the storytelling, reflecting the turmoil experienced by this passionate trio. An analysis of this successful first collaboration between the Italian director and the artistic director of Loewe. (note: intrigue revealed.)

What role does haute couture play in Luca Guadagnino’s films?

Offering a unique and enchanting perspective on human relationships, Luca Guadagnino’s films stand out for their unique aesthetic and identity. Testing different genres and renewing his approach to directing, his staging is supported by meticulous framing and photography, conveying emotions ranging from nostalgia to horror.

Luca Guadagnino’s filmography highlights a strong relationship with the world of fashion. On the documentary side, the Italian director looked at the success story of Salvatore Ferragamo in 2020 with Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams. He has also appeared in advertising formats, with the short film Destinée, created for Cartier in 2022. The Fendi house also entrusted him with the direction of The First Sun for its Spring-Summer 2006 collection, as well as the Fendi Peekaboo Campaign in 2022.

In 2019, the director of Challengers collaborated with Pierpaolo Piccioli (then artistic director of Valentino) on the fashion short film The Staggering Girl, which showcased the Fall-Winter 2018/2019 collection.

When haute couture is not the main subject, it integrates into the director’s universe through the costumes of his films. Similar to Virginie Viard’s work on the costumes of the Barbie film, Luca Guadagnino entrusted the design of his characters’ outfits to various renowned stylists and costume designers. Notably, we can mention the work of Antonella Cannarozzi on I am Love (2009), or his long-standing collaboration with Giulia Piersanti on A Bigger Splash (2015), Call Me By Your Name (2017), Suspiria (2019), and Bones and All (2022).

Thus, Challengers marks the beginning of a new creative exchange, alongside his friend and artistic director of Loewe, Jonathan Anderson.

How did Jonathan Anderson conceptualize the costumes for Challengers?

The creation of the costumes for the film Challengers was developed following two shared intentions between the director and the costume designer. That is, to create costumes that are grounded in reality. And, to design the outfits based on the characters so that they reflect their personality, state of mind, and where they are in their lives.

As L. Guadagnino emphasized in an interview, costumes are the expression of a character and their tastes, not the director’s. They add richness to the story, conveying key information about an individual to the audience without the use of dialogue. Thus, beyond an aesthetic aspect, the tennis core of the film Challengers was designed to serve and enrich the storytelling on multiple levels.

In addition to allowing for the characterization of the characters and their evolution, both individually and within the love triangle, the costumes also bring forth themes. We can notably mention those of mourning for a shattered career, the quest for power and the need for control, the pursuit of success, the conformity that stems from achievement, as well as the importance of appearance and brands in the world of sports and American society.

How does the tennis core of Challengers define the characters and their personal evolution?

With a film spanning over 13 years, the evolution of the costumes worn by the characters in Challengers highlights the transitions they encounter. This is evident from personal, professional/sporting, and psychological perspectives.

Tashi Duncan: Clothing as a Sign of Power and Control

Transitioning from a young tennis prodigy to a woman mourning her shattered sports career, Tashi’s wardrobe underscores a natural need for control that intensifies following her accident. The young woman embodies the idea of power and control. The evolution of her wardrobe illustrates her professional and financial success, as well as her place in this privileged and competitive milieu as a woman and mother. Her perfect tennis uniform and university outfits gradually give way to pieces rooted in the DNA of Quiet Luxury, with perfect cuts that lend her presence.

Art Donaldson: The Success of an Athlete Becoming a Brand Product

The outfits worn by Art depict the rise of an athlete, who with success, loses his uniqueness to conform to the norm. His pieces, initially mismatched at the beginning of the film, are now replaced by impeccable outfits. Jonathan Anderson here emphasizes the importance and the role of brands in this discipline. He notably underscores this conformity with pieces from his collaboration between his brand JW Anderson and Uniqlo x Roger Federer. Art is entirely shaped by Tashi’s influence and becomes “the brand image” she was destined to become before her accident.

Patrick Zweig: An Awkward Yet Charming Mix and Match

Where Tashi and Art show a pronounced evolution in their outfits, Patrick remains with a more or less mismatched wardrobe. The artistic director of Loewe drew inspiration from John F. Kennedy Jr. to create a somewhat haphazard wardrobe, yet charming for the character. We discover basic t-shirts, polos, patterned shorts, and sleeveless tops. His outfits help to create a contrast with the couple and emphasize his financial instability as well as his underdeveloped career.

How do the costumes highlight the evolution of this love triangle?

Although the characters form a trio, it always consists of a duo and an individual apart. This structure, which evolves over the years and through dramatic knots, is supported by a particularly intelligent use of costumes. Jonathan Anderson used pieces that visually add subtext to the action and reinforce the narrative thread. Among other things, we can mention:

• Gray and red outfits: used to visually associate Art and Tashi and announce their impending closeness. Notably during the lies told by Art and during the accident that occurs after the breakup between Tashi and Patrick.
• Tashi’s short dress during the restaurant scene with Art: emphasizes the beginning of their closeness and echoes the nightgowns she later wears in their relationship.
• The “I Told Ya” t-shirt: a link between Tashi and Patrick, worn at key moments (Art’s lies, Tashi and Patrick’s argument, the accident, their closeness at the hotel bar while Tashi is engaged to Art).
• Patrick’s slightly more polished outfit when he asks Tashi to become his coach: hints at a possible closeness and an idea of visually conforming to success.
• The white t-shirt worn by Tashi against her satin nightgown to join Patrick in the car: evokes a flashback and marks the decline of her relationship with Art and the universe associated with it.

As Tashi repeats, real tennis is played like a relationship. Although Challengers highlights three characters, it is the relationship between Art and Patrick that serves as the central pillar. Thus, the evolution of their costumes perfectly underscores that of their friendship. At the beginning, we see a duo of friends dressed similarly, even visibly borrowing each other’s clothes.

Then, this unity is narratively and visually broken, particularly with the evolution of Art’s costumes. Nevertheless, the end of the film, which corresponds more or less to the 7th act of the trio’s transformation, brings us back to this initial duo. We witness a high-stakes match, on neutral ground and far from major tournaments, which can be read as a flashback. Although each has visually evolved, they are once again reunited as a duo on a court, in sportswear, facing Tashi who sits in the stands in a blue dress and Chanel espadrilles.

After an intense match, the match point seems to rekindle a possible friendship between the two men, who have just played the “real tennis”.

Luca Guadagnino and Jonathan Anderson skillfully combine their creativity to reveal this passionate love triangle with intensity. While we await their next collaboration on Queer, discover a selection of pieces to dress like Tashi Duncan.

Photos: Pinterest