‘Sneakers are fine, denim is your friend’: Mastering Formula 1 fashion (2024)

What Formula 1 fans wore in Vegas should stay in Las Vegas, according to those fine-tuning outfits for the Melbourne Grand Prix.

When Kylie Minogue performed trackside in Las Vegas wearing a white Stella McCartney jumpsuit at the city’s inaugural Formula 1 grand prix in November, and Rihanna arrived in an oversized Balenciaga biker jacket and a pair of pantaboots (pants with built-in boots), petrolhead style received an unexpected upgrade.

Overt glamour is a winning bet for Las Vegas, but Australian Grand Prix regular, model and former event ambassador Brooke Meredith advises leaving pantaboots behind for the daytime action in her home city of Melbourne.

“It’s an international sport which results in some eclectic fashion choices,” Meredith says. “Since the success of the Drive To Survive series on Netflix, people have been far more confident and adventurous in their choices. But for me, it’s all about a mix of comfort and sophistication.

“This is a day event. You don’t want to be wearing a ballgown.”

For this weekend’s race, Meredith has turned to streamlined Australian labels such as Camilla and Marc, Acler and Effie Kats, more suitable for a leisurely Brighton brunch than the Las Vegas strip.

“Your choices should be determined by where you will be on the day,” Meredith says.

“There’s no point wearing heels if you have a general admission ticket and intend to take in the action on foot. Sneakers are fine, denim can be your friend and a little bit of leather goes a long way.”

Meredith will risk heels watching the race from the new viewing platform installed on four metres high on a bend in the track at the renovated Mercedes-AMG viewing lounge, one of the event’s high-end hospitality suites.

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On the asphalt surface things are more relaxed at the grand prix, unlike the Melbourne Cup Carnival, where dress codes in the Birdcage follow strict rules. The Mercedes lounge has no set dress code.

“Our customers and guests take smart casual as a minimum,” says Jerry Stamoulis, the head of brand engagement at Mercedes-Benz Cars Australia. “They tend to dress to impress.”

In past years impressing involved Beth Levis, wife of Cue clothing company executive director Justin Levis, wearing top-to-toe structured white Dion Lee and Melbourne influencers Ruby and Lucy Brownless in Bohemian Oroton pieces.

“I think women should dress in a way that reflects their own personal style, but I love a sleek and chic trackside look,” says Ilana Moses, owner of Melbourne’s Grace boutique.

“This could be anything from a matched vest and trouser look, a mini dress with boyfriend blazer, or a straight maxi skirt and tonal top.”

Moses suggests mixing and matching outfits from Tibi, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham.

“Ultimately, dressing for the weather and the length of your stay trackside is a factor in what you wear as looking uncomfortable is not chic,” she says.

The grand prix and parties surrounding the event have helped lift March sales for Moses.

“We have definitely noticed an uptick in business around the race, with some great events targeted at women and promoting style at the event. It’s great to see the sport embracing women, and women embracing a sport that has traditionally been for men,” she says.

The traditional dress approach for men is also changing. In Las Vegas, Brad Pitt attended the race wearing jeans, tinted sunglasses and a furry jacket worthy of his Fight Club character, Tyler Durden. At the British Grand Prix, Pitt wore a green Theory blazer with a matching T-shirt over jeans.

“Separates with volume and punch can escape the inherent suit-ism and corporate polo tops that abound these events,” says Sydney stylist Ken Thompson, who has been paying close attention to many of driver Lewis Hamilton’s bold choices.

If you’re stuck in a suit rut, Thompson suggests a more relaxed silhouette and ditching dandy aspirations.

“A slightly less Edwardian approach can extend the pinstripe to the pit stop,” he says.

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