Rhode Phone Cases, Pigeon Bags, and More—10 Trends I Spotted in the F1 Paddock This Season
When it comes to Formula One, the only people who enjoy the offseason are those inside the paddock. They deserve the months between December and March off after spending the rest of the year flying around the world and either driving at 200-plus miles per hour or putting back together the cars fast drivers destroyed while making contact with the barriers. I'd never deny them that. For fans like me, however, the winter break is torture. I find myself rewatching the 2019 Italian Grand Prix on a loop, spending far too much time reading gossip on F1twt, and scouring resale sites for vintage Scuderia Ferrari merch for hours on end.
I'm sure some people wouldn't want to admit it, but I know I'm not alone in this, so I came up with another way to pass the time until the season opener in Australia that perfectly balances my obsessions with fashion and the sport. Below, you'll discover all the fashion trends I spotted in the F1 paddock during the 2024 season on WAGs, high-profile attendees, and, of course, seven-time World Champion and 2025 Met Gala co-chair Lewis Hamilton—from Lily Muni He's Hermès Bolide on Wheels at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to Caroline Daur's Miu Miu motorcycle boots in Monaco. Scroll down for a perfect distraction this offseason.
Maison Margiela Tabi Ankle-Strap Pumps
On Lily Muni He: Maison Margiela Tabi Ankle Strap Pump ($1150); Hermès bag
If you ask me, professional golfer Lily Muni He is the best dressed WAG and probably the second best dressed person in the entire paddock weekend after weekend. (I bet you can guess the first.) Why? You can tell she genuinely appreciates fashion. She dons unique, hard-to-find pieces, like vintage Miu Miu and Chanel in Monaco and JW Anderson's iconic Pigeon Bag during an Italian vacation in August with her partner, Williams driver Alex Albon, ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. Her most iconic paddock fashion moment came at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi, when she styled Maison Margiela ankle-strap Tabis with a white minidress and the very limited-edition Hermès Bolide on Wheels Bag from 2023.
Rhode Lip Case
On Alexandra Saint Mleux: Zimmermann Eden Handkerchief Dress ($790); Jimmy Choo Ixia 80 Garnet Patent Leather Pumps ($975); Bottega Veneta bag; Rhode Fall Lip Case ($38)
Monaco-based artist and content creator Alexandra Saint Mleux—who's been dating Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc publicly since early 2023—made Rhode's Lip Case a regular sighting in the F1 paddock this season, always keeping her Peptide Lip Tint on call during race weekends. It was perfect, then, that Hailey Bieber selected her as the face of a "matching phone case" campaign in November. (That's called smart marketing.) Saint Mleux's paddock 'fits almost always feature the viral case in one of its four color options, and she often coordinates it with her ensemble. At the Singapore Grand Prix in September, she chose a sheer, baby-blue Zimmermann dress, pairing it with a matching Bottega Veneta Mini Jodie bag and burgundy Jimmy Choo pumps.
Vintage Levi's 501 Jeans + Hermès Oran Sandals
On Kika Cerqueira Gomes: Gucci Jackie Small Shoulder Bag ($3800); Levi's 501 '90s Jeans ($98); Hermès Oran Sandals ($800)
Content creator Kika Cerqueira Gomes has mastered the art of casual elegance in the F1 paddock, a fact that was proven on the first day of practice ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix. She arrived to the track in a billowy button-down shirt, vintage Levi's, and matching cognac-brown accessories in a Gucci Jackie bag and Hermès Oran Sandals. As someone who witnessed her debut this look up close, I can confidently say that it was even better in person than it appears here. She was cool, calm, and collected—the complete opposite of her partner, French Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, and his entire team after he raced his number 10 car to a spectacular podium in Brazil this season. (I was equally elated, but I cried tears of joy from my apartment in New York, not São Paulo.)
Miu Miu Moto Boots
On Caroline Daur: Cult Gaia top; Gucci skirt; Celine sunglasses; Hermès bag; Miu Miu Leather Boots ($2550)
When I asked German fashion and fitness influencer Caroline Daur for a 'fit check before the Monaco Grand Prix, I didn't actually need her to tell me. I recognized and envied everything about her look, from her Celine sunglasses to her Hermès Kelly bag to her Miu Miu motorcycle boots that I've been dreaming about since they debuted on the F/W 22 runway. Daur has become a regular on the F1 circuit, and because of her close relationship with Tag Heuer, she'll likely continue to grow her presence now that the watch brand is returning as the official timekeeper of Formula One in 2025. (Fun fact: Tag Heuer was the first luxury brand to appear on an F1 car way back in 1969.)
Baby Pink
On Lewis Hamilton: Marni jacket, pants, and shoes; Jacques Marie Mage sunglasses; Polite Worldwide necklaces
Lewis Hamilton doesn't wear viral items—he makes them go viral. He does, however, lean into trends in his own way with his iconic paddock 'fits week after week. For the Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton and his stylist Eric McNeal worked with Marni to create a custom baby-pink jacket-and-pant set (despite the May heat and humidity in Miami) inspired by a look from the brand's F/W 24 collection, according to renowned Lewis Hamilton outfit ID'er @hamazinglew aka Rashi Gaur. He accessorized with Marni shoes, Jacques Marie Mage eyewear, and Polite Worldwide necklaces. Baby pink was the color trend the season in the spring/summer 2025 runway collections, showing up at Alaïa, Khaite, Valentino, Carven, Chanel, and more throughout September and early October. This fact makes Hamilton's ensemble all the way back in May even more genius. I'm not saying he inspired designers to lean into the pastel shade, but I'm not not saying that either…
Puma Speedcat OG Sneakers
If the baby-pink Speedcats above aren't your color of choice, don't fret. With Puma being the official supplier of merchandise for F1, you know the brand has a massive presence in the sport, so it was no surprise to see its viral motorsport-inspired Speedcat sneakers all over the paddock this season in a variety of colors. The sneaker brand especially leaned into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, hosting editors, influencers, and celebrities—many of whom styled their Speedcats throughout the weekend. One such person was Ashley Graham, who wore a black version with slouchy black trousers, a leopard-print bra, and a sheer shirt on top. Immaculate.
Alaïa Le Coeur Bag
On Kelly Piquet: Alaïa Le Coeur Leather Shoulder Bag ($1400)
Though Alaïa's Le Teckel bag is the one everyone's talking about at the moment, it's the long beloved heart-shaped Le Coeur bag that appeared in the paddock this season at the Italian Grand Prix, carried by content creator and model Kelly Piquet. She wore the black version for a walk through the pit lane and styled it in a very effortless, Italian-inspired manner—with a belted white shirt, a matching midi skirt, and flat sandals.
Bulgari Serpenti Watch
On Muni He: Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Watch ($9900)
Luxury watches are a dime a dozen in the F1 paddock. Practically every F1 team has its own watch sponsor, so the drivers and team principals are rarely without their high-end timepieces—unless they're inside the cockpit. In this case, they might even have a picture of their watch printed on their gloves. Mercedes works with IWC, Ferrari and McLaren are partnered with Richard Mille, and Red Bull's sponsor is Tag Heuer. Outside of the teams, race weekend attendees in the paddock are often decked out in their finest timekeepers, from Rolex Day-Dates to Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks. My favorite watch wearer, though? Muni He, who regularly shows up to the track in her Bulgari Serpenti watch. Here, she wore it with a white halter top and slouchy trousers in Abu Dhabi, undoubtedly inciting an abundance of jealousy throughout the paddock.
Saint Laurent Leopard-Print Bag
On Saint Mleux: Saint Laurent Le 5 À 7 Supple Small Bag ($2500)
Last but certainly not least is Leo, the dachshund that stole the entire F1 community's heart this season when he was adopted by Saint Mleux and Leclerc. Just kidding—I'm here to talk about Saint Mleux's bag, one of 2024's most viral and sought-after styles. Throughout the Italian Grand Prix weekend in August, she carried the Saint Laurent leopard-print Le 5 à 7 bag, which ended up quickly selling out upon its arrival in stores and online. The style was also spotted on Laura Harrier, Zoë Kravitz, and Hailey Bieber, and the similar Bea shape was seen on Kate Moss in Paris. Unfortunately, there's a wait list for anyone wanting to get their hands on the bags, but the French fashion house did recently release a weekender version in the same leopard-print pony-hair fabric that's available to purchase right away.
Eliza Huber is a New York-based senior fashion editor who specializes in trend reporting, brand discovery, and the intersection of sports and fashion. She joinedBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing in 2021 after almost four years on the fashion team at Refinery29, the job she took after graduating with a marketing degree from the University of Iowa. She has since launched two monthly columns, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled the likes of Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on everything from the relationship between Formula One and fashion to the top trends from fashion month, season after season. Eliza lives on the Upper West Side and spends her free time researching F1 fashion imagery for her side Instagram accounts @thepinnacleoffashion and @f1paddockfits, running in Central Park, and scouring The RealReal for discounted Prada.
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