GALLERY: Lewis Hamilton’s stylist Eric McNeal talks us through the champ’s best outfits from the 2022 season
When Lewis Hamilton enters the Formula 1 paddock, he’s usually greeted by an army of cameras, all waiting outside the gates to capture his latest fashion ensemble. And while you might see what he’s wearing and you might know the brand, you might not know the story behind each of his looks.
To help with this, we enlisted the help of Hamilton’s stylist Eric McNeal, who took some time off from his New York Fashion Week preparations to give us an inside look at their partnership and the thinking behind just some of the looks last season, which McNeal had styled himself for the seven-time world champion.
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Ferragamo from head to toe in Austin
Eric McNeal: “It was one of [Maximilian Davis’] first collections at Ferragamo and also he’s British so he and Lewis have a relationship. So I thought it would be great for us to give Max this space for his first date and I love seeing Lewis in these silhouettes too. I love how flowy it is and I love how confident Lewis looked in the look.”
Tracksuit but with a Mexican twist
EM: “This look is from Acne Studios and I just love jazzing up a tracksuit. You can’t see it, but there’s a beautiful painting of a cat at the back, and I just thought it was super unique, very quirky. I love going for a lap in my tracksuit.
“I think the tracksuit is so British and I love that it was just a more fluid way, not the typical hyper-masculine way of wearing a tracksuit. I think it was silk and there was a mesh underneath and it was just beautiful and I love the colors.
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“And the picture on the back was something I loved because both me and Lewis love animals. And I just thought it was funny to have a tracksuit, a silk tracksuit with the cat on the back.”
Sleeveless sweater vest in Texas
EM: “This is one of my favorites because it’s by Tommy Hilfiger. Obviously Tommy is a big part of the F1 family and we love working with them. I’ve worked with Tommy Hilfiger for years and I love it every time I go up to them and do fittings because they have the best stuff that fits Lewis’ aesthetic so perfectly.
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“I love this vest because the seasons are always changing. And I just felt like it was perfect for the weather, perfect color. I love Lewis in red. As you can see he wears a lot of red. I love that it was just very, very manly and he looked really confident in it too.”
Sleeveless in Sao Paulo
EM: “Yes, this is Raf Simmons from his last collection at Raf Simmons and I loved it because it was one of the few looks I thought Lewis was so great at pulling off things that even I don’t wear could.
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“And I just loved how unique it was and you can’t really see it but it was kind of very distressing and we’re both big Raf Simmons fans and I just thought it was perfect.”
Fendi and Timbs for Saturday’s sprint
EM: “This is Fendi and I just love the colour. I’m from New York so we love Timberland boots and we love the ups and downs of everything. I love that it’s this super-super-luxe designer label, but it’s also very relatable in the way he wears it. It just looks so effortless. It’s one of my favorite looks in Brazil.”
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Louis Vitton set by Virgil in Austin
EM: “This is Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton. I love this because, as I said, I love solid color matching sets. I think Lewis does prints so well and the shape was just really different and unique. I love it so much.”
Stay light in Abu Dhabi
EM: “This is another Tommy Hilfiger. I love this look because it’s a collaboration with Martine Rose. I obviously love Martine. She’s also another Brit and I just thought it would be like a nice casual.
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“You know, it’s so hot in there. So I think you really need to dress for the weather and I thought that was just perfect. I think the Tommy Hilfiger team has so much choice, so it’s always a pleasure to work with them.”
Brave the heat of Singapore
EM: This is Versace. i love a vest I think Lewis… he’s always in such great shape and I just thought why not. Let’s just show your arms. It was just a really simple outfit and I love the color.”
