The grandstands at the Spanish Grand Prix are built for noise, speed and tire smoke — not for one of fashion’s most infamous dresses. Yet there it was on the sidelines in Madrid: Christian Dior’s newspaper print mini, the John Galliano creation that once divided critics and then conquered pop culture, now reimagined on Alexandra Leclerc.
Twenty-four years after it first hit the runway, the dress is still making headlines.
Alexandra, 26, who married Ferrari star Charles Leclerc on Feb. 28 and is expecting the couple’s first child, turned the paddock into a runway on Friday, Sept. 11. Cameras picked her out instantly. She arrived in the vintage Fall/Winter 2000 Dior mini, its collage of faux headlines and typography wrapped into a sharp, thigh-grazing silhouette. A coordinating purse tucked under her arm, black open-toe heels lengthening the line of the dress, sunglasses sealing the look. At her side, as usual, her dog Leo — already something of a celebrity in his own right.
For fashion fans, the sight came with an instant jolt of recognition. This is that dress.
It became a cult object when Sarah Jessica Parker wore it as Carrie Bradshaw in season 3 of Sex and the City, then again in Sex and the City 2. The piece, once controversial, turned into shorthand for early-2000s fashion drama: clever, provocative, instantly quotable. In 2025, Jenna Ortega revived it on the red carpet at the Hurry Up Tomorrow premiere, proving the design still had bite in a new era of social-media scrutiny and archival obsession.
The origin story, though, is less glossy. The dress first appeared in Galliano’s “Hobo” collection, which CNN has reported was “inspired both by the displaced people the designer saw while jogging and by the ‘Tramp Ball’ trend from the 1920s and 30s whereby the wealthy dressed as the homeless for glamorous soirees.” That tension — between high glamour and uncomfortable reference points — gave the dress its edge and its controversy. Time, television and red-carpet nostalgia did the rest.
Now it has found an unlikely new stage: Formula 1.
With the season accelerating, Alexandra is quietly building a reputation as one of the grid’s most watchable figures, and not just because of her last name. The paddock has always flirted with fashion, but she is pushing it into full editorial territory while pregnant, turning each race weekend into a serialized style story.
Striking Looks
The Spanish Grand Prix cameo in Galliano’s newspaper print followed a string of striking looks. At free practice on Friday, Sept. 4, at Autodromo Nazionale Monza in northern Italy, she arrived in a black keyhole cutout dress peppered with white polka dots and finished with a bow-tie halter neck. The dress framed her bump without fuss or apology, a confident take on maternity dressing in a setting still dominated by team gear and branded polos. She completed the look with her signature small-framed black sunglasses and slicked-back hair twisted into a tight, polished bun.
The next day at Monza, she switched gears again. This time she chose an all-black, knee-length dress with a plunging halter neckline, paired with black kitten heels and another pair of tiny black sunglasses. The message was clear: she wasn’t just dabbling in fashion; she was curating a season.
That eye has not gone unnoticed. Her viral outfits and carefully composed paddock shots caught the attention of Hailey Bieber, whose beauty brand Rhode named Alexandra its first “muse-ambassador,” as reported by Vogue. The collaboration soon deepened into a collection of her own with the label. Speaking to the magazine, Alexandra summed up her approach to beauty: “I really am all about makeup that looks and feels like skin.” It’s a philosophy that dovetails neatly with her trackside style — polished but not overworked, glamorous without looking forced.
The choice to step out in a 26-year-old Galliano design while pregnant, at a Grand Prix, says plenty about where fashion and sport now intersect. The F1 paddock has become a global stage, broadcast in high definition from every angle, and Alexandra is using it with the confidence of someone who understands both the camera and the moment. Vintage Dior one weekend, sharp monochrome the next — each appearance adds another layer to the narrative.
As the season gathers pace, Charles will chase points and podiums. Alexandra, moving through garages and grid walks in archive couture and modern silhouettes, looks ready to chase something else: the title of F1’s most influential style force.
