72 Hours in Texas: My Weekend With Tommy Hilfiger on the Austin F1 Grand Prix
There’s no higher place for this American lady to attend her first Formula One Grand Prix than in Austin, Texas, the place I spent the race weekend with Tommy Hilfiger and the Cadillac F1 Team. As a denim lover and frequent cowboy-boot wearer, I felt proper at dwelling. Still, nothing prepares you for the sheer magnitude of attending an F1 race in particular person. I’d be mendacity if I stated I wasn’t initially intimidated by an occasion of this scale, however Tommy Hilfiger‘s Americana spirit stored me grounded, offering me with a wardrobe of items I felt comfy and assured in (ahem, denim). Truth be informed, this journey felt like a match made in heaven.
At least I wasn’t the one first-timer on the US Grand Prix—it was additionally Cadillac’s first time racing on the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). Tommy Hilfiger, nonetheless, isn’t any stranger to the race. The model has sponsored F1 groups because the Nineties and created capsule collections that seamlessly mix its traditional American sportswear heritage with F1’s revolutionary technical experience. The newest iteration is the Tommy Hilfiger x Cadillac Formula 1® Team Austin Fanwear capsule. The denim-led edit options special-edition items with chrome finishes, American flag chevron paintings, and signature pink, white, and blue colorways included all through. The aesthetic was excellent for my weekend in Austin.
To see how I styled the capsule for 72 hours in Austin with Tommy Hilfiger, preserve scrolling.
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Day 1: A Warm Welcome to Austin
7 a.m.: Day one began early—and frantically, after throwing on last-minute cowboy boots and second-guessing my bandana equipment (on the danger of dressing a bit of too on the nostril for Texas). After one Instagram scroll by way of the outfits every driver wore on Thursday for media day, I knew it would be okay to lean in.
5 p.m.: I arrived at my room on the Austin Proper Hotel to discover a closet filled with items from the Tommy Hilfiger x Cadillac Formula 1® Team Austin Fanwear capsule. The capsule options traditional TH items like denim and white tees, with an Americana aptitude that felt becoming for the Austin locale, giving me much more affirmation to embrace the aesthetic for the weekend.
8 p.m.: After freshening up, I headed downstairs to the Proper’s Quill Room for a cocktail occasion and dwell efficiency by the legendary JoJo. We collectively sang alongside to her acoustic variations of “Leave (Get Out)” and “Too Little Too Late.” The nostalgia was palpable. After one glowing water with lime and a pit cease on the Tommy Hilfiger picture sales space, I used to be off to mattress.
Day 2: Qualifying Day on the Cadillac F1 Paddock Club
7 a.m.: Day two began with a exercise on the Pilates reformer on the Proper’s fitness center, adopted by fast espresso and a jaunt to TOMO Mags, {a magazine} store in Austin. It’s a should for anybody all for supporting impartial artists and print publications.
10 a.m.: Back on the lodge, I chosen my outfit for the day. The apparent alternative was the Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Austin Tank Top ($40) paired with dark-wash Tommy denims, my black boots, and a suede jacket I took off the second I stepped into that late-October Texas warmth.
12 p.m.: We arrived at COTA, the place I used to be instantly stunned by the dimensions of the observe. There’s an American flag the dimensions of a soccer area, a full-blown amusement park, and friends flying by way of the sky in gondolas that transport them between the brand new trackside clubhouse above Turn 1 and the paddock space. For the overseas friends visiting COTA, there is not any denying it: you are in America now, child.
2 p.m.: When our group arrived on the Cadillac F1 Paddock Club, we had been greeted with chilly drinks and crisp air con. We then headed right down to the pit storage to find out how mechanics, engineers, and technicians make modifications to the Formula 1 automobiles in actual time.
4 p.m.: It was time for Qualifying, so we took our seats outdoors and watched because the drivers pulled out of the pits. At Q1, all drivers and groups took to the observe. Six drivers had been then eradicated. The course of repeated for Q2. Then at Q3, the ultimate ten drivers competed for the highest grid posts. The driver with the quickest single lap time will get on pole place for race day—on this case it was Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver from Italy.
8 p.m.: The day did not finish on the observe, in fact. Tommy Hilfiger introduced collectively a desk filled with editors, creatives, and creators on the Proper’s La Piscina for a debrief, glorious fajitas, and a celebration of the Tommy Hilfiger and Cadillac F1® Team partnership. In this second, it was laborious to think about how day three may high day two.
Day 3: Race Day
9 a.m.: After a jam-packed Saturday, my grand plans of waking up early for a stroll alongside the Colorado River had been foiled by the sheer coziness of the Proper’s king mattress. I reluctantly peeled myself out of the sheets to pick out my race-day look. I went with a black slip dress, black western boots, and my customized Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team denim jacket.
10:45 a.m.: With a police escort that made me really feel cooler than it ought to’ve, we headed again to COTA. The denim jacket was the right alternative as a result of the Cadillac Paddock Club arrange a station so as to add customized embroidery and patches. It’s all the time a favourite and considerate activation at an occasion.
The subsequent few hours had been devoted to ceremonial race day traditions. We headed downstairs for a stroll by way of the pit lane, watched Train carry out “Drops of Jupiter,” and witnessed the Grid Walk that takes place half-hour earlier than the beginning of the race. One of the highlights of the day was attending to see the drivers hop on their kick scooters proper under us. It jogged my memory of New York mornings filled with elementary faculty children scootering their method to class, besides right here, my view was of the international stage’s most esteemed athletes on the brink of race in entrance of an overseas viewers. But if anybody could make it look cool, it is Lewis Hamilton.
3 p.m.: The race started with Kimi Antonelli on pole place. However, our eyes had been on Cadillac drivers Valterri Bottas and Sergio “Checo” Pérez. The second the drivers began their engines, I understood why earplugs had been included in our reward luggage. Within seconds, they took off in direction of Turn 1 and all that was left was the security automotive following rapidly behind.
4:30 p.m.: We had been escorted right down to the group storage to be totally immersed within the motion. We bought an inside take a look at the nerve middle of the operation, the place the group research the screens, analyzes the info, and prepares for potential pit stops.
5 p.m.: The race concluded with Kimi Antonelli because the winner!
9 p.m.: The day did not finish there. I headed downstairs to the Quill Room for one final Tommy Hilfiger occasion that includes a DJ set by TOKiMONSTA.
11 p.m.: After one final glowing water with lime and massive thank yous to the unbelievable Tommy Hilfiger group, I used to be off to pack to catch my 6 a.m. flight again to New York City.
Shop the Tommy X Cadillac F1® Team Collection
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Austin Tank Top
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High-Rise Modern Wide Leg Jean
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Austin Cap
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Austin Denim Vest
Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Chevron Hoodie
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Dual-Logo Cap
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Coach Jacket
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Leather Mini Baseball Cap Bag Charm
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Tommy x Cadillac F1® Team Striped Replica T-Shirt
