When it comes to race weekend style, few do it quite like Alexandra Leclerc.
The art curator and rising it-girl brought serious fashion energy to the paddock at the Shanghai Grand Prix earlier this month, stepping out in a series of chic looks from global Chinese fashion label SAU LEE while cheering on her husband, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
Held at the iconic Shanghai International Circuit, the weekend is one of the most glamorous stops on the Formula One calendar — and Alexandra proved she understands the assignment. Across the three-day event, she debuted three fashion-forward ensembles that seamlessly blended cultural storytelling, feminine tailoring, and subtle nods to racing heritage.
Even better? The looks weren’t just stylish. They were deeply personal.
“Whenever I travel, I love discovering designers from the place I’m visiting. It makes getting dressed feel more connected to where you are,” Alexandra shared in a recent feature with Vogue Hong Kong. “When I first wore SAU LEE in Shanghai last year it felt like such a natural fit.”
Here’s a closer look at the three standout style moments that had the paddock (and the internet) talking.
The Custom Cheongsam Moment
Alexandra kicked off the race weekend on March 13 with the most talked-about look of the weekend — a custom blue cheongsam-inspired dress created in collaboration with Cheryl Leung, founder and creative director of SAU LEE.
Elegant yet modern, the design fused contemporary tailoring with traditional Chinese craftsmanship, featuring delicate pankou buttons often seen on classic cheongsams. But the true magic of the dress lived in its hidden storytelling details.
For the piece, Alexandra asked the design team to weave iconic quotes from Enzo Ferrari into the fabric — translated into Chinese characters that flowed subtly across the garment.
“I always enjoy adding a small wink to the racing world in my outfits. For this piece, I asked them to include a few iconic quotes from the founder of Ferrari, written in Chinese,” Alexandra explained to Vogue Hong Kong.
Among the phrases incorporated into the design were Ferrari’s famous musings: “Let a child draw a car, and he will definitely draw it red” and “You can’t describe passion, you can only live it.”
For Cheryl Leung, the collaboration felt like a perfect cultural intersection.
“When she mentioned incorporating quotes from Enzo Ferrari translated into Chinese, we loved the idea immediately because it felt like a poetic meeting of cultures,” Leung shared. “At SAU LEE, we often think about clothing as something that carries meaning — not just visually, but emotionally.”
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A Chic Coordinated Set for Race Day
On March 14, Alexandra kept the fashion momentum going in the brand’s sleek Dara Top ($325) and Dara Skirt ($295), proving that elevated race-day style doesn’t have to sacrifice comfort.
The polished set featured structured tailoring with a feminine silhouette — perfectly aligning with the brand’s design philosophy.
“Alexandra has a very instinctive sense of style,” Leung told Vogue Hong Kong. “She gravitates toward pieces that feel feminine but still have structure and confidence, which aligns beautifully with our design philosophy of balancing softness and strength, tradition and modernity.”
The look felt effortless yet polished — the kind of ensemble that easily transitions from the paddock to a post-race dinner in the city.
Effortless Off-Duty Glam
For another appearance around the circuit, Alexandra opted for a more relaxed but equally stylish pairing: the Iris Crepe Top ($350) styled with the Timo Jersey Skirt ($350) from SAU LEE.
The look leaned into understated elegance with a fashion-editor edge, which is a reminder that race weekend wardrobes don’t have to be all gowns and glam. Instead, Alexandra’s style approach feels refreshingly thoughtful, blending her background as an art curator with her love of discovering designers tied to the places she visits.
“Chinese art was actually a big part of my studies,” Alexandra told Vogue Hong Kong, explaining that her fascination with Chinese porcelain and decorative arts helped inspire the deeper cultural references woven throughout her race weekend wardrobe.
Beyond the perfectly curated outfits, Alexandra’s Shanghai Grand Prix wardrobe resonated because it celebrated the city and its culture rather than simply borrowing from it.
“For me, art is always the best entry point into a culture,” she shared with Vogue Hong Kong. “I almost always try to see an exhibition or visit a museum.”
That same curiosity translated into her collaboration with SAU LEE, as it transformed race weekend fashion into something far more meaningful than just a photo moment.
