I’ve waxed poetic about my love of all things 1970 and 80s when it comes to racing, and part of that love has to do with the incredible fashions that appeared at the race track in an era where style was important but so was comfort. And that has brought me to find my newest non-racing race car hobby: making vintage-themed apparel.
All of this came down to a tweet my good friend Matt posted. In it, a promotional girl is standing next to a NASCAR driver wearing a Winston-themed romper and a 10,000 gallon hat. I thought to myself, I need this in my life. I sourced the Winston patches on eBay. I sourced a romper on Shein. I wanted this bad boy to be ready for the Six Hour race at Watkins Glen. I told myself I’d have a professional take care of the whole sewing thing because I am a mess.
But because I’m a mess, I waited until we were due to leave for the Glen before I even remembered that I’d had this plan that I was bound and determined to stick to. So, I grabbed my patches and my romper, and I asked my mom to teach me how to sew in a fashion that goes beyond just “making a big mess of thread to reattach this strap to a dress.”
I was actually kind of surprised by how much I loved the process of sewing on the patches. It was a disaster, yes. I definitely could have done a better job. But it was actually kind of nice to see a good vintage look come to fruition. And I’m already sitting here planning my next move, because I’ve been collecting patches to recreate a Tyrrell F1 jacket for years.
So, my question to you all is: would my progressive recreation of vintage race car looks be something you’d want to see documented here? Would you be interested in a series about folks who take on non-racing hobbies to sustain their racing hobbies—like people who make dioramas or recreate old photos or videos? I love highlighting the cool and unique ways people express their interest in something, but I want to make sure it’s the best use of my time and yours!
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