What to Wear in Las Vegas, When Your Style Is Not Las Vegas

My college roommate once told me, before a night out, that I “take everything sexy and put a sweater over it.” While she said it with an air of great disappointment, I took it as a compliment. She was right: I might know how to dress for a wedding, a dinner party, and the Vogue office, but I have no idea how to dress for the club. (And I really do love sweaters.)

Fast forward more years than I’m willing to reveal in this article, and I was invited to my first F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas. I’m obsessed with F1—I have an F1TV subscription so I can follow every race and listen to driver radios for essential context. While Vegas and I have far less of a love affair, I couldn’t resist this glittery new street circuit via a direct flight from New York.

Emphasis on the “glittery.” Within days of accepting the invite, my fashion editor brain turned its attention to the question of packing. What does one wear in Las Vegas, i.e. the clubbing capital of the world? To F1? I guessed, correctly, that it would be quite a dressed up crowd, but I also wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities available to me, like touring a garage, which seemed like something best done in flats. Plus, it was going to be a chilly desert night race.

I decided to lean into my long held belief that knitwear can be worn for any occasion. I found a heavily embellished cardigan from Gucci that could be worn with an exposed bra, and a lace slip dress from Bode that—you guessed it—I could pair with a cardigan.

As soon as I landed in Vegas, I wanted to tour all the fashion pop-ups that were open for F1 weekend. The scene in the casinos was as electric as Coachella, but teeming with race cars, cute drivers, and thousands of people decked out in racing merch—as opposed to flower crowns and boho ensembles. While on my way to a Balenciaga event, I checked out Lewis Hamilton’s collaboration with Tyler the Creator’s Golf Wang collection at Encore Beach Club. I left with a sweatshirt (shocker). Then I made my way to The Bellagio, which was the center of the fashion action. I immediately fell in love with an open-knit sweater dress with diamanté detailing at the Ferrari pop-up, and visited the Balmain store to browse the special race-inspired collection.

Whether you’re headed to Sin City for a sporting event, a bachelorette, or to make memories that will need to stay in Vegas, here are my tried and true Vegas-tested pieces, giving new meaning to the going-out-top and walkable heels.