Terry Francona, Jim Rice and Jerry Remy model the Red Sox' new road uniforms on Thursday in Boston.

AP photo / Elise Amendola

BOSTON — Red Sox manager Terry Francona came strolling down the makeshift catwalk yesterday like the world’s most awkward fashion model, showing off the team’s new road uniform.

He was followed by former Sox players Jim Rice and Jerry Remy, who, despite less hair and a little more weight, looked remarkably familiar in the new uniforms. The redesigned road uniform is strikingly similar to the away jersey the two former Red Sox wore from 1979-89.

“It reminds me of when were playing,” Remy said to Rice.

Gray, with navy-blue “Boston” lettering, the new away jersey will replace the gray-with-red-letters version the team has worn since 1989.

Francona first saw the jerseys a year ago when the team wore the throwback uniforms in a game against San Diego. He liked them, as did the players, and told management.

“I love them … We wore them in interleague one day, on throwback night, and I’m a fan,” Francona said.

Management, however, was already thinking the same thing. Chief operating officer Mike Dee was on the field that day, and saw how good the retro uniforms looked.

“A group of us were down on the field before the game, and we said, ‘Boy, look at those uniforms, those look really great, they pop, they’re handsome, they’re traditional,’ ” Dee said.

The wheels were soon set in motion for a new road jersey that would bring things back to the 1980s, with some slight changes.

The letters are slightly different than the 1979-89 versions; the lettering on the older jersey was done in block style, but the modern design was done in what is called “Boston” font, the same font used on the home jerseys. The new away jersey also has the hanging socks patch on the left sleeve.

The uniforms were introduced last night at an event at Game On!, a restaurant next to Fenway Park. The Red Sox are not blind to the time of year; the team put the new jerseys on sale last night, at the peak of the Christmas shopping season, and will promote the new uniforms today around the Boston area. But Dee said this is not just a money-making opportunity, it’s about continually updating the Red Sox brand.

“It’s not a major commercial endeavor. We may sell a few more jerseys, but it’s really about your brand,” Dee said.

“Some teams change their uniform very frequently. We’re not one of them. But from time to time, you adjust uniforms based on fan trends and fan desirability and owner preference … It’s an evolution, we think, of the current logo,” Dee said.

The current players appear to enjoy the look, as well. Relief pitcher Manny Delcarmen was there to model the new uniform, and he gave it a thumbs-up. “It’s like a throwback jersey. I like it,” he said.

The Red Sox are also changing their primary logo. At the moment, it is a pair of hanging red socks inside a circle inscribed with the words “Boston Red Sox.” Now, the circle and the words will be gone, and the socks will be the primary face of the franchise. It will be used on everything from marketing materials to the team’s alternate baseball hats.

The team first used the “hanging Sox” logo in 1924, with subtle evolutions until the current version was developed in 1975.

“Some logos speak for themselves … and we really think the hanging Sox logo are ready to stand on their own,” Dee said.

Fashion Designer and Boston native Joseph Abboud, an avowed Red Sox fan, was on hand to check out the new uniforms, and he applauded the use of the stand-alone logo.

“There are very few companies and very few organizations that you can identify without words or letters. Nike is one, and the Boston Red Sox are another. So I think the logo is very special, and it has a certain power,” Abboud said.

The team also unveiled two alternate jerseys. For home, a red top with blue lettering reading “Red Sox ” and white pants, and for the road, a blue jersey with red lettering reading “Boston ” atop gray pants. Both will feature caps with the new hanging sox logo.

No changes were made to the primary home uniform.

dbarbari@projo.com