YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Your Dad's Style

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Your Dad's Style https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:10:34 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php April on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818925 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 22:15:51 +0000 April 1818925@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My dad turned 80 this year, and his "style" is whatever my mother buys for him on sale.  Not just any sale, but like 75% off, who-cares-if-it-fits sale.   Before he retired, he was a pilot -- not an airline pilot, so he had no uniform, but had to wear suits -- and my mother used to wash his dry-clean-only suits in the bathtub.  You can imagine how rumpled and not-spiffy they looked afterward, and I'm quite sure he never noticed.  (Before you start imagining that my parents were impoverished and scrimping to stay alive, forget it.  They were in a five-bedroom house in a very fancy neighborhood -- my mother is just pathologically cheap.)  Now that he's retired, he favors knee-high dress socks with sandals and shorts and his Catholic deacon's robes.   Trust me, those robes (or a uniform of any sort) are better than any outfit he would put together from his own closet.  ;) rachylou on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818921 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 22:00:51 +0000 rachylou 1818921@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Dratted spellcheck! The bane of my existence is the way it turns all my 'on's' into 'in's'. Always return to find I must edit. What a waste of time! It's the rare man who wears them here in the U.S. - and usually they're over 50. They're not easy to find in stores. You have to have bought them 20 years ago almost. The Cat on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818909 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 21:11:35 +0000 The Cat 1818909@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rachylou, don't you mean "short sleeve SHIRTS", not shorts? I like them, too. Surprised to read that you wish men STILL wore them. They have never gone out of style in Scandinavia. Lots of men here wear them in summer. Anonymous on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818905 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 20:50:18 +0000 Anonymous 1818905@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Yes, that's me. rachylou on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818896 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 20:28:31 +0000 rachylou 1818896@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Cool pics. That's gotta be you, yes BC? You look the same! I have always loved those short sleeve shirts with pockets your dad is wearing. I wish. Men still wore them. Anonymous on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818883 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 19:39:56 +0000 Anonymous 1818883@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Here's my Dad. He always wore ties, until he retired and started wearing polo shirts. rachylou on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818808 Mon, 26 Jun 2017 15:57:02 +0000 rachylou 1818808@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I do miss my dad. He was full of compassion and a great story teller at dinner. I'll tell you, all my friends really liked him and thought he was the cool cat. They always want to talk about my dad still! krishnidoux on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1818562 Sun, 25 Jun 2017 16:27:32 +0000 krishnidoux 1818562@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Rach, how lovely and touching. You must miss him a lot. He sure looks like he was fun like you.Those are wonderful pics. rachylou on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816846 Tue, 20 Jun 2017 01:53:36 +0000 rachylou 1816846@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ So much fun! Y'all sent us on a big project for Father's Day, lol. Spent the whole of it downloading gigabytes of files of photographs that my brother digitized. My dad passed away over ten years ago. He dressed like Angie's Papa - but it has to be said Angie's Papa is so much neater. My dad wore his hair much too long. Haha. My dad was old world, of a time and place when manly men had to be interested in opera and fashion. He brought me Vogue so I would know When he died, he had a new Armani tux hanging in the closet; we were going to attend a gala at a museum opening. Here are some photos of my dad from way way back. (My dad is on the far right in all the pics with multiple people.) rachelthrives on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816671 Mon, 19 Jun 2017 13:41:44 +0000 rachelthrives 1816671@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My dad is 65 and has always been a conservative dresser. He was a pastor and a military chaplain, so I think that influenced his style quite a bit. A typical outfit is a button-down shirt in a pastel color, slacks or jeans, and a belt. All very classic, somewhat old-fashioned styling. He still wears undershirts. On Sundays he wears a suit and tie. I've rarely seen him in a t-shirt or anything more casual. Now that he is retired, he is letting his hair grow a little longer again since my mom loves it long. He is a short man with small feet, so shopping can be hard. When they lived in Korea, he formed a friendship with a shoemaker and had a number of shoes and clothing items custom made. He loves to talk about experiences like this. He loves quality and loves researching the "best" of something. When the custom made shoes wore out last year, he  went on a quest for new shoes that took several months and many trips to various specialty shops.  When platforms were acceptable for men back in the 70s he wore them enthusiastically to feel a bit taller. That is the only fashion risk I have ever heard of him taking!  Bijou on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816621 Mon, 19 Jun 2017 08:11:55 +0000 Bijou 1816621@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have loved reading these posts. What great Dad's we all have. My Dad did National Service as a teenager and I think that influenced him in so many ways including the way he dresses and presents himself. Always short hair, clean and crisply ironed clothing and well polished shoes. My Father still cannot understand deliberately torn or distressed clothing and gets quite dismayed when he sees these items being sold in store, bewildered that anyone would buy them. Anonymous on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816582 Mon, 19 Jun 2017 02:19:54 +0000 Anonymous 1816582@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh my god - just thinking about dads in jeans makes me laugh . krishnidoux on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816416 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 10:54:03 +0000 krishnidoux 1816416@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Just re-reading this thread with all the new addition and it is fascinating. It's interesting to see that some dads were devoted to the baseball caps, others to their jeans, and yet others dressed conservatively. Many dads were/are frugal about their dressing. Dads are so important in their daughters' heart. They have a great impact in our lives. Thinking bout their dressing style is fun and refreshing.   Angie, your Papa is adorable!  Suz, that is so funny about your dad and the brown suit. I think the bown suit had its day and must have been associated with power at some point.  Lisap, you can be proud of your dad's sense of style! He looks like a movie star. And as others have said, you sure look like him a lot. Joy, you have a point about a certain generation going through life in uniforms. I certainly recognize members of my own family in this. Dressing was used to indicate status, role, job: and those were more important than personality, style or dressing for the occasion.  The Cat, this is too funny. Your dad was attached to his suits! But back then, he wasn't alone. Thank you for reminding us that in terms of hiking, we have all come a long way! Donna, your dad was onto something with loose fitting clothes for comfort. I will remember this.  Style Fan, that is so touching.  Cindy, what good memories you shared of your courageous father. Little bits like that make us remember loved ones with a smile in our hearts.  Kelly, your dad is absolutely charming, and Ledonna, great pic of your beautiful parents. You must have both inherited your sharp sense of style from your dads!  Shevia, my son too takes after my dad, and I think the same thing as you regarding jeans! lol, for years my son refused to wear denim, prefering khakis + shirt over tee and some wool cardi. My dad also introduced denim to his attire late in life, and only oversized, ill-fitting ones as well... I think younger generations today are not into denim as much as we were. It the pendulum swinging backwards.  Style Fan on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816401 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 08:38:16 +0000 Style Fan 1816401@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ These are great stories.  That is interesting Janet that our fathers were similar.  My father was also very artistic.  Photography was his hobby. Lucy on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816386 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 03:11:48 +0000 Lucy 1816386@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great stories!  My dad is 76 and recently gave us quite a scare with some heart problems! But he has come out of the surgery very well, and it seems his daily walks have paid off, because he's made a full recovery. What a relief!  In terms of style, my dad is largely known for his lack of it. He holds onto clothes forever, and we often laugh that dad gets rid of an item just before it comes back into fashion!  He looks best when dressed up - he was an accountant before retirement, so it was all suits and ties. He rocks a tuxedo, and indeed he wore the same tux to his own wedding and to mine, with not a single alteration!  kellygirl on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816383 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 03:06:10 +0000 kellygirl 1816383@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ We just hosted my dad for an early Father's Day brunch. He looked great today in his column of color! I think my dad and I dress similarly--we both appreciate a comfortable, polished casual outfit. He pretty much lives in jeans and polo shirts/button downs and slip on loafers. I tried to swap out his footwear several years ago but practical man that he is--has quadruplicated his most comfortable shoes. (If it's not broken...) Prefers untucking but will tuck if necessary. If something call for dressing up, he will wear cream denim jeans or khakis with a pressed button down shirt. He just turned 86--hope I still look as put together as him when I'm his age! Jaime on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816379 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 02:56:15 +0000 Jaime 1816379@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My Dad is has always been a uniform dresser - since retirement that uniform consists of too big jeans, too big polo shirt and a baseball cap. As I recall getting him into jeans was a major undertaking. My son, whom takes after him in many ways, is similar but luckily I got him into the jeans habit considerably earlier. L'Abeille on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816378 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 02:54:58 +0000 L'Abeille 1816378@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a timely question, because I had been thinking about the same thing. Last year my sister had raised the question, how did our styles turn out so different? She is earthy boho, and whereas I used to aspire to that (everyone did in the early 70s), I have evolved into the Gentlewoman, an androgynous mix of classic and preppy; even though as the small-town Ontario child of immigrants, I had barely any exposure to those sort of role models. Or so I thought. But just last week I was reflecting on how my dad dresses, and suddenly it all came together. He always wore a shirt and a sport jacket for work. Casual would be polo shirts and slacks (never jeans, till after he retired!) or tennis whites. Pullovers or cardigans; never Tshirts or sweatshirts. Never ball caps, if a hat was needed it would be a fedora, or a bucket hat for the sun. He taught me to tie a tie, both a half and a full Windsor. And I used to raid his closet (I am way taller than my mom) for shirts which I wore with the sleeves rolled up. So the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree after all. Faith on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816377 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 02:33:09 +0000 Faith 1816377@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm lucky my dad is still alive and I had the pleasure of working with him for 16 years and I am my fathers daughter when it comes to fashion. My dad was a president most of his professional life and lived in a suit & tie, I don't remember him in anything else but a suit & tie as a child, he didn't care about fashion and would buy the same tshirt in 6 different colors and call it a wardrobe. My mother & brother are the fashion plates of the family. One of my favorite memories of my dad is in the summer when he would sprinkle baby powder in his Velcro sandals and then walk around sending puffs of powder out the back of his sandals to my brothers utter mortification, that was the type of man he is, no fuss, no muss and plain. I try and be a little more fashionable and I know it would please my dad for me to be a bit more feminine but it's definitely in my DNA to be plain, I pray I don't find myself at 78 with the scent of baby powder wafting around me! Ledonna N. on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style/page/2#post-1816367 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 01:51:51 +0000 Ledonna N. 1816367@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I just loved reading about the dads. My daddy was always dapper. This picture is how I will always remember my daddy. He was always clean (Sharp) this is my favorite picture of him and my mom. It was always a blast seeing them get dressed. Anonymous on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816359 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 00:41:45 +0000 Anonymous 1816359@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ The Cat - yes, the pre-War men do share a certain way of comporting themselves, don't they?  Interesting observation .  I'm intrigued by lab-coat wearing population too....... Sal on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816354 Sun, 18 Jun 2017 00:02:48 +0000 Sal 1816354@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great thread, I enjoyed these stories and photos. My Dad is 77 and still a full time sheep and beef farmer.  He has a practical work wardrobe and is not particularly interested in clothes.  He wears a range of colours but probably often in the autumnal range - olive, butter yellow, brown, green.  He actually can wear most colours.  Casually he wears either polo shirts or button down shirts - never a collarless tee.  He wears shorts, corduroy pants, chinos and dress pants - he tried jeans once but never really adapted. He is smartly dressed when needed but never cutting edge - while born in 1939 he did live through WWII he was possibly too young to be affected greatly, and NZ was isolated and his Dad stayed home to farm the land.  He has always lived and worked on the family farm except for four years at Boarding School:) The Cat on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816345 Sat, 17 Jun 2017 22:31:25 +0000 The Cat 1816345@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Interesting to read about others' Dad's style. In view of how different lifestyles our fathers have had around the globe, it actually has surprised me to see how much men born before WW2 have in common. I think many of them grew up with few clothes, and later, in their adult life, they were used to, and more or less pleased with, just having a small wardrobe. My own father seldom felt that he needed anything, but was happy to let my mother and us children buy items he knew we wanted, if he could afford it. He has never enjoyed shopping clothes for himself, but has been grateful for gifts. We sometimes have had to (mildly) force him to buy something new for himself. But old people can change, too! To my surprise, last year, he asked if I would help him to get a new suit. And a couple of months ago, he bought his first pair of stretch jeans, which he now happily uses a lot. He finds the prices of most jeans incredibly high, though. To him all jeans are basicly "workwear" and therefore should be rather inexpensive. Suz on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816245 Sat, 17 Jun 2017 13:48:16 +0000 Suz 1816245@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a wonderful thread. I've been laughing and smiling and brushing away tears by turns. Krishnadoux, what an amazing dream! Love it! LisaP, that photo never fails to make me smile -- your dad embodies a certain kind of athletic youthfulness.  My father died in 2010, at the age of 85. At work, he wore a lab coat, usually over a grey or blue suit, or (in the 70s) a brown one --- although my mother hated him in brown and went on a campaign to eliminate all ties and shirts that went with that suit so he would have nothing to wear with it! She was right, too -- his colouring was very cool, like mine, and he looked far better in blues and greys.  He grew up poor in the Depression. In later years he could have afforded expensive clothing, but his suits were always off-the-rack from mid-range Canadian retailers. Was this because he'd grown up wearing hand-made suits and thought nothing could compare with those? (His mother was a seamstress.) Or was it just an example of his frugality? I don't know.  His shoes were another matter; he always had a weakness for fine Italian loafers and would pay for those, as well as for leather jackets, of which he had quite a collection over the years. From late middle age onward, he always wore some type of hat -- a golf cap in summer or a small fedora.  On weekends and after a retirement he favoured corduroy shirts in winter (he ran cold while my mother ran hot); and in summer he would wear short sleeved button fronts. I never saw him in a tee shirt in my life, though he did come to love stretchy pajamas.  cindysmith on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816216 Sat, 17 Jun 2017 11:52:35 +0000 cindysmith 1816216@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My dad passed away in 1984, but I recall his style as being his work uniform (firefighter) or jeans and a white T-shirt most days, with Sundays seeing him in trousers and a button-up shirt for church sometimes with sport coat and tie added (of course, he changed into his jeans and white T-shirt ASAP LOL). So I'd say my dad had a classic style, sort of a James Dean type of Americana. I'm sitting here remembering my father (who knows how accurate my memories are, since I was just a few days from 14 when he died), and I remember him stopping the truck on the way home from somewhere because a kudzu field has caught on fire, and he ran to help the volunteer firefighters in his jeans and white T-shirt. I'm remembering him drinking coffee in the afternoon during summer because "it cools me down" (I think his logic was it made him sweat so it cooled him down, which sounds like some coffee addict logic to me as far back as the 70s and 80s LOL) Thank you for bringing some pleasant memories of my father to the forefront of my mind. He was sick for a lot of years before he died, and this helps me remember him as he was before that time. That's important, and I'm grateful. Staysfit on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816197 Sat, 17 Jun 2017 09:11:38 +0000 Staysfit 1816197@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My dad is 80 and recently retired from his law practice because he had both knees replaced and his spinal arthritis was interfering with his ability to get around quickly enough at work. My dad is also a product of the depression, and grew up in a household where his father was unable to get work despite being well educated as an electrical engineer. He hated that his mother would make him wear dress pants to school when his classmates wore jeans and he says he rebelled in college and became very trendy. He always knows what's most in style, and in the past might have been wearing it, but now his style would be described as more modern classic. My dad always knows what is going on in the world, and is right in touch with the latest in popular culture. He enjoys technology, games, and science. He loves history and politics. He is curious and genuine and I think this adds charm and charisma to his personal style. He continues to be very active socially, He has good color sense and knows how to highlight one of his best features, his big sparkly bright blue eyes. He still has a full head of hair, which used to be very dark brown, but now is silvery white. My dad dresses in the proper clothes for each situation. He wears gear for exercise, jeans if it is informal, khakis for semi casual, and trousers/suit pants if it is more formal. He has an excellent collection of plaid shirts, solid shirts, ties and jackets to complement his coloring. He also has a nice collection of sweaters. I think his shoes are fairly basic at this point, mostly because he needs good support since he has had knee replacement, but in the past he had some beautiful shoes to wear with his suits. I think my dads personal style is all about making connections with people, doing things that bring joy to himself and others, and taking action. He is not one to sit idle even if he is in pain. I almost forgot! My dad has collected science fiction novels since he was in elementary school. He developed a love of whimsical dragons at some point, and he has a large collection of dragon themed tee shirts, and belt buckles. I think he may still have some western boots tooled with dragons. He has a dragon ring which he loves and wears regularly. The other dragon themed items only come out when he goes to science fiction conventions. DonnaF on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816079 Fri, 16 Jun 2017 23:13:02 +0000 DonnaF 1816079@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My dad was born in 1923 and died in early 1995.  He was a child of the Depression and grew up on a farm on an island so was frugal in the extreme.  He was a scientist so probably wore a lab coat a lot.  But somehow, I remember he had pocket protectors.  He would wear his cheapy zori (flip-flops) until the heels wore through.  And recycle the elastic from his old Jockey shorts in his workshop.  My dad liked comfort, and often his clothes looked a bit big.  But maybe that was because he was only about 5' 4" and 130 pounds.  He loved hardware stores but hated any other shopping with a passion.  My mom bought all his clothes without him; he even made her take an old shoe as a sample to buy new ones. Style?  What style? Janet on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816076 Fri, 16 Jun 2017 22:55:09 +0000 Janet 1816076@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Style fan, your dad and mine had a lot in common. The Cat on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816074 Fri, 16 Jun 2017 22:48:09 +0000 The Cat 1816074@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ My father is 87, and his everyday style is about the same as your Dad's. And he never wears T-shirts, high neck sweaters, sweatshirts or sweatpants. He sometimes wears sneakers, and he has a dressy pair of shorts. At least twice a week, he attends meetings where he will wear one of his suits, a dress shirt, one of his many ties, and, of course, smart shoes. Interestingly, today my aunt showed us a family photo from a 6 hours walk in the woods in 1968. I couldn't help smiling when I noticed that my father was wearing a formal dark suit, a white shirt, a tie and an elegant hat. Times certainly have changed, and even my father dresses more relaxed nowadays, at least for casual purposes. Anonymous on "Your Dad's Style" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/your-dads-style#post-1816055 Fri, 16 Jun 2017 21:35:38 +0000 Anonymous 1816055@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie, your dad has amazing style. My dad is no longer with us but was an intellectual and lived through the Great Depression so was very frugal. He was a college professor and always dressed the part in a suit, dress shoes, tie and crisp white shirt. Even if he were out digging a garden or mowing the lawn, this is what he would wear. He and his generation believed in uniforms and a suit and tie was his. He refused to wear jeans or knit shirts because jeans were part of a cowboy or farmer uniform and knit shirts were underwear. He did not know what casual wear was except to wear is older suits when doing yard work.