Hello shoppers!
Fatherâs Day is literally days away and if youâre like me, you havenât even begun to shop! Never fear, weâre in this together.
If you know me, you probably know that menswear is my heart; I worked in suiting in college, and I work as a menswear stylist with Style Girlfriend now - plus itâs my favorite journalism beat, and Iâve interviewed everyone from Savile Row tailors about what makes the perfect suit to Donald Sutherland about his favorite suspenders and underwear (see below.) Plus, Iâve never dated a man who wasnât moments away from collecting social security so I am truly an expert when it comes to all things dad.
My dad is a stumper when it comes to gifts; Iâve never seen him in a suit, so ties are out of the question and heâs not a sports or man cave sort of guy either so Iâm used to getting creative. That said, I know a lot of your dads probably are suit guys and Iâve got you covered too (sports dads are on their own, sorry!) Plus I want to include mostly things that arenât your standard dad gifts. I trust that you guys can conjure up the typical options yourself; things like a Swiss Army knife for the camping dad, signed sports memorabilia for the man cave dad, a record player or reissue of his favorite record for the audiophile dad, a cocktail book for the liquor loving dad â you get the idea. These are gifts for the dad who already has all the standard dad stuff, or the dad who doesnât always like the standard dad stuff.
So without further ado â here are some Material Girl approved gifts for dad.
Coffee table book about planes, cars, war etc.: I am firmly team Anna Marie Tendler but I often return to John Mulaneyâs joke âevery dad is studying for a Civil War exam that will never happen.â And he is 1000% correct. I have never met a dad who didnât have an affinity for the history channel, or planes, etc., and this has guided me through many a holiday shopping for my dad. This one from the Smithsonian on the history of aircrafts will keep him entertained for hours. Then thereâs this one on cars or this one on trains. Finally, in my experience every dad has a favorite war. Want to figure out which is your dadâs favorite? Try to remember which edition of those âhistory in colorâ shows on the History channel he watches most, or which monuments prompt him to lecture you about history most often. Here are some options: Vietnam, WW2, the American Revolution, the Civil War. (The coffee table book method also works for sports dads, just replace âfavorite warâ or âfavorite thing that goes vroom vroomâ with âfavorite sport.â)
Plain navy baseball cap: If you watch Succession you have seen this wardrobe staple on Logan and Kendall multiple times. As a stylist itâs one piece I include in literally all my clientsâ plan because it is that versatile. Theyâre available at every single price point from this affordable one from GAP to this super pricey one from Loro Piana.
Long sleeve knit polo: The other item I force on literally all of my style clients is a long sleeve navy knit polo. This is one of those pieces that every man will have the occasion to wear; itâs great for work if your dad works in a âslightly less dressy than a suit but still formalâ work environment, or for casual weekend looks with jeans or chinos. Itâs also going to be pretty easy to eyeball his size because itâs a knit, as opposed to a dress shirt. I love this one from Octobre Editions.
The toys he wanted as a kid: One of my favorite things to gift my dad is the upscale version of a childrenâs toy that I know he loved. So for example, Iâve gotten him a fighter jet Lego kit, remote control helicopters, and a top of the line HotWheels track. This one is tricky because it will annoy the shit out of your mother (I think the remote control helicopters were probably my momâs breaking point as they regularly veer way too close to her fine pottery and expensive lamps) but your dad will love you forever for them.
Hermes Ties from TheRealReal: Now, just because my dad isnât a tie guy doesnât mean I donât love a good tie â itâs the perfect gift for any guy who has the occasion to wear a suit but itâs also a gift that can come across as really basic if you donât do it right. If you put âHermes tie excellentâ or âHermes tie pristineâ into the search bar on TheRealReal you will find dozens of perfect condition Hermes ties for around $100. An Hermes tie will last him a lifetime - itâs luxurious and sentimental and a pretty fool proof gift. Here are some of my favs: this one, this one and this one. Some other great TRR luxury scores for dad â a pair of unique cufflinks, or a cool money clip like this one.
Shave kit: I bought my dad an Art of Shaving Kit in college and he still uses it almost ten years later. A shave brush is something a dad is unlikely to buy himself but will add a nice luxurious touch to his grooming routine that will make him feel like someone out of the Mad Men era (I would say without the gender discrimination but also like, look around.) There are a ton of options for different price ranges; you can go for just the brush, or a full set including high end shave products so this one is easy to adjust for your budget.
A literal fossil or space rock: I find that most dads â and men â are essentially eleven years old at heart and if youâve ever been to a science museum with a dad you know that anything prehistoric has them rapt like theyâre a kid again. Think about them like crystals but for boys. Iâve had a lot of luck buying stuff for my dad at the Evolution Store in New York â he keeps this shark tooth on his desk with pride but if you really want to splurge this megaladon tooth is also super cool. If heâs into space, they also have a good selection of thing that really just look like rocks but that Iâm sure will mean so much more to a dad.
Donald Sutherlandâs favorite suspenders: Dads love a good backstory; they love to feel like theyâre a part of history or like theyâre sharing some experience with some famous cool guy they admire. When I interviewed Donald Sutherland he said he always wears Albert Thurston suspenders. This is the perfect gift for a dad who is both a movie buff and who has the occasion to regularly wear suits.
A styling appointment with yours truly: Finally, for the style averse or style stumped dads, you can gift him a wardrobe reboot or refresh with Style Girlfriend. As SGâs resident dad whisperer I have countless hours of experience coaxing dads to wear items that keep them looking cool without trying too hard. Your dad will get a video consult where weâll talk about his needs and preferences, and then team SG puts together a bespoke shopping list just for him!
Still stumped over what to get him? Paid subscribers can reply to this email and Iâll send personalized recommendations!
XOXO Material Girl đ