Comments on: A Guide to Dressing Sharp for Fathers

By: Joe H

Joe H — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:13:32 +0000

Antonio,
Great article. Hits the nail on the head. I was reading and chuckling the whole time thinking, “Yep, been there done that.” Especially the fighting over the same Lego. Great advice all around.

By: Erik L

Erik L — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:09:58 +0000

Tony,

Great article. I bring my 13 month old daughter to day care most mornings and I cannot agree more on your point of the need for the clean back-up white or blue oxford shirt, grey trousers, and navy sport coat in my office. I have had to break that emergency glass more than I care to admit.

Keep up the great advice to all men!

By: Torin

Torin — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 22:00:58 +0000

Now that I’m older I can really respect and admire how my father fulfilled his role without even knowing it. From dressing sharp (as a professional), to his fitness, discipline, manners… Power without aggression, subtly demanding respect because of his actions. Then being goofy as all dads can be… Kids pick up on all of it, and thankfully I think I got the message.

Great article and also, what a beautiful family!

By: Raymond

Raymond — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:50:49 +0000

While at first I wanted to agree with this article, because I believe a great deal that one’s outward appearance reflects his inner state, upon closer thought I realized that it coincides little with reality. Yes, it’s true that fathers who go around in KISS t-shirts or generally try to appear “hip” get no respect from anyone, especially usually their older children, there is one real fact that goes ignored here:

If you are wearing pleated pants and a polo or, especially, a white button-down, it is usually a sign that you BARELY WORK FOR A LIVING. You are most likely a suburban paper-shuffler, and while earning a paycheck and taking responsibility for the financial welfare of your family is always commendable, you are, in effect, holding a woman’s job.

Men who work on the rougher side of life WILL ALWAYS, well, look ROUGH. They won’t be manicured and they sure AS HELL won’t be having their kids help them shine their shoes. When you are a mechanic, you are going to be judged as “low-brow” because your hands have permanent stains as well as most of your wardrobe.

Interestingly, it has been my experience that THESE are the fathers, the ones who worked with their hands in a thankless job, that get the most respect from their kids. A trip to the local suburban Chuck E. Cheese will show you countless well-dressed fathers who are practically walking vaginas when it comes to having the respect of their children.

Just a thought.

By: Antonio

Antonio — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:24:07 +0000

@Darnell The key to balancing time is to identify what is important, and then act accordingly. I spend less time with friends, more time with my wife. No time in front of a TV, as much time as I can playing with my children. Priorities.

@GregM – Thank you sir, and I’ve heard from many other men as well that when they step up their wives also start dressing better.

@Chris – yes, we do need to catch-up! Call or email anytime!

@Jeff – Thank you….my son helped take the pictures!

@Stephen – great points, and pretty much my story. I still spend time with old friends, but not at the expense of my family. Quality over Quantity.

@Eric – Thank you Eric! My wife and kids are beautiful…..me on the other hand, I need some work

@Bill – will have to look at this.

@Chadd – thank you for a peek into your life sir!

@Albert – you are welcome.

@Thomas – GREAT tip! I love this one!

@Micah – Haven’t tried it, hopefully won’t need to much

@Torrey – Thanks for the personal story!

@Josh – thank you!

@David – Good luck on that one!

@Rickard – Thank you!

@Kevin – I’ll take care of the pale guys in my next article!

@Kevin – Haha!

@Solo – I agree, get up early. 5AM is my wake time.

@Hugo – Thanks for the comment.

@Ryan – Good point!

@Steve – Thank you sir!

@Happy5 – Glad to hear it had an effect sir!

@Phil – Baby badges – I love that term.

By: Phil B

Phil B — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:06:07 +0000

Good work,

I have two girls and always have the spare clothes at work. Thanks for the stain removal techniques.

The one thing is always check over your shoulder for the imfamous baby badges. I had one pointed out to me at work the other day but was okay because another team mate also had one!

Keep it up….

By: happy5

happy5 — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:41:22 +0000

This deceptively simple article just kicked me in the ass. I’m married, father of a 3 year old boy, and now have a 2 month old girl at home. My boy ushered a great deal of responsibility and renaissance (lost weight, organized my stuff, became more disciplined) but I have lost that, or some of that. With 2 kids, it is not as easy, but reading this just made me realized my time is not my own anymore.

Just talked to my wife about this, and she agrees that even though both of us are tired, I should jump on the bandwagon again and take control of my own life – even if that starts by shining my shoes with my 3 year old. Sometimes stuff just needs to be said. Thanks a bunch!

By: Steve Robbins

Steve Robbins — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:01:35 +0000

Congrats Antonio, you have a perfect family. One boy and one girl, also have beautiful wife. I have read My Father’s Fashion Tips…it was great, thanks for the tips.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:37:31 +0000

While being put together before the kids are up is a good idea – I want to put in a plug for letting especially a young son, and even a daughter, get a glimpse of Dad wet shaving.

By: Hugo Stiglitz

Hugo Stiglitz — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:19:34 +0000

A lot of men don’t have this worry as they work blue-collar jobs. My father wore jeans and a t-shirt to work every day. He’d wear a Carhartt jacket if it was cold out. No need to worry about wearing dark clothes, having extra shirts at work or carrying around Shout wipes or Tide sticks. Geez, you’d think that any household with kids is a perpetual foodfight. Vomiting babies? Puh-leeze — sounds like the wife’s job to me.