Father's Day is an occasion that's been celebrated in my family many different ways throughout the years. When my two brothers and I were kids, my mom would take us shopping at the mall and help us pick out gifts that my dad would wear once a year to humor to us. (I'm lookin' at you, Looney Tunes tie.) When we were teens, we would borrow my mom's minivan to run down to the grocery store, scour the greeting card aisle for the funniest or most clever one, and stuff it with a $15 Home Depot gift card so Pops could pick up supplies for his latest project.
Now that my siblings and I are in our late, late 20s and early 30s, we've exhausted almost every option when it comes to commemorating the man who shaped us into the adults we are today. But just the other week, as I racked my brain trying to figure out how to break the monotonous mold of Home Depot gift cards and random grilling accessories this Father's Day, a light bulb went off — a fashion light bulb, that is. I would re-create some of my dad's most iconic looks using pieces I found in my own closet as a unique way of paying tribute to him.
I told my mom about my scheme, and naturally, she loved the idea. After cracking open a bottle of wine, she brought out all of our old family photo albums so that we could dive into my dad's fashion history together. A few hours later, I had the photos I needed to execute my plan, and I returned home to begin plotting my looks. Here's how it went.
My Normal Getup, Exhibit A
I'm a pretty simple girl when it comes to fashion. Sure, I like getting dressed up every once in a while, but my everyday look tends to fall into one of two categories: denim, or something with an elastic waistband.
This look is my normal "work" look: high-waisted jeans, a bodysuit/tank top, and ankle booties. My office is a very casual environment in downtown Los Angeles, and honestly, wearing anything other than jeans and a basic top makes me feel both overdressed and uncomfortable.
My Normal Getup, Exhibit B
(In case you thought I was kidding about wearing basically the same thing every day… I'm not.)
Look 1: Simple '70s Summer
Whenever my dad says anything about the length of a hemline, I use this photo to remind him how short his shorts once were. Thigh-baring bottoms aside, this look is pretty normal: a tank top, denim shorts, white sneakers, and white tube socks. Classic '70s, in my opinion.
Oh hey! This look was relatively easy to re-create; almost everyone has these pieces (or some variation of them) in their closet. Unfortunately, my mom couldn't find my dad's box of old frames, so instead, I took my $5 sunglasses from Forever 21, popped out the lenses, and voilà. (No '70s look of my dad's is complete without a large pair of wire-rimmed aviators; I had to!)
Look 2: Beach Casual Circa 1981, Michigan Style
It's only Look 2, but I can already see a pattern going on here: denim and mostly basic tops.
Okay, so here's the thing: I don't own any polo shirts. I don't think I've ever owned a polo shirt. I get that this outfit isn't an exact replica a la the first one, but you know what? I learned something from this: Paying homage to another look doesn't mean you have to replicate it exactly; so long as its core elements are there (i.e., a white shirt with a touch of red along the neckline), you're golden in my eyes.
Look 3: Tommy Bahama Realness
A valid question: Are you really a dad if you didn't rock a mustache and wear Hawaiian shirts unironically (preferably at the same time)?
I'm not one to wear skirts or dresses; I think the invention of pants is equivalent to the invention of the wheel. However, my boss let me borrow this white denim midi-length skirt, and I've never felt more like a lady and my dad at the same time.
I posted a picture of this 'fit on Facebook, and it was a hit with my friends — well, most of them.
Some people just don't get fashion.
Look 4: Powder Blue Power Suit
If this doesn't scream the '70s, I don't know what does. And I don't mean that in a bad way: This suit is iconic. The bow tie is iconic. The pose is iconic.
I know what you're thinking: This is not powder blue, and also, are those skinny jeans? To which I say, "correct" and "yes." (In my defense, I don't have a bell-bottomed powder blue suit just hanging in my closet for everyday use because it is 2018.)
That being said, I worked with what I had: a purple blazer I inherited from my grandma, purple skinny jeans I bought when I was 18 (that took me 10 minutes to squeeze into), and of course, the iconic Captain Morgan-inspired pose.
Look 5: Mom-Dad Hybrid
I couldn't not include this picture in my project. My parents are 16 (!!!), and my mom had just finished kicking my dad's butt at tennis (while wearing overalls at that). Since I have no idea what my dad's wearing in this photo other than a basic tee and his signature glasses, I decided to combine my parents' outfits into one glorious look.
I remembered that I owned overalls in high school, so I drove over to my parents' house and dug through my old closet, where I found this light-wash pair from Target. And I don't know if it's just because Los Angeles is ungodly warm right now, but sliding into these overalls instantly transported me back to the summer right before my senior year of high school, not a care in the world.
Re-creating some of my dad's most iconic looks from his younger days was a fun way to pay tribute to him this Father's Day. Plus, it taught me that our sense of fashion is actually strangely similar to one another's. My mom always tells me, "You are your father's daughter!" and you know what? She's absolutely right.
