Dad style upgraded

Words: Daniël Geldenhuys

With the exception of a few three-piece-suited gentleman sitting in a dark lounge with a liquor-lined tumbler in one hand and a cigar in the other, style is not something we tend to associate with our dads. There’s no time like the present to dust off the dad look and jack it up with a modern sensibility. That’s exactly what our favourite celebrity fathers are doing. These men are taking their aptitude for style and immersing it in the fashion industry, emerging as trailblazers on the road to redefining the quintessential dad look.

Scott Disick launched his own clothing label (Talentless – see what he did there?) almost a year ago. The brand’s objective is to create high-quality, ready-to-wear leisurewear (a R2 000 hoodie isn’t that expensive in the states, especially compared to a R10 000 Gucci one). Hoodies – many with matching sweatpants, cargo pants and tees in a refreshing colour palette of fern, stone, black, peach and slate blue are modelled on Scott’s unassumingly calculated leisure looks. It’s an almost foolproof throw-on-and-go sensibility that’s perfectly suited to fathers everywhere.

We’re way beyond the days of luxury brand underwear and retail store capsule collections. David Beckham has pledged his allegiance to the fashion world, sworn in as Ambassadorial President of the British Fashion Council. (Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the quiet and undeniable influence that is Victoria.) In these uber-casual clothing times, you can count on David to bend the narrative towards something a little more formal – a great suit or camel coat with a bold masculine watch. Important to note is how the look never feels old fashioned, always modernised by a classic yet casual element like a white round-neck tee or low-top sneakers.

He’s a darling of the fashion world, most notably for his affiliations with Adidas and Chanel. When he’s not turning heads on the red carpet with his signature short suits, Pharrell mixes up his look with a fascinating rotation of colourful athleisure pieces and the odd leopard coat thrown in for good measure. Pharrell isn’t a regular dad – he’s a cool dad and a reminder that experimentation can lead to a major sartorial payoff. He sets an example we can all learn from and interpret in a way that feels comfortable. Don’t all the best dads?