Five Ways to Elevate Your Dad Style Now

As a dad, just because you’re dealing with dirty diapers and temper tantrums doesn’t mean you need to wear sweatpants every day. Here are five ways to dress well as a father.

Dad Style. You know it. Some of you love it. Some of you might even dress like a dad on purpose, even though you don’t have kids of your own. 

Traditional “dad style’, at least where I grew up in the American Midwest, is a sum of many parts often including, but not limited to: chunky white and blue sneakers, light wash jeans in whatever fit is the opposite of #trending, an athletic sweatshirt, an unstructured ball cap, and a slightly oversized performance fleece. 

If you’re lucky, you just might see them all in one outfit. As a practical exercise, how can we take this same uniform and make it better?

Two Practical Ground Rules

If you’re reading this article, there’s a chance you’re looking for products to help up your dad style. This is well and good, and we’ll get there. But, let’s set two ground rules.

First, focus on fit. How something fits is key to how something looks on you and how you appear to the world and, for our purposes, other parents. 

It can be tempting to slip into an oversized hoodie and drag the kiddos to school. I’ve definitely done it. But, by and large, size down — especially if you’re a smaller guy. 

Second, consider materials and cost-per-wear. As my own tastes have evolved, I’ve become a firm believer in investing in better materials. While you can, certainly, find inexpensive pieces that fit you well, I find they neither last very long nor clean easily. 

With those in mind, let’s start from the ground up. 

Shoes

I get it. ‘Dad’ sneakers are a thing and have gotten gradually chunkier (and outrageously expensive) in the recent past. The only reason you, or anyone else, are wearing them is to show off how you dropped a grand on synthetic sneakers. 

You look like a cartoon character. Stop it. 

Okay, minor rant out of the way. The way I see it, there are two pairs of casual shoes any dad should have.

White Sneakers

Have a pair of minimal white sneakers to wear to, say, do the school run or to a place where you won’t likely be running around after your children. 

Even white sneaks can look good with a few scuffs on ‘em, but I use alcohol-free baby wipes (one for a pair is plenty) and a quality sneaker cleaner every dozen or so wearings to keep mine pretty clean.

Elevated Trainers

It’s safe to say I’m not bringing my Common Projects out to chase my kids at the park or whatever indoor play place concept comes out next. But, there are much better options than the gym shoes I see a lot of dads wearing. Consider, then, what I’ll call the ‘elevated trainer.’ 

You could go for a classic gum-soled German Army Trainer– they’re functional, practical, and easy to style. Or, try something slightly chunkier with a bit of traction. 

Personally, I get great use out of my Beckett Simonon ‘Graham’ trainers for indoor wearing. As for outdoor stuff, I’ve found the New Balance 420v2 easy to style and, just as important, easy to clean.

Trade Jeans for Chinos

Everyone loves jeans. Especially dads. They’re functional, practical, and easy to style. (Noticing a theme here?) But, there are many cases where jeans just won’t do. They’re simply too informal. 

Enter the chino. It’s a fantastic ‘in-between’ way to be a little more elevated than jeans, but not as dressy as flannels or wool trousers. 

Like with jeans, chino fit comes and goes. For some time, slim-borderline skinny was the name of the game. In my mind, this kind of defeated the purpose of a garment designed with breathable fabric. 

But now, the pendulum appears to be swinging back towards, in some cases, concerningly wide fits. Perhaps it’s a byproduct of a post-COVID environment. Or, perhaps, fashion is indeed cyclical and we’re due to party like it’s 1999.

My advice is this: find a balanced fit. If, indeed, you’re a shorter, slimmer guy go for that slim fit. If you’ve got an athletic build, leave some room in the thigh. If you’re a bigger guy, it’s okay to have a fuller leg opening for a proportional fit. 

Khaki is a great choice for a first pair of chinos. The name, literally, means ‘sand’ — so it will hide much of the inevitable dirt you’ll run into. A second pair in navy is nice, too. 

But, fits and colors aside, I want to challenge you. The next you’re getting dressed for a Gathering of Dads and you’re tempted to wear jeans, bring out a pair of chinos instead. You might surprise yourself.

Opt for “Real” Shirts

There are days (many, now) when it’s tempting to throw on a tee and call it good. But, I’d encourage you to consider the shirt. 

By ‘shirt’, I mean one with a collar. Ideally a soft, unstructured, collar with enough roll to nicely frame your face. 

Choose one in an Oxford Cloth fabric. It’s hard-wearing and easy washing- both components, as we’ve established, you’ll need more than you might think. 

Oxford Cloth is a little heavier than most shirts you’re used to, so if you’re going custom (and I highly suggest you do) try adding an inch or so more room in the torso than you normally would. It will help the fabric drape much better, and that extra room gives you more freedom of movement. 

As for colors, I tend to keep it pretty basic, with white, a pastel blue, and a medium-width ‘University’ stripe. But, once you’ve got those down, a pale pink, yellow, or even a sage green could look quite nice. 

It’s an easy way to dress up a pair of jeans or, considering the previous section, a pair of chinos. 

A Better Dad Hat

The older I’ve gotten and the less hair I have, the more I’ve embraced ball caps on the weekend. It’s easy to default to a favorite sports team or your alma mater, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. But, changing your ball cap into better fabrics and better fits is a way to take ‘dad’ style up to the next level. 

If I had to choose one, it would be a grey wool flannel with a soft crown structure. It’s easy to wear with a sweatshirt and field jacket, but something still wear-able even with more elevated gear. 

But, if you’ve got the budget for it, I’d actually recommend three. In addition to the flannel, I’d choose a linen for spring and summer and then a performance, ‘athleisure ’-style fit for the gym or trips to the park or play place. 

Here, I want to shout out my friend Ben Rascoe (@dapperprofessional), who’s created such a hat in Vandre Brand. A Big-Four consultant and financial guy by training, he’d always worn ball caps at the weekend but couldn’t find what he was looking for. 

So, he made it himself. The name is a portmanteau of ‘Vanderbilt’ and ‘Sandre’, two streets important to him in Pittsburgh.

Vandre offers ball caps in wool, linen, and performance fabrics. They’ve held up extraordinarily well over the three years I’ve had them. 

Drop the Performance Fleece

Perhaps it’s a prerequisite for parenthood, but I still notice a ton of dads rocking technical-fabric performance fleeces when taking the kiddos out and about.

I own one or two myself, but tend to use them for yard work or, well, what they were meant for. This said, dad jackets can be both stylish and functional. 

First, keep them rather short. Less fabric makes them easier to take on and off when going in and out of places, or (inevitably) sticking them in a cubby somewhere. Full-length coats are just too bulky for the kinds of things you’ll be doing. 

Second, have plenty of pockets. You’ll need room for tissues and whatever knick-knacks you’re handed on any excursion. 

Denim jackets are, indeed, short and have quite a few pockets. They’re also pretty easy to clean. They can be great for transitional seasons. But, they do trend rather youthful, so keep this in mind. If you do have one, a medium to darker blue jacket is probably going to be the most versatile.

A field jacket is a fantastic option for fall. Try one in olive green. And, if you can find a waxed one, it’s even easier to clean. 

Spring and summer can be a little more challenging, but I’d consider a jungle-style or Harrington-style jacket.

A jungle jacket can be a little longer, but it’s got plenty of pockets. A Harrington jacket is easier to dress up and is, in many cases, water-resistant. 

Wrap-Up: What You Wear Matters

There’s a lot you can do with a few basics. Upgrade your footwear. Quality shoes will take what you, and your offspring, will throw at them. 

Try a pair of chinos when, otherwise, you’d default to jeans. They just might be more flexible and, in many cases, far more comfortable. 

Instead of a tee or henley, pull on a button-down shirt. And, save the performance fleece for working around the house. 

At the risk of sounding a little preachy, what you wear says a lot about you. What you wear as a dad says even more. It matters.

If you take the time to show up to a kids’ birthday party or play date with a functional, but elevated fit, it shows you respect not only what the event means to your kid, but the other parent as well. 

Thanks for reading. 

What style tips do you have for new dads? Share them in the comment section below!