The Unsolicited Father's Day Gift Guide

Father’s Day is coming up and now it’s Dad’s turn to get some appreciation. Father’s day gifts used to be a big challenge for me because all the Dads in my life have different interests- from my techie husband to my retired Dad and my Grandpa who loves to do yoga.

I know I’m not the only one in this situation, so I decided to take a small break from style blogging and instead write a post on Father’s Day gift ideas for different types of Dads.

Please note, this is NOT a sponsored post. Similar to how I run my business (I do not receive any commission on clothing items that I recommend for my clients) I will not receive any payment on anything that I recommend. This is just a plain old list of items or ideas to help you figure out what to give dear Dad for Father’s Day. What better way to show Dad that you love and appreciate all he does by giving him a gift he will truly enjoy.

THE FASHIONABLE DAD- For the Dad who knows his Hugo Boss from his John Varvatos. 

Jack Spade Nylon Wing Duffle- Travel fashionably! 

Ray-Ban "Original" Aviator Sunglasses- Aviators are still a huge trend. With these sunglasses Dad will be looking sharp while enjoying the summer.

Shinola "The Runwell" Leather Strap Watch - These watches are hand-crafted right in Detroit, Michigan. They do carry a hefty price tag but they have gotten some good reviews. 

Help Dad Put Outfits Together- I blogged about this last year and to my surprise I got a lot of people contacting me about this post and wanting more information. Not to mention that my husband loved this gift and has already hinted that he now has some new shirts and ties and needs help creating outfits. 

Harry's Shave Sets- Dad will look dapper with a clean smooth shave.

THE "SPIRITED" DAD- For the Dad likes his "spirits" and beef jerky.

Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey- A bourbon from Upstate NY.

Build a Jerky- Let Dad build and choose his own jerky!

Schiller's Liquor Bar Cocktail Collection- Drink recipes from New York City's famous Schiller's Liquor Bar.

Wild Boar Salami- Get Dad the famous National Award Winning Salami from Creminelli's.

THE READING DAD- For the Dad who loves to read, here are some special Dad books.

Darth Vader and Son and / or Star Wars: Vader's Little Princess- Take your Dad's love to Star Wars up a notch with these delightful books from Jeffry Brown. Get the inside look at Darth Vader as a Dad.

Sh*t My Dad Says- This NY Times Best Seller book is filled with Justin Halpern's Dad's hysterical quotes and fatherly advice. 

Dads are the Original Hipsters- Photos of real Dads back in the day. 

THE SENTIMENTAL DAD- Put a smile on Dad's face with these sentimental gifts.

The Apple Photo Book, cards, calendars etc.- Create a personalized photo collection for Dad to peruse. 

#Hashtag Father's Day Instabook- A personalized photo book with a modern look and feel. 

Cards from the little one- This is an idea I've been mulling over. Every year my little one gives a hand made Father's Day Card to my husband that usually gets stashed in some drawer. I was thinking I would collect the cards over the years, bind them and have my daughter present them to her Dad when she turns 10 (or whenever she decides she's too old to make Father's Day cards).

THE TECH DAD- For the Dad that loves all things tech.

Pebble Smartwatch- With wearable technology getting bigger and bigger there are a wide variety of "watch gadgets" on the market. There's been quite a buzz around the Pebble watch. 

Fitbit- Again in the wearable tech arena. The fitbit tracks Dad's activity to make sure he's reaching his fitness goals.

Withthings Smart Body Analyzer- Another health / fitness tracker, this one's a scale. It "measures weight, body composition, heart rate and air quality". The scale along with the app keeps Dad on health track. 

Apple iphone 6- If Dad can take a rain check, the new Apple iphone 6 is rumored to be coming out in September. 

THE FOODIE DAD- He loves to barbecue, cook and eat. Here are some items for your foodie Dad.

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook- The Beekman Boys took center stage at The Amazing Race and transformed a small Upstate NY town and farm. Their latest cookbook takes veges to the next level.

Williams-Sonoma Monogrammed BBQ Set- Dad's personalized BBQ tools.

Williams-Sonoma Ultimate Grilling Rubs- Let Dad's barbecuing creativity go wild with these fabulous rubs.

THE DAD WHO HAS EVERYTHING- Still can't figure out what to get Dad? Here are some other ideas I had that may just help.

Tickets to a Sporting Event or Movie

Is there something Dad always wanted to learn but hasn't yet? Sign him up for lessons for cooking, golf, dancing etc.

House Cleaning / Mow Service- Let Dad relax by paying for a service to come in and clean the house, mow the yard or remove snow. 

Make a Donation in his name to Dad's favorite charity

Hope this list of ideas has helped you figure out something to get the Dad's in your life. Is there something special you're planning on getting for Dad?

Have a great Father's Day!

Let's Connect!

The Best Father's Day Gift Idea

Father's Day is right around the corner and I always struggle with what to get. A tie? A shirt? A Book? A gift card? A "Best Daddy" T-Shirt?? I don't know...

Same old ideas for Father's Day Gifts

Well, last week I had an epiffany. One morning I woke up suffering from the worst allergies (I don't like Spring) and decided to call it a "sick day", and curled back in bed. I glanced over at my husband getting ready for work and noticed that he was wearing the SAME black suit, with the SAME white shirt, and BORING tie. Then, I glanced at the closet and noticed it was full of great shirts, ties and suits. I screamed, asked sweetly, "Why don't you ever wear that check shirt?" He huffed, lovingly said, "I don't have anything that matches it". I thought- yes and you do, you just don't know how to put the outfit together. And Viola!! My idea for the BEST FATHER'S DAY GIFT popped into my head. I'll mix and match his clothes for him so that I don't have to see him wear the same outfit over and over so that he can easily choose, and wear, a perfectly paired outfit. He left, I popped an antihistamine and decongestant, and sprung into action. I had 5 suits, 9 shirts and 16 ties to work with. I came up with 200+ outfits. My husband came home from work and exclaimed (he really did exclaim), "This is the Best Father's Day Gift!".

So, I pass this great gift idea on to you, my friends... Now, did it take some time to do? Yes... Are there things I could have done to make it go faster, or at least a little easier? Yes... Here are some tips on the "how tos" to create the "Best Father's Day Gift".

How to Create the "Clothing Catalog":

1) Let Technology be your friend!- Had I thought about this earlier I probably would have kept my husband's phone and downloaded one of the many apps out there. I've used StyleBook before and it's been easy to use. While I think it most likely would've taken the same amount of time to take the pictures, the difference would be that he now would have a digital catalog of all the items he owns, and can access the pictures anywhere, anytime and even add / delete pictures.

Use an App!

2) Make it a Family Affair- The more people there are to do the work, the faster it will go. It's a great kid-friendly Father's Day project. Depending on what is age appropriate for your little one, you can have them count the clothes, name the colors, sort the ties and shirts, work with you on matching colors and even be your little gopher by having to find and get "the green tie" or "blue shirt".

Get the kiddos involved!

"How To" Create the Outfits:

1) Pattern to Solid Ratio- If the man in your life is P.Diddy, Johnny Depp or an uber cool guy, having 3 patterns, meaning a pattern suit, pattern shirt and pattern tie, will work. Or, if he's comfortable with it, then go for it! But, if he's in the middle or even more conservative usually 0 to 2 patterns work fine. Feeling a bit conservative? Go for 3 solids. Want to step it up a bit? Go for 2 solids and a pattern. Taking it up, but not quite the P.Diddy level? Go for 1 solid and 2 patterns.

Solid Suit, Solid Tie, Pattern Shirt- 1 Pattern, 2 Solids

Pattern Pinstripe Suit, Pattern Tie, Solid Shirt-               2 Pattern, 1 Solid

2) Color / Pattern Match- I'll admit that putting together men's clothing can be a bit intimidating with all the various patterns, colors etc. Easiest thing is to find a common core color in both items and match those. For example, if you have a thin blue stripe shirt and a blue and pink stripe tie, the core color is blue and they match up with each other. But, also be careful with the pattern. You do not want to just stick two core colors together, think of the scale of the patterns and make sure they work together.

How not to color match

How NOT to color match- Even though there are blues here, the patterns do not match

How TO color match- Purple in each and the patterns compliment each other

Anyone have other ideas on how to mix and match suits? I'd love to hear them. Wishing all a Happy Father's Day!