Sending a special thanks to Dockers for teaming up with me on this post. Check out more about the brand and shop the looks I’m wearing here at Dockers.com.
Today’s men need an outfit that is as versatile as they are.
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Of course, as a dad of three, I’m usually buying food all the time, between work, home, ballet, the park, after-school activities, and piano. Seriously—I’m always at the market. A family of five goes through a lot of toilet paper, for starters. And fruit. And cereal. And everything.
The clothes part I don’t think about that much. I’m not a fashion guy. But—I still want to look good. I just don’t want to think about clothes all that much. I want to wear an outfit that is comfortable all day long. The kind of outfit I get with Dockers®. Professional enough for work, casual enough for the playground. Most dads I know are like me—we’re always running from one thing to another. We want clothes that don’t stop us. Most days, I go from work to coaching and then to home—where putting the kids to bed after dinner can be a quick-paced series of events.
For my work, I’m a teacher. So, no surprises that It’s classic fit all the way. When I am in front of my students, I need professionalism and respect—but let’s face it, I want as certain amount of coolness too. I need to be…relatable to my students. And there is something about Dockers that lets me be the best of who I am.
If I were an action figure—I joke with my co-workers and students—khakis and a plaid shirt would be my outfit (with comfortable shoes, of course, especially with memory foam, because I can’t imagine a shoe any other way). We all have a styled “uniform” and mine just happens to look like me, as one would imagine.
My book collection (including my wife’s) extends beyond the rooms in our house and my classroom at school. My closet, however, hosts the both the hits and the played-out oldies. That’s another reason I like Dockers—they’re genuine clothes made for both my newish teacher style, and for the dad in me who is still young enough to get carded now and then.
As a consumer (the wife will agree), I’m as genuine and down-to-earth as it get. I’ll wear down a great shirt or shoes until I’m forced to get new clothes. Once I’m comfortable with and outfit…I just love wearing it over and over. I want outfits that are reliable. I pull them out of the closet…and know it will be the right thing to wear no matter how my day unfold.
And a funny thing happened as I was growing up—-I realized I need iron-free clothing in my life. My weekends are full of adventures with the 6 and 8-year-old and the baby—a hike here, a playground there, a trip to somewhere new so the wife and I can try out a restaurant or museum. At this point in my life I need clothes that can withstand kids in my arms, on my shoulders, back, and legs, and those times when I have to run after one of them with reckless abandon. The clothes I choose just happen to be and look business casual (I think we all know how dads untuck those shirts on the weekend)—but they also have to be comfortable, or else I wouldn’t bother with them.
And the wife—she would never say I’m not a fashion guy. She still likes my style, even though I’ve been wearing the same personalized action figure outfit since we met almost two decades ago.
Above all else, my outfit has to be true—like another statement about being to thy own self—and I’ve been as genuine as I can be since before I knew who Thoreau or Fitzgerald were, and way before I became a dad.
Men today have moved beyond the tie and matching jacket and pants. The “uniform” of the past has become the clothes we are comfortable in—the ones we can use for anything. So there needs to be a freedom of expression in how we dress, whether we’re impressing the clients (in my case, a classroom full of teenagers), or ourselves. And in my case, if the wife likes it and I like it, it gets worn—(although her sense of style is far superior to mine). Dockers gives me that freedom.
Clothes do not make the man, but they can provide solutions for the right appeal, especially if you want to feel (and look) great while you work and parent.
Who knows? Maybe one of the days I’ll be able to get some date time alone with my wife and spend the night perusing bookstores that don’t have a toy section.
In that case, you know what I’ll be wearing, and what we’ll be spending our money on. Slow clap for Dockers and the modern man.
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Photo: Tanya McKeen
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Author: “Dockers gives me the freedom to be myself—no matter where I am.”
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That’s just awesome, brother. I’m so happy for you!
In the reality of this world, a person “is” judged by the cover of his book. When I do business travel I actually make it a point to wear a sport coat with my jeans and a button down shirt with dress boots. I feel I actually get better service from the flight attendants to the airport restaurant wait staff.
Women can wear whatever they want and no one will judge her? Come again? No one should judge her, but women are judged for their wardrobe choices all the time.
Jeremy, this outfit looks good on you. You look comfortable while still being professional. You look like an academic! Ooops! Stereotype. Sorry. 🙂
Hey, the technology on this photo is super cool! I’d like more info on it if it’s not a hi-tech secret.
–LMB
A woman can wear anything she wants and no one can judge her for that. Why not men? Do we become smarter when our circulation to our head is cut off by a tie? Is the suit and tie a brain enhancer, or is it all about a sexist society that still demands that men be what they want men to be rather then what we are? I went into a local credit union last Saturday. The female tellers were dressed in all mane of clothing, including one wearing a bright read Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. The men all in shirt,… Read more »
I believe the advent of dress down Fridays (which turned into dress down everyday) have toppled the days gone by of men’s fashion. When I first started working for my company back in the 90’s we had a dress code of button down shirt, tie, dress pants, and sensible dress shoes. There was an unspoken rule that when you went to see your manager (or anybody higher) you had to wear a sport coat. These days, most wear jeans, polo shirt and sneakers. I myself have come up with my own uniform of button down shirt, casual dress pants, and… Read more »