Father’s Day is Sunday! What have you got planned? We always struggle to find the right gift for the top guys in our lives, but this year, we’re hoping that our picks walk that dad-approved line of well-priced, cool, useful and not too fancy. See below for our picks, unless you’re a style editor dads, in which case: no peeking!
RELATED PHOTOS: Star-approved gifts for Fathers’ Day!
Courtesy Nike
Whitney Little, Associate Producer: My dad hasn’t always been the picture of health, unless your picture of health is someone who drinks only coffee and sodas throughout the day. He’s not big into fruits and vegetables, but he is big into watching television in the recliner at night. You get the idea. But he made a New Year’s resolution to get into shape, and recently walked a half marathon, much to the surprise of my entire family. So now that he’s on the right track (he’s even drinking water!), I want to continue those efforts by giving him this Nike+ FuelBand SE, which lets him know once he’s reached his daily fitness goals and keeps track of everything on his phone. It’s also pretty simple to use, so he can’t pull the “technology is too complicated” excuse. And who knows, maybe this time next year he’ll be running a full marathon!
Courtesy Montblanc
Andrea Lavinthal, Style and Beauty Director: People are always amused when I tell them that I get my love of beauty products from my father. But it’s true: my dad exfoliates on the reg, loves himself some shea butter and even owns a Mason Pearson brush (despite being follicularly challenged). So it’s no surprise that he’s also very discerning when it comes to his cologne. He favors light, citrus-based scents by classic brands like Penhaligon’s or obscure companies that even I have never heard of and for that reason I’ve avoided giving him a fragrance for Father’s Day until now. The new Montblanc Legend Special Edition has a uniquely fresh blend of mint, sweet lime and apple that I think he’ll love. And if he doesn’t? Well, my brother is also a dad, and I’m pretty sure he’s still using the same cologne he wore to prom.
Courtesy Manuel Racim, Amazon
Zoë Ruderman, Deputy Style and Beauty Director: No, my dad doesn’t have any grandkids to read this children’s book aloud to (sorry, parents!), but I think he’ll enjoy receiving a copy of it anyway. The book is all about the city coping with and recovering from the Boston Marathon bombings with the help of the Red Sox, who won the World Series later that year. And since my dad’s sister wrote the book and he’ll know I got his copy for free, I figured I should get him a gift I actually spent money on, as well. Which is why I’m setting him up with an appointment to get a custom button-down from Manuel Racim. My boyfriend was recently measured there and the final product fits him incredibly well. You get to pick everything from the button color to the shape of the color, and it can even be monogrammed. Let’s hope he likes the Manuel Racim experience enough to forget that I haven’t given him what he really wants (see: first sentence of this write-up).
Courtesy Everlane
Alex Apatoff, Style News Editor: My dad has his sharp work attire down to a science, but his lounging gear can sometimes leave something to be desired (so, he’s like every dad ever). He occasionally will step out in sweat-wicking golf club polos and khakis I’m pretty sure were last seen on Michael Jordan in 1999.
Last year, my sister and I upgraded his sunglasses style to a pair of really cool Ray-Bans, and this year I’m here to improve his polo game with a selection of shirts from Everlane. The cuts are flattering, the fabric is high-quality, and at $35 each, I can afford to buy him a few to put into his rotation — and there’s no way he’ll complain that I spent too much.
Courtesy ESPA
Brittany Talarico, Associate Style Editor: Unlike Andrea’s dad who is well-versed in men’s grooming products, my dad sticks to drugstore buys. So whenever I can, I like to introduce him to fancy shave items. This year it will be ESPA’s Dual Action Shavemud and Post Shave rescue. The alternative shave cream contains shea butter and sweet almond oil (for moisturizing), and cocoa extract which helps inhibit hair growth — all things Barbasol does not, which is a step in the right direction!. (P.S.: I might also shell out for Stu’s Bloody Mary mix, because unlike men’s grooming, my dad does know a lot about making a great bloody, and he hasn’t tried this brand out yet.)
Courtesy Mr. Porter
Jackie Fields, Writer/Reporter: I’m sure my stepdad would be infinitely happy if I enrolled him in a bacon of the month club, but I’m pretty confident in my choice of this Cire Trudon candle, instead. Not to make this about me (though my birthday is coming up and I love Balenciaga bracelets), but I was recently perusing Net-a-Porter for myself when I stumbled upon the brand’s new, drop-dead gorgeous candle collaboration with Giambattista Valli. It’s the best designer beauty buy of the season — I can’t afford Valli’s clothes, so this candle will do nicely.
I got to thinking: Didn’t dad just burn the last of my mom’s super-expensive candles? (And wasn’t mom furious?) Finally, I was privy to his one beauty obsession. So, I clicked onto Cire Turdon’s Balmoral Cut Grass scented candle. I figured since he’s a Saturday morning lawn-mowing kind of guy, he’ll love this medley of mint and pine. Plus, the history buff in him will flip once I tell him the centuries-old company made candles for Napoléon Bonaparte. If that’s not elevating dad to Boss status on Father’s Day, I don’t know what is.
Courtesy Loop
Catherine Kast, Writer/Reporter: My dad is really hard to shop for, and let’s just say I don’t have a great track record with Father’s Day gifts. One time I tried to give him an eye cream with SPF in it and he told me that “men don’t wear makeup.” This year I’m avoiding the inevitable “You shouldn’t have,” which he always means literally, and going small— not big. He loves going to the gym, and he loves his iPhone. So I’m getting him The Loop, a super-practical storage ring for earbuds. It eliminates the wasted minutes detangling the cord once you get on the treadmill. And it’s only $16.99 for a set of three! I’m buying a red and a blue (let’s call them “dad” colors) and I’m slipping in a lime green one for myself. With all the money I’ve saved, I might as well throw in a set of these awesome Yurbud earbuds. This way, he can listen to the “Chicken Fat” song from the latest iPhone workout commercial while doing lunges— without everyone else having to hear it too. Love you, dad!
What did you buy your dad for Father’s Day? Tell us in the comments. Plus, check out what else our editors have been loving over the past month…
What We’re Buying: Summer Shoes, Bright Watches and a First Attempt at Stitch Fix
What We’re Buying: Great Shoes, Chic Bags, a Pretty Summer Dress – and a Whole Outfit for Under $100
What We’re Buying: Trendy Pants, Gorgeous Shoes and a Scarf for a Great Cause
What We’re Buying: Three Great Pairs of Shoes and One Killer $25 Dress
What We’re Buying Our Moms for Mother’s Day
