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When you’re a dad, you wear a lot of different hats: chef, diaper changer, role model from whom your child learns important values that will directly impact their long-term well-being and happiness, and, most importantly of all, stylist.
Dressing a tiny, swaggy tyrant isn’t easy. My two-year-old son is a big believer in inertia: If he’s home, he wants to stay home; if he’s already wearing his dinosaur-printed pajamas, he wants to keep them on. But as Tom Ford taught us, that isn’t acceptable. The trick is to treat my child like the friend who’s still hanging onto his skinny jeans: Once you get him into some real clothes, he’ll be grateful that you fought so hard for change.
I take the task of styling my son very seriously. For me, there was a real transference of power when my son was born. While I can tinker for ages putting together the perfect shirt-and-pants combination for him, I hardly give myself the same care anymore. Once the kid is dressed, the diaper bag is ready, and the car is loaded, I hardly have time to put together a decent outfit for myself. Sometimes, I’m lucky to change out of the shirt I slept in. There’s a sappy metaphor in there somewhere.
All the over-the-top obsessive behavior I once dedicated to my own clothes I now bring to my son’s wardrobe. I once bought a shirt several sizes too big for him, and then brought it to a tailor to see if they could adjust it enough for him to wear it. (They tried and failed.) There’s a sweater sitting in his closet that he won’t fit into for at least a decade, but I bought it anyway because I felt he needed it.
I do believe there is real value in dressing my son well. Kids, at their core, are constantly seeking attention and validation. If being the best-dressed person in the room means he might get a little more of either, I want to do my part in making that possible. Or maybe that’s just the way I justify all the effort I put into getting a two-year-old dressed every day.
In any case, if you’re interested in upping your child’s personal style game, here are 12 of the best places to buy cool clothes for kids—a few of my own personal favorites, along with a handful of suggestions from super-stylish dads.
My Picks
The closest thing I’ve found to a (good) streetwear brand for kids. Milk Teeth makes cool sunglasses, provocative logo flips (Milk Teeth in the Chrome Hearts font!), and even tiny smocks so your child can get a fit off while simultaneously spilling pasta sauce all over themself. Whenever my son wears his Milk Teeth gear, adults often tell us they wish it came in adult sizes.
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