What Stylish Dads Want This Father’s Day

Having said that, it’s time for me to upgrade my wallet, and the Mont Blanc wallet is top of my list. I also love this Tissot watch, which has a simple, stripped-back style that works well with everything. And although I have many pairs of sunglasses, Ray Ban Wayfarers are a must for all men.

Some men like slippers, some men don’t; I am in the latter group. However, every man needs a shoe to roam around the house in, take the bins out and slip on at the last minute. I’m really loving the Birkenstock Bostons at the moment – they are comfortable yet versatile, for indoors and out.

James Bartle, founder, Outland Denim

“This Father’s Day will likely be a quiet one at home on Tamborine Mountain [Queensland]. There are countless devastations that have come from the challenging times we are are all facing right now, but I am thankful that Covid-19 has forced me, and I’m sure many others, too, to slow down and spend more time at home with family.

This year I’ll be blessed to be spending the day with not only my wife, Erica, and daughters Isabel, 7, and Emily, 3, but also my son Jack, who was born just last month.

“The items on my Father’s Day wish list would be a bluetooth speaker, which would come in handy while working on house renovations, and denim, of course – our Archetype and Cooper jeans are my favourites at the moment.

I’d also love a donation to Thread Together – an incredible organisation providing new clothing to Australians doing it tough.

Daniel Flynn, co-founder, Thankyou

“It was my birthday a few days ago, and I was given a super-cool, black acoustic guitar, so I feel I’ve done pretty well for presents! We’ll be having a quiet day at home in Melbourne, thanks to lockdown, with my wife, Justine, and our son, Jed, who’s five.

Having a child – and we have another on the way – gave me a whole new perspective on the world I want to leave for him. It’s also given me a new way of looking at my hair… I’ve had curly hair my whole life, but I hid it with very short hair cuts from an early age. Later, my hairdresser introduced me to hair straighteners, which I used for years (something Justine loves to tell people).

But Jed has this beautiful curly hair, which made me confront what it meant that I wanted to change that about myself. So I’ve put away the straighteners recently and let the curls grow out. A bit.

If I were to get a Father’s Day present, I’d love clothes. My iso wardrobe is looking a bit tired. I’d love a new t-shirt – olive green, or black – and a pair of chinos or skinny jeans. Sneakers are always tricky for me; I’m six foot six and I have size 14 feet. Basically, Nike Airs are good. Everything else stops at a size 13.

A watch would also be great. I have a very minimalist black watch that’s almost impossible to read. So, maybe a Garmin, or else another minimal – but more practical – version of the one I’ve got.

Luke Bendictus, co-founder of The Fatherhood 

“My wife doesn’t seem to be huge celebrant of Father’s Day. But I’m holding out hope that maybe this will be the year. We don’t have plans though – we’re still in stage 4 lockdown, so we might celebrate Father’s Day properly once that quietens down.

I have a two year old and a three year old, and as a result most of my t-shirts are accessorised by ketchup and toddler goop, so one thing I’m always after is a t-shirt, and I’m a huge fan of Citizen Wolf. They make made-to-measure t-shirts, so you choose your style – crew-neck, scoop or whatever – and plug in your details and then they send you perfectly fitting t-shirts in the post.

I’m a huge fan of whiskey balls, which are just like really big balls of ice for your drink. They’re great because they keep your Scotch or Negroni cold without diluting it.

There’s also a book I really genuinely want by the director of Mad Men, Matthew Wiener, which is basically full of images from the show and interviews with the cast.

I’m also slightly obsessed with the Conde Nast store, which sells loads of images, photos and art prints from all the different magazines from over the years, from Vogue to Vanity Fair and the New Yorker.

Vince Fantauzzo, Archibald Prize-winning artist 

“[My wife] Asher [Keddie] is away filming [in Queensland] so all I want for Father’s Day is for us to get together to celebrate.

I think it’s really important to recognise that Father’s Day doesn’t just have to be about biological fathers. Not everyone can have a child themselves, and often a father figure can be an uncle or a friend. For me, growing up, it might have been my boxing trainer.

I love it when my kids make something for Father’s Day. I just love the honesty that a kid has – like, ‘Here Dad, I made you this card’ and it’s a grey lead pencil saying: ‘Happy Father’s Day’ with a stick figure.

My sons and I do a lot of creative stuff together – drawing, painting. I like sharing all that kind of thing with them. One of the things I love most about fatherhood is that it gives me a chance to be a kid myself – to be silly, playful.

This year, I would like a really cool pair of flash white sneakers that I’m sure I’ll mess up pretty quickly. I’d also really like a pushbike – I love taking the kids for a bike ride.”