Is fashion for the youth? Many people feel as they get older, they can no longer keep up with the various clothing trends and fashion movements of the day. For some, this can provoke a lot of anxiety.

However, just because you’ve reached a certain age bracket, you don’t have to totally give up on looking part of the moment. You might just need to adjust your expectations.

There are plenty of envy-worth fits that can be applicable to older age groups. For example, the many dad fashion choices out there. There’s no need to neglect your looks just because you have a child, after all!

What are some of the best looks for dads that you should know about? Which deserve a place in your closet? Read on and we’ll walk you through what you should be familiar with.

Get Your Sizes Right

If you’ve never been a king of the fashion scene before, there’s a lot to learn when it comes to trying to take a more fashion-forward approach to your daily life. If there’s one mistake you’ll want to avoid that many fathers tend to fall into, it’s not getting the right size clothing when you go out to shop.

There’s nothing that can make you look more awkward and fashion-challenged than ill-fitting clothing. This is especially true as you get into older age and tend to bulk up and gain a few pounds.

There’s no reason to be stubborn and insist your body is the same as it was in your younger years. There’s also no reason to get lazy and not embrace the slim amount of extra work it takes to ensure you get properly fitted outfits.

Yes, it can be difficult to find clothes that fit right, but it’s worth the effort.

That means not picking out clothing options that are too small or too large. Too small and you’ll do nothing but highlight how much better shape you wish you were in. Too large and you’ll look like you’ve given up trying.

Get in the habit of trying on new clothing at the store in the changing room and really getting a feel for the fit. If you can’t do this, then you’ll need to be a hawk at home when it comes to online purchases.

Sure, no one likes having to go through the whole process of returning clothing and getting a refund. However, this can be quite preferable to having to commit to a shirt or a pair of pants that just don’t fit your body type.

Lean Neutral and Classic

Let’s face it: being a father isn’t going to be the most flagrant, flamboyant, and chaotic time in your life, at least not in the traditional sense. Fatherhood is a time of maturation, of understanding, of settling into the rhythms of life and passing on what you’ve learned to a new generation.

For this reason, the basis of fatherhood fashion tends to lean in the direction of natural tones and classic styles. Dad fashion, at the end of the day, is not about getting every eye on you in every room you walk into.

It’s about blending in, looking your best, and creating a dependable yet attractive presence.

With this in mind, the first thing you might want to do when getting your fashionable dad wardrobe together is to dispose of the most flashy items in your closet. Strikingly bright colors, busy designs, crazy plaids, and dotted shirts – these are not going to be your go-to items, most likely.

There are always exceptions to this rule, and you should keep anything that is near and dear to you, of course. However, broadly speaking, making room in your closet for some more conservative choices is going to benefit you heavily in the long run.

When you go out shopping, keep that neutral color palette in mind. Think navy, olive green, black, white, gray, camel.

These are colors that are going to be easy to mix and match and create the mature kind of appearance you are ideally going for.

Accessories Are a Man’s Best Friend

If you’re a bit disappointed about needing to dress down your style in your more mature days, there are still areas in which you can get excited. Like what? You can always brighten and accentuate any simple outfit with a few choices of accessories.

What your move will be here will be up to your particular taste, budget, and aesthetic sense. Accessories don’t have to be flashy or eye-catching, and in fact, most often they aren’t.

Men will throw on a nice watch to help complete an outfit, and this will often be a perfectly conservative and smart-looking choice.

Of course, there is some room here to go a bit crazier as well. You can pair these outfits with any kind of rings or bracelets (just take a look at Brad Pitt) or throw on a gold chain of some sort.

These small touches allow you to get a bit of flavor and personality across when it comes to your outfit without having to completely sacrifice the more broadly mature look of your new getup.

Embrace the Dad Shoe

While the rest of the outfit is going to be important, let’s not forget that the shoes make the man. If you’re looking to make an impression when out and about, there’s hardly any piece of wardrobe that’s going to be as important as what you place on your feet.

Lucky for you, fathers of the world have an easy leg up when it comes to footwear. You would think that the traditional, somewhat bulky sneaker would be an easy fashion no-no in most places in the world.

However, the ‘dad look’ has become a classic sneakerhead look that’s been a staple in the fashion world for nearly a decade now. Its dominance doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.

Pairing this classic sneaker or athletic shoe with a slightly more refined wardrobe can help make any look into a classic. You’ll just need to decide upon which shoes you want to collect and keep at your disposal.

Of the many Top Dad shoes out there, you’ll want to keep at least a few in your closet to switch between over the course of a year. Shoes are worth the investment and they should last for quite a long time, as long as you don’t stick to just one.

Just make sure to take proper care of them!

Specific Looks to Try Out

The above tips will be essential to keep in mind when first starting to put your dad bod fashion mentality into effect. If you’re eager to make the best possible impression, however, you might need some pointers on specific looks to aim for.

At the end of the day, you’ll need to decide on what you prefer the most and what feels in line with your own sense of aesthetics.

However, you can use the below looks as a jumping-off point to see what catches your attention and what gets you excited.

Classic 90s Dad Fashion

One of the easiest ways to cop a cool, hip look in the modern era is simply to borrow one that existed from a previous time.

Fashion works in cycles, and what was once trite and familiar can now be in vogue and exciting. What used to be the wardrobe of the Everyman might now come across as something exciting, challenging, and different.

That’s why you’ll see many of the coolest dads across many metropolitan areas embracing the look of the 90s.

High-cut blue jeans, white sneakers, and a baseball cap might not feel like the makings of a defining cool look, but that’s what the kids are going for these days.

This is an easy enough look to create yourself and might just require a few thrift store drop-ins around town. Find a few vintage sweaters with throwback designs, pair them with some blue jeans, and get yourself a more modern pair of white sneakers.

If you’re willing to go the extra mile (or just need to), you might want to pair this look with a pair of classic circle 90s wireframe glasses. This will help to cement the era that you are paying homage to, and it’ll make you look more astute and together to boot.

This look is sure to make you the hit of the neighborhood barbecue without making it look like you’re trying all too hard either.

Casual Dad Styles

Sometimes, all it takes to turn your wardrobe from limp to hip is knowing exactly how to style it. Today, the classic fashion choices of a few fathers have gone from cringe-worthy to desirable.

You should be able to integrate these looks without having to put too much effort in at all.

What to start with? First, the classic t-shirt tuck. Everyone knows older men have loved to tuck their t-shirts into their pants, and for many years, this was considered a square look.

Today? No longer the case. The t-shirt tuck is a look popular with everyone from movie stars to rappers, and it’s something you should work on integrating into your everyday life. Just tuck your t-shirt in like you would with a more traditional button-down and you should be good to go.

Another classic dad look that has become a fashion-forward statement? The dad cap. What once was a staple of Larry David’s wardrobe has now become one of the most-seen wardrobe choices of young men all across the globe.

Thanks to the influence of normcore, this one-time country club staple can now help you appear as one of the more fashion-friendly men in the preschool pickup line.

Dads on Vacation

Looking to lean in and embrace a little fashion irony? Even though it negates a few of the rules we listed above, if you’re very confident about your sense of style, you could potentially embrace the ‘dad on vacation’ look that has become popular amongst many millennials.

We all know what this look traditionally consists of: an older man somewhere in a warm climate, decked in shorts and a colorful, Hawaiian button-down. The look itself is almost a cliche, which is why the younger generation has reclaimed it and turned it into something new entirely.

These days, huge designers such as Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton have rebranded the classic Tommy Bahama shirt and turned it into a fashion favorite.

These newer, hipper take on the classic look tend to be slightly slimmer and more form-fitting (pointing back to the importance of our #1 tip). The prints also have been pushed to be a little more sophisticated, all while keeping the overindulgent appeal of the original versions.

This is not a look you’re going to want to rock all the time (unless you really want to brand yourself as that guy) but it’s a great thing to have in your closet for when the summer rolls around. If you’re trying to make a splash at the neighborhood barbecue, this look can be a great way to go.

It’s a dad bod summer fashion must.

Modern Dad Fashion Tips and Tricks

The 70s and 80s dad fashion choices look very different from today. In a world where fashion trends move faster and faster, it can feel like a lot to keep up with. Especially if you have children you have to worry about, and less attention to put elsewhere.

Luckily, the above dad fashion tips and tricks can help to ensure you’re up to date with all the best looks for men of a certain age.

Need more fashion-forward tips, tricks, and advice? Keep scrolling our blog for more: uwatchfree