Presented as part of our Father’s Day extravaganza, here’s what all of us over at the Strategist will be gifting our dads this year. Allow us to inspire you.
“My dad has been wanting to get into watercolors, and is about to go on a long trip with my mom to Berlin, so I think I will get him this travel set that Alex Testere wrote about a few months ago: A Winsor & Newton Cotman pocket box set, Cobee soft paintbrushes, and a Bienfang sketchbook.”
“Another thing my dad loves is Robert Caro. He’s read all four volumes of his Lyndon B. Johnson biography, and until the author returns from his trip to Vietnam there’s this audio-only book, “On Power,” wherein Caro reflects on his career and writings, and ‘what his half century of reporting on New York City urban planner Robert Moses and President Lyndon Johnson have taught him about the inner workings of government and democracy.’ Perhaps he can listen to it while he’s working out at the gym.”
“My dad got new reading glasses recently, and they make him look like an adorable, hip professor of literature. When I asked him how he found the brand, called Eyebob, he told me: ‘I found them upstate 12 years ago. I am a cool cat.’ Indeed! I want to get him a second pair, in tortoiseshell, because I love them so much on him.”
“Ten years ago, my mom secretly gave away a box of my dad’s so-called “schmatas” (junky clothes, in Jewish Mother speak) — including his beloved, trashed Chuck Taylor high-tops. So I think I’ll get the guy a new, cleaner, mom-approved pair. He often admires my charcoal-colored ones.”
“My dad is the only man in our family, and we use Father’s Day and his birthday to wrangle him into clothes he would not necessarily pick out for himself — like this work jacket from Save Khaki, that in my opinion he would grow to love.”
“The other night, my dad told me that when he visits in July, he’ll be bringing some beef shanks and smoked pork to my apartment. These morsels, cooked to perfection in the charcoal smoker in his backyard in Austin, will come vacuum-sealed in plastic bags. I know this because my dad loves to vacuum-seal food. He uses a FoodSaver V4440. It’s his second model; he recently upgraded. If he’s cooked it, he’s probably vacuum-packed it. Barbecue chicken, turkey, jerky, smoked salmon, you name it. (Pro tip from my dad: If you want to vacuum-pack a pastry, freeze it first.) If he didn’t already own (and frequently use) his FoodSaver, I’d be buying him one.”
“My dad is a very specific kind of early adopter. Technology doesn’t interest him, but highly practical outdoor gear does. He started wearing Keen waterproof sandals while everyone else still had on Chacos. Likewise, he switched to the more environmentally sensitive Klean Kanteen water bottle when other people still had Nalgene jugs. A salesperson at REI told me that the GSI Outdoors Ultralight coffee flask is one of the best new water bottles on the market right now. It’s double-walled and lighter than most other models — the perfect pragmatic upgrade.”
“My dad’s had the same Braun foil shaver for more than a decade (loyalty!), so I think it’s about time for a replacement. It’s held up so well for this long that I might as well get him the newer version of something he already trusts, now with the cleaning/charging station.”
“This is more for my benefit, but hearing how much Casey Wilson loves this Brookstone eye mask made me curious about how well it actually works. My dad doesn’t have any trouble sleeping, but I’d give him one of these just so he can be my guinea pig.”
“My dad loves his iPhone, but has the flimsiest plastic case for it. The OtterBox is supposed to be insane — it protects your phone even if you drop it from like 12 stories. I’ve never considered it for my own phone because it’s too hardcore, but how dad does it look?”
“My dad loves Paul Smith more than any other designer, and I love strawberries more than any other fruit. He’ll get great use out of these socks, and also think of me whenever he puts them on — a twofer. If I feel like throwing in a second pair, I’m pretty into these ones with the single flower, too.”
“My dad is always running around to appointments with a giant black backpack that’s far too big and not very stylish. I really like the simple look of this one, and it’s also waterproof.”
“A friend told me about these ABC pants from lululemon that look exactly like regular work pants, but have all the features of lululemon workout leggings: They’re stretchy, sweat-wicking, and quick drying — and if you flip up the cuff, they have a reflective detail. My dad bikes everywhere he goes, so these would be so perfect and useful.”
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