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Contents
Gift
Guide 2
clothing
guide
Scene
Stealers
It
Girls
4th-Grade
Somethings
Little
Women
Action
Jacksons
Shredding
Bettys
Boys
to Men
Edge
of 17
Dads
Who Dig
Hip
Mamas
Gift
Guide 1
$35 and
up
Fun
and Games
Literary License
Windows Shopping
Kitchen Aid
Get Out
Gremlin-Free Gizmos
Discmen
Skintillating
Eat, Drink and
Be Merry
Gifts That Keep On Giving
Child's Play
Well-Furnished
Gimcracks and Geegaws
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dads
who dig
BY MARY
E. CAMPBELL
So, it's come to this: Nerds have set the fashion agenda.
It seems the computer czars don't like suits and ties (must
be all that manual labor). The menswear industry has responded
to the Business Casual mandate by producing more khakis, sweaters
and relaxed button-downs. What a mess.
Fortunately, Cary Grant channelers haven't let the workplace
deteriorate completely. The well-cut suit hasn't vanished;
it's just become more comfortable and integrated. Truth
be told, it's not the clothes so much as the gadgetry that
distinguishes CEO's from couriers. You can spot a VIP by
the flash of his silver Nokia 8000 and Palm Pilot V, not
his Brooks Brothers label.
Given few clues on what to wear when, '90s guys surprise
us by knowing what they like, what it's called and where
to get it--be it anything from a tuxedo in barathea (a pebbly-textured
weave) wool to cufflinks made from old Royal typewriter
keys, just like the ones that Jack Lemmon banged away on
as a harried corporate yes-man in Billy Wilder's 1960 classic,
The Apartment.
Men still want to project power, says Mario's men's buyer
Mark Jensen, despite today's more casual looks. So they've
struck a balance, choosing unfussy, comfortable shapes and
cuts in sumptuous materials. What's hot right now? "Anything
in cashmere," says Jensen. "Soft coats, unconstructed cardigans,
soft-shoulder sport coats in luxe fabrications."
High-tech executive Eric Thompson, a father of two and
business veep at Portland's WellMed Inc., sticks to classics.
"I tend to follow trends less and buy well-made clothes
from well-known brands," said Thompson. His fashion maxim?
"Pay twice as much; it'll last three times as long and never
go out of style."
Dr. Franklin Wong, a rehabilitation-medicine expert at
Legacy Good Samaritan hospital and father of three, works
in a profession bound by white coats. "It identifies
us, it gets us in the mental mode," says Wong, whose long
black ponytail sets him apart from hundreds of coats. He
used to wear "the tweed coat, white shirt, and preppy tie,"
but now enjoys dressing in Italian sport coats, plaid pants
and monochrome ties. As for the ponytail, he says, "All
my patients find it very tasteful."
the
goods:
preppy prevails
Even software jockeys still have occasion to suit up.
A Hickey Freeman pinstripe job brings some tried-and-true,
old-money class to the IPO set. Made of 100-percent wool imported
from Canterbury, it's done in an old-fashioned cut--two-button,
pleats--but do you really think shawl-collar, three-button,
flat-front tab-closure suits will be around in five years?
This one will. (Kenneth Gordon dress shirt is $75.) $995 at
John Helmer, 969 SW Broadway, 223-4976.
a pleasure
in the neck
It's funny how we get used to a quality line that, in the
end, isn't so fine after all. Banana Republic trousers are
more than decent but they've got nothing on a pair by Guy
Laroche. Likewise, the ties you pick up at TJ's get the
job done alright, but try holding them up to one of these.
The red silk tie shown here is hand sewn from imported
fabric, especially for John Helmer by Robert Talbott. Hand-sewn.
Imported. Especially for. These little words mean a lot,
and yes, it shows. $75 at John Helmer.
get
connected
Cuff links are perhaps the bit of jewelry
ornamentation most acceptable to masses of men. First of
all, French-cuff shirts suggest the wearer knows something
about la dolce vita that you don't. And cuff links
act like earrings or a cravat, a place to have fun with
individual expression. Pass up millennium editions and try
a handsome English enamel design embellished with polka
dots or rich-hued paisleys and rimmed with gold or silver.
(Visit www.brixton-gill.com
for examples). For a gifty touch, personalizing a piece
of jewelry with engraving "says a lot," notes jeweler Carl
Greve, about $10-$15. $420 at Carl Greve Jewelers, 731 SW
Morrison St., 223-7121.
perfectly
plain
Tone-on-tone has been all the rage for neckties and shirts,
but it's just that--a kicked-up fad. You can't go wrong
with a classic--a mighty white dress shirt like this Ralph
Lauren 100 percent cotton pinpoint button-down. Always
in demand, this evergreen item succeeds with chinos or a
suit any day of the week. And unlike russet or jungle green,
white looks good on everyone. $65 at Meier & Frank and
Nordstrom, various locations.
make
mincemeat of lambswool
Any old V-neck will do? No, no, no. Make it cashmere
like this Alan Paine black pullover. The feel and
drape of a cashmere garment is worth the price, even if
you have to put it on layaway. Not convinced? Cashmere is
incredibly warm, and it lasts forever. $295 at John Helmer.
the
politics of rodeo
The Portland Outdoor Store, a family-owned business, has
been selling Western wear and outdoor clothes for real cowboys
for 82 years. The boot brands they carry--Acme, Lucchese
and Dan Post--are as old as the store itself, and mostly
made not in Oregon but in Texas. That hasn't stopped our
governor from wearing them. Get these Justin boots
and the mustache will follow. $160 and up at the Portland
Outdoor Store, 304 SW 3rd Ave., 222-1051.
jeans
revisited
Certainly, not every chap need wear his jeans as snugly
as the guv does. Dads can take a cue from their sons and
go baggy without looking like ridiculous poseurs. Stick
with dark-rinse Levi's. These are Red Tab 787, low-rise
with a leg that's straight and loose. Your kids will not
be embarrassed. $47 at Meier & Frank.
a steel-heeled saddle
There's a slew of public golf courses in Oregon, but no
amount of fine-tooth grooming can keep the greens neat and
drained. A shoe that can weather water is essential. Naturally,
architects at Nike pay as much attention to the sole of
a shoe as they do to the upper, which begets a golf shoe
that's slick enough to pad around Pebble Beach's clubhouse
and suitably sturdy for our mucky links. The new Course
Air Tour, a tour-level shoe that was designed with input
from PGA players, delivers. There was no word on whether
local PGA favorite Peter Jacobsen had a chance to chip in.
After all, he's keeping pretty busy designing golf courses
these days. $150 at Niketown, 930 SW 6th Ave., 221-6453.
also consider:
hunt club class
Inspired by the jacket of the Italian equestrian Olympic
team, this sumptuous Loro Piana top coat is made
from the incredibly soft yarn spun from cashmere goat hair.
The coat is designed to accommodate the lengths of suit
or sport jackets, allowing all kinds of horsy activity.
$1,895, in black and olive, at Mario's, 921 SW Morrison
St., 227-3477.
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