Dads like fashion, too

My dad doesn't have a whole lot in common with the movie star Steve McQueen.

The late actor starred in classic films such as "Bullitt," "The Getaway" and the original "The Thomas Crown Affair." He was known as "The King of Cool" for his anti-hero persona and off-screen pursuits of riding motorcycles and racing cars.

The one thing they have in common, though, is great style.

If I had to describe my dad's style, I'd use words like classic, tailored, elegant and formal. There's a slightly old-fashioned feel to his approach to dressing, a kind of throwback to how men used to wear clothes.

My dad wears suits on a regular basis, and his accessories are old-school ... pocket square, cuff links, suspenders. It's as if he's never heard the term "Casual Friday."

Even when he dresses informally, you'll rarely catch him in a T-shirt and jeans. That particular outfit is usually reserved for yard work. Instead, my dad's casual attire is made up of oxford shirts, chinos (always with a belt) and a pair of Rockports.

I think he takes enjoyment in style and dressing well, but he's not terribly versed in what's hip or trendy. In fact, my dad's charmingly out of the loop. He continues to wear pull-on galoshes over his shoes when it rains.

I wouldn't necessarily consider his style preppy. I'm quite sure my dad's never popped his collar. He doesn't wear madras, although one summer I stumbled across an ancient pair of Chaps Ralph Lauren blue madras pants that had been his. Cutting them into shorts, I ended up taking them back to college with me.

But he has been known to wear seersucker.

It's possible his impeccable taste in clothes is hereditary. My grandfather was also a sharp dresser.

My family had a summer house on Lake Michigan for years, and for most of that time, I remember my grandfather in oxford shirts and tailored trousers. Beach bum he was not. He was, however, a longtime customer at Brooks Brothers in Chicago, and he passed that on to my dad, who frequents the store's Boston location.

In recent years, my dad the technophobe has developed such a fondness for Ben Silver that he learned how to navigate the Internet just so he could shop their website. One year for Father's Day, he was delighted to receive a pair of cuff links made from British coins in the year he was born.

On my parents' most recent visit to Charleston, we made our way down King Street, and I pointed out Ben Silver as we were passing by. My dad had never visited the bricks and mortar store, and I asked him if he wanted to go inside.

It was almost like watching a kid in a candy store.