This week marks five years since I started Father Style! Well, that’s not entirely true. In actuality, Father Style, as a concept, began probably a full year before its official launch on October 14^th, 2021.

At that point, all I knew was that I thought about menswear a lot and how I could use it to be a better dad and husband. Then I thought that maybe I could write down all the stuff I was thinking about so that other guys could benefit from it.

Over that year, I created the thirteen inaugural articles that I went live with in October of 2021.

Over the past five years, I have kept a very consistent posting schedule. I feel that helps you, the reader, since you can reasonably anticipate when new content will be available, but it also helps me a great deal.

See, one of the things I have learned from maintaining this website is that one cannot rely on inspiration or motivation in order to be creative. Often, creativity springs from the mundane routine. The work and the grind are what make the creativity happen.    

In the beginning, I had so many article ideas rolling around in my head that I didn’t think it was possible to write them all down. Well, it was. And once that initial burst of natural inspiration went a little dry, I needed to rely on the grind to get my creative juices flowing.

That’s why my strict posting schedule has been such a great thing for me. It has kept me creatively fit.

There are days when I post an article and it’s… fine. It might have sounded like a good idea in my mind, but when I get it all on the page, I find that there’s something lacking. Nothing major, mind you, otherwise I wouldn’t have posted it. But there are definitely moments where I struggle a bit, and stumble through a piece as best I can. And then shrug, close my laptop and move on with my day.

There are other days, though, where everything just FLOWS! Maybe I’ve been thinking about a particular article for some time, so I already know pretty much everything I want to say. Or I start off with a germ of an idea and, while I am writing, it blossoms into something much more in-depth or detailed than I originally expected!

Writing on those days is almost like having a really good conversation with myself.

On those good days, when I’m done writing, I sit back in my office chair and smile. Like, really smile.

Today, I would like to share those special articles with you. Because sometimes an article can get a lot of clicks or garner more attention than you thought it would. But that popularity doesn’t necessarily mean that you think it’s some of your best work.

In honor of Father Style’s fifth birthday here are, in my opinion and in no particular order, the five best articles I have ever written.

#1 – Under-Appreciated Style Icons: William Holden in Paris When It Sizzles

I have stated a couple times before that a piece I found over ten years ago about Clark Gable in “It Happened One Night” was the best example of menswear writing I had ever read. I always hoped that some day I could write about menswear as well as Mr. Andrew Yamato does in that piece.

For this article about William Holden, I had the first sentence in my head for months before I ever sat down to write it. And when I did, it was one of those “flow” moments where everything just seemed to come naturally.

I think of all the articles I have ever written, this one is probably my best one.

#2 – If Heaven Exists, I Know You’re There

This one still gets me every time I reread it. While writing it, I didn’t think at all about how it sounded. I just wrote.

It had taken me some months to get up the mental and emotional fortitude to sit down and write this article. And even though it’s still sad to read, I am happy that I was able to provide a fitting tribute to our sweet Gracie.

#3 – My Dad’s Cashmere Sweater

This is another article that pulls at my heartstrings. It’s a short one, but I feel I was able to capture a bit of who my dad was in only a couple pages. He carried a lot of sadness that he didn’t know how to share.

#4 – Watching Old Movies Will Make You A Better Dresser

This article is just FUN. Silly fun! I love old movies, so writing about them is a joy.

#5 – You’re Probably Addicted To Your Phone… Here’s How To Kick The Habit!

This is definitely one of the most important articles I’ve written. It actually frightened me when I reread it…

‘I don’t want MY obituary to read: “He loved playing on his phone.”’

Yikes! With all my writing, I try to actually help people. I hope this article does that.

So there are the five articles that I think are examples of my best work.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Father Style these past five years. Here’s to many more! And remember…

You’re a great dad. Dress like it.