Yes. My Father was quite the fashionista. Actually a slave to fashion. If I think upon his extensive wardrobe and the elaborate hygiene rituals, I am amazed that the man had enough time for his Family, collecting random things that amounted to a lot of what no one really cared about and of course his time hunting things down on ebay.
When I think about his person, I envision cuff links that were to die for, watches that he had furiously searched for, ties that he hoarded like there was no tomorrow, suits he had made for him personally (he looked like an Easter egg one year.. with the help of a personal shopper from Nordstrom), belts for any size, the latest glasses and of course shoes. Ahhhh... the shoes. His collection of shoes was actually an obsession. It went beyond obsession. He had shoes in multiple sizes and colors and textures. When he died I believe the count hovered somewhere around 120 pairs of men's shoes. All expensive shoes. Never would he have dreamed of going somewhere like Target to look for accessories, let alone shoes. My mom ended up giving them away as she did with most of his clothing.
It took my mom quite some time to give away all of his clothing, but she did so at her own pace and slowly claimed his closet as her own for her craft projects which she so enjoyed.
A few years ago, my dad was into TOTAL MATCHY, MATCHY - he had several shirts that matched his shoes exactly. He was super into stripes at that time... he would wear jeans and shoes that coordinated with the shirts to the T. I could look at him and think, "at least he's coordinated"! Please note, when I said several... I meant several - different colors, etc.
His personal hygiene was one that I'll never forget. Long showers, a system of drying off that was a loved routine, he shaved EVERY day, when I see him, I often envision his head turned with a face full of shaving cream responding to your question as we would contemplate the day. He would get hair cuts frequently and used sun in on a regular basis.
He took better care of himself than most women I know. I don't know how he did it, but he remained on the cutting edge with his fashion, whether it was his own or the actual latest fashion.
I think he would be proud of me. I think he would be the last person to ever let me touch his hair. He was a good looking guy. When he died, the few things I got from him were one of his car t-shirts that still smelled like him and cuff links. Some ties went to Ryan and I'll make sure that the boys get in on that when it's appropriate.
Mom made stars for us at Christmas time (he died in early summer) out of some of his clothing, which I think was therapy for her and a blessing for us - we can incorporate this into our Christmas time.
When I look back, I appreciate his style, his meticulous way of taking care of himself, his passion for a good deal on clothing and his execution and attention to detail. I love my Dad and miss him. This is just one of the things that when I close my eyes I think about.
His birthday was last week. He would have been 60. There would have been fireworks. He's been gone for just over 5 years. What a happy memory he passed along.
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