Fiddler on the Woof: A tribute to my dad's style

I don't think anyone has ever called my dad a fashionista. When he's not at work, he lives in cargo pants and T-shirts. I'm pretty sure he wears the same boots every day and only buys a new pair when his current pair starts falling apart. When I was a kid, my mom and I would set out outfits for him to wear to work because he didn't know what pants/shirts/ties went together and what didn't.

Like many dads, he cares more about functionality than looking cool. He un-ironically wears suspenders and has been mistaken for a janitor on more than one occasion.

Looking through old pictures today, I realized my dad actually has a lot of style, and he loves dressing up - just not for the time and place in which he was born.

Exhibit A: my dad in costume to portray Prince Chulalongkorn in a production of The King and I circa 1968 or so. I bet you didn't know he was an actor! He can sing, too.

Here's my dad playing bagpipes at age 18. This is an "evening kilt" because he's wearing an Argyll jacket and a tie. The hat is called a Glengarry.

Here he is playing for my kindergarten class in a more casual daytime look.

A more recent kilt picture. This is another daytime look because he's not wearing any silver or leather ornamentation. Normally dad wears a Sgian-dubh (knife) in his kilt hose, but he's not wearing one in this picture.

And finally, a very formal look! Kilt, Argyll jacket with silver buttons (read: formal), hose, silver belt buckle, fur sporran, and ghillie brogues (black leather shoes that lace up the ankles.) The only things he's missing are a hat and a Sgian-dubh.

Dad is an avid War of 1812 historian and spends his free time attending re-enacting events and camping like a 19th-century soldier. I'm pretty sure that dressing up in period-appropriate clothing is part of what drew him in to this hobby.

I vividly remember my dad telling me about a secret fashion wish of his when I was child. I was about 8 years old - he said, "If I were a richer man, I'd have all my clothes custom made and dress like a Victorian gentleman all the time." I cringed at the thought of him walking down Main St. in our small town with a top hat and cane, but I also never forgot it. When Eric and I planned our wedding in 2014 I knew I wanted to find my dad an amazing outfit to wear so his dream of being a Victorian gentleman could come true, if only for one day.

Mission accomplished. My mom found this at a local costume shop. It made an already awesome day even better. I think mine was one of the few weddings where people noticed the bride's father's outfit more than the bride's.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. Don't ever stop being a historical fashionista.