Passages

Christian called.

When he was in middle school and high school, he wore uniforms. And at Benedictine, he even had dress military uniforms for formal occasions. Outside of that, his fashion choice has generally been stylishly casual. Whenever we needed to buy dressier stuff, which wasn’t often, we did it together.

So pardon me for enjoying this moment, while wiping away a tear: he wanted to talk through his decision-making process for buying his first suit on his own, for a wedding he’s attending. He’s fashionable and most everything looks good on him, so I loved that he wanted my advice.

“Bring your dress shoes. Go with no cuff. Single or double-vented, it’s a matter of preference. Start with navy, it goes well with everything except black. Don’t leave the store with it if you don’t love it. Go early so they have time for proper alterations.”

I remember buying my first suit for a semi-formal event at Princeton, on my own. I didn’t love the experience, not because I wasn’t used to shopping for clothes, but because that felt like my first grown-up man moment, and I didn’t really have anyone to share it with or go to for it.

These and so many other wonderful moments are why I love being dad to him and the rest of these beautiful humans I’ve been entrusted with. 😊