Dad’s day doesn’t have to mean a new tie and a barbecue. Or have anything to do with golf. If your man lies under that stodgy old radar, and doesn’t even like football, you can still shop for him. And actually have fun doing it. Here’s a few last-minute ideas of where to look, located both in and out of your general time zone.
Can’t afford to buy your green eco-mate the whole Vespa? You can still get the dude his own Vespa beanie in red or blue, or a rakish Vespa logo bandana at Erico Motorsports, 2855 Walnut Street; call 303-308-1811. Or happen into the egalitarian boy-girl Fancy Tiger Boutique, 14 S. Broadway, which carries awesome and spacious manbags by Lug, including a well-pocketed camp messenger bag or a compact, body-hugging moped day bag. Seeking something smaller? Get him a wallet, but not just any wallet: Maybe a FluffyCo wallet imprinted with nature-inspired silhouettes. Fancy Tiger also carries anti-macho tee-shirts to match; call 303-282-6590 for info.
Clothes don’t really make the man, it’s actually what emanates from inside the outer shell, but it doesn’t hurt him to look cool while exuding charm and social consciousness. Still it’s hard to find men’s clothing that’s properly unique enough for your spooning partner, as well as easy on your pocketbook. Take it from me – here’s who you go see: Seamstress Jil Cappuccio is a truly a man’s lady, and I say this because she just understands what guys like to wear. Her retro-styled, fun-fabric men’s shirts are one-of-a-kind and hang from a fella’s shoulders like silk. Stop by her own shop, Jil Cappuccio’s, 1433 Ogden Street (303-832-1493), or at Pome, 1018 Gaylord Street (303-722-2900), and pick one out for your lady’s man.
Does your blissfully wedded beau have a creative streak? Buy him an opportunity to design his own sneakers. Just go here to check out what our man on the fashion beat, Steve Burge, previously reported about the pair designed by Westword’s dearly departing web editor, Sean Cronin, at the Converse website. If not, the 400, with two locations at 1010 Bannock Street and 2445 Larimer Street, is a man’s sneaker paradise. Take him and let him choose his own.
It’s possibly a little late for Father’s Day delivery, but for techno-geek hubbies, the World Wide Web is awash with possibilities: For instance, an iCarta iPod Stereo Dock and Bath Tissue Holder, number one in, er, number two entertainment while he’s in the john doing manly things. Available at Amazon.com for $59.95. And for the mischievous guy who likes to travel light, pick up a pocket-sized Artist Series mimobot® Designer USB Flash Drive, designed by tokidoki and other collectible toy designers. Find them for sale, along with several other toy-inspired series, at http://lab.mimoco.com for $39.95.
And meanwhile, vinyl-toy meister Dea Webb of Plastic Chapel, 3109 E Colfax Avenue, just laughed all over the place when I asked her for suggestions of vinyl toys to buy for your beau. “It’s so hard to describe these things!” she lamented. But she says the boys are bananas for big, solid, hazmat-suited HazMaPo robots, Gary Baseman’s Hot Cha Cha Cha red devils or Muttpop’s Lucha Libre dolls on the high end and Buff Monsters blind boxes, featuring round bubble-like dudes packed in ice cream containers, on the lower end. Whatever, any thing in the store would probably appeal to any guy’s inner toy collector. Call 303-722-0715 and Dea will set you up. – Susan Froyd