Prada Dada

JohnnyMac is superfly. He has been since the day we met. Actually, since before we met. I love that we went out one night with some casual friends, early on in our dating. The wife complimented his attire and said she loved his shoes. He had just bought them at Kenneth Cole in NYC. She laughed and said, "Before he met you, I don't think he even knew what brand he bought."

Oh, I know that's not right.

JohnnyMac loved to bestow on me fabulous clothes and handbags. And JohnnyMac was well coiffed and well presented long before we met. But he is subtle about it.

Unlike our friend in law school, Wrinkle, who only wore clothes emblazoned with logo. And not just a subtle polo horse or Faconnable crest. His poison was Tommy Hilfiger who manufactured shirts and jackets with not only logo but entire name spelled out down the arms and across the back. We used to tease him. Relentlessly.

Hey Wrinkle. I love your shirt. Lacoste?

No, its Hilfiger.

Oh really? Is it?

But JohnnyMac has been cool since he had the Camaro in high school (and a mullet I can absolutely assume. A fact which his mom confirms and he denies). But he was hip then, and he is hip now.

And I love the first time JohnnyMac came home from baby clothes shopping. Forget Gymboree (which I actually don't like a bit) and went straight to Bloomingdales. He is a Prada Dada. I had a habit of overbuying but JohnnyMac only added piles of gold to our son's already over-brimming pot.

My mom recalls that when I was a toddler, I refused to wear socks that didn't match my underwear. Thankfully this is a trend that saw its demise. But I get her assertion, and I know it smacks of truth. And my mom steered me on that initial inclination as she frequently sends boxes full of babyclothes for the Bird from Nordstrom and Macy's. My little brother sent wee man a pair of Diesel jeans. For his 2nd birthday. So the familial influence abounds.

And now we see our tiny son has his own element of style. As I was getting him dressed the other morning, he said, "I don't like that shirt Mommy." Alright Bird. I asked him what he wanted to wear and he hopped down and opened his armoire and pulled down a long sleeve button down. "This one. It's my favorite. It has a horse like Daddy's shirt."

And then he asked for his golf visor, "just like Daddy wears." You've got it, buddy.

Did I mention he is only two? And I think JohnnyMac with his fabulous style is a great influence.

Are we promoting materialism? Of course not. My son wore a paper Varsity Drive In hat for days. Do you know the Varsity Drive In? An Atlanta tradition (oldest drive in on city record) and about as far from haute couture as you can be.)

And we know he will someday want to dress as if matching colors and complimentary patterns are meaningless. Good for him. I will encourage his own creative license. But while he wants to be like Prada Dada, I love it.