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TONY’s Mr. Lower East Side–pageant contestant and web editor Dustin Goot prides himself on generally dressing with a modicum of professionalism that the rest of us here cannot quite fathom. This revoltingly superior attitude presumably stems from his month of slovenliness detox more than a year ago (see issue 588; the guy now thinks he’s Pierce Brosnan or something). Dustin’s 58-year-old father, Mike, on the other hand, retired to Mexico a few years back and contents himself with Jimmy Buffett–chic, via loud, tropical shirts and ratty old jeans. Taking a stand for children embarrassed by their parents everywhere, we felt duty-bound to make him more presentable for his visit to the big city, so we, along with NYC stylist Quinn Asteak, squired him to classy Brit label Ted Baker London’s boutique (107 Grand St at Mercer; 212-343-8989, tedbaker.com).
OUTFIT ONE
A subtle improvement
Mike, like many retiree expats, is laconic about his fashion sense in general, but claims that his multitude of flowery, pariah-making tops are more for vacationing than everyday garb (as his son would have us believe is the case). And when it comes to buying clothes, Mr. Goot considers himself thrifty: “I’m into buying T-shirts from Wal-Mart and fighting with Mexican women in open-air markets over the price of jeans.” While this shopping style might be muy bien in St. Miguel de Allende, Quinn is a firm believer in investing in high-quality pieces like Ted Baker’s clean-cut garb. To help him transition into something acceptably urban—but not too offensive to Mike’s cavalier tastes—she picks out a skinny, textured-stripe button-down ($165), brown leather belt ($65) and Regular Bake jeans ($175). It fits him well, but the elder Goot claims that it isn’t something he’d normally wear South of the Border. “I probably wouldn’t hack it in London,” he admits. “I wouldn’t know what to wear.”
OUTFIT TWO
Once more into the breach
The next outfit gets mixed reviews. The straight-leg Parallel Bake jeans ($175) are agreeable, but the purple floral button-down ($215)—chosen by Quinn perhaps in an effort to bridge the style gap—makes him feel like he’s “on the set of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” “It should’ve been buried in the ’70s where it belongs,” Mike adds. Goot does, however, like the four-pocket military jacket ($295) partially covering his tribute to sketch comedy.
OUTFIT THREE THE WINNER
Is that Dustin's dad...or James Bond?
Quinn finally nails it with a skinny, light-blue button-down shirt ($175), which really strikes a chord with our guinea pig…er, dad. A pair of tan classic- fit trousers ($165) completes his smart look, especially when coupled with a leather contrast-stitch belt ($85). The only hang-up Mike has is a slight issue with the trousers being a bit narrower than the straight-leg jeans that he had tried on earlier. “But you actually found something that I would wear!” Dustin, upon seeing his dad’s transformation, knew his father was primed for a wardrobe change. “He’s a pretty adventurous guy—he pierced his own ear when I was still in short pants,” says Dustin. “I just wish he had a stylist like Quinn all the time to guide his risk-taking nature.”
“He used to rock this shirt with red lobsters on a yellow background. I can’t even talk about it right now.”
