For a lot of us, buying a fancy bag for our dads might seem a little…absurd. After all, dads (especially of the baby boomer generation, like mine) often just aren’t bag people. Just like anyone, though, your father probably has his own take on personal aesthetics, even if he’d protest otherwise. In fact, the men who protest otherwise are usually the ones with the most specific, narrow view of what is okay or not okay to wear.
So if your father or husband has his own look, then there’s definitely a bag out there that would suit him. To demonstrate for Father’s Day, we’ve selected ten of our favorite TV dads over the past 50 years and picked a tote, messenger, briefcase or holdall that would suit them perfectly. If there’s a bag for all these dads, then there’s definitely a bag for yours.
Bernie McCullough of The Bernie Mac Show
Bernie definitely had the most swagger and biggest aesthetic range of any of the TV dads we considered, so we gave him the bag with the highest level of difficulty: the Gucci Supreme Angry Cat Tote. We think he’d pull it off no problem. Shop the Gucci Supreme Angry Cat Tote via Gucci ($2,300)
Charles Ingalls of ‘Little House on the Prairie’
Hardy, simple, traditional, American-made: this Shinola Leather Holdall sure does seem appropriate for Pa Ingalls. (If, you know, he were to carry an expensive leather bag. Suspend disbelief here.) Shop the Shinola Leather Holdall via MR PORTER ($1,295)
Coach Eric Taylor of ‘Friday Night Lights’
Coach isn’t the kind of guy who’d want to call attention to material things or stick out around school, so even though we have to pick a luxury bag for him (hello, we’re still…us), we’d choose this subtle, sporty Brunello Cucinelli Shell Backpack. His players would be none the wiser. Shop the Brunello Cucinelli Shell Backpack via MR PORTER ($2,995)
Dan Conner of ‘Roseanne’
Dan’s not a guy that strikes me as partial to man bags, but late in the series when the family wins the lottery, he might have invested in a good one, don’t you think? This Berluti Gloria Briefcase has an unfussy shape and a leather finish that would remind a dad like Dan of a very expensive recliner. Shop the Berluti Gloria Briefcase via MR PORTER ($3,550)
Danny Tanner of ‘Full House’
Danny Tanner is the most white bread of the dads on today’s list, so he gets the Jack Spade Open Top Tote, which would be perfect to take along on that picnic in the Full House opening credits. Shop the Jack Spade Open Top Tote via Barneys ($228)
George Jefferson of ‘The Jeffersons’
Mr. Jefferson’s era of prosperity was a wild time for tapestry prints and weird shades of green, which makes the Serapian Bowling Tote a perfect choice for an icon of the 1970s. Shop the Serapian Bowling Tote via Barneys ($1,150)
Gomez Addams of ‘The Addams Family’
Gomez is a lawyer, and though he’s largely retired from practice, he’s rarely seen without a dark pinstripe suit and his hair exactly in place. We think this Louis Vuitton President Classeur Briefcase would fit both Gomez’s exacting dress standards and his goth color palette. Shop the Louis Vuitton President Classeur Briefcase via Louis Vuitton ($9,700)
Rogelio de la Vega of ‘Jane The Virgin’
Rogelio is a suave telenovela star, and, well, just look at the cut of those pants. He’s a Tom Ford guy. Shop the Tom Ford Buckley Duffel via Neiman Marcus ($3,510)
Sandy Cohen of ‘The OC’
Sandy’s a relaxed, casual dad, and this Bally Tamrac Messenger Bag shares that vibe, in addition to having a bit of nostalgia for the show’s early 2000s style. Shop the Bally Tamrac Messenger Bag via Neiman Marcus ($995)
Uncle Phil of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’
Uncle Phil was a respected judge with an impressive estate in a tony neighborhood, so there’s only one way to go for him: Hermès. Shop the Hermès Sac a Depeches Briefcase via Hermès ($9,100)
