Dressing
Years ago, in University, I was witnessing another Christmas or birthday when my dad was given lots of new spiffy clothes, and a theory dawned on me.

Simply put, some men (although by no means not all) go through their entire lives never dressing themselves.

And by dressing themselves, I mean choosing their own clothing.

Buying clothes, for most men, is a pain. For proof just ask most men what they think of buying clothes, and they will tell you that if they could get away with jeans and sweatshirts most of the time, they would.

I like to dress up a bit, but at my job, it's pretty casual, so I'd stick out pretty bad. I also used to think that I had a reasonable sense of style, and then I read this article in the Globe Style section, in an "ask the fashion expert" kind of column for guys. I think it was Russell Smith (toronto's resident Male Fashion Maven (Maver?)).

Anyway, someone had written in and asked if it was still ok to be fashionable (read Metrosexual) after you have become a father. Well, Russell kind of went off, and in a very tongue in cheek way said no it was not allowed. From now on, you were only allowed to wear loafers and deck shoes, and wrinkle free khaki coloured dockers, and polo shirts, preferrably with a software company's name embroidered into it.

This is of course (minus the software company) kind of how I dress. Ok, exactly how I dress. Then Russell mocked it a little more, and said, no it was ok to be a fashion plate and a dad. The clear implication being that I am not. A fashion plate, that is.

So I was starting to question my own fashionability (which should bring a chuckle to a few of you who threw out the notion years ago), but still thought I wasn't as bad a some.

Then after I tried to walk to work this morning in the -5C with the windchill weather, and gave up and took the bus, Noelle called and said she had bought me a winter coat.

She had been at Winners, and it was on sale, and she just grabbed it. But, she was quick to note, "You could take it back if you don't like it." Which of course is ridiculous.

So back to my theory.
Some men, it seems, never choose their own clothes.
When they are kids, it's their mom that (understandably) dresses them.
However, as they get older, some teenage boys dress themselves, and others either let their moms continue to do it, or their girlfriends step into the gap.
Later it's their wives, then their adult daughters, and finally their home care nurses.

I like to think I was choosing my own clothes for the first 14 years of this whole "Allen family" thing, but now I'm starting to wonder, and trying to recall how many times that clothing gifts from Noelle have stood out as the most fashionable thing in my wardrobe by about 100 miles.

Pretty much every time.

I'm going to buy a copy of GQ.