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Bradley Cooper's Casual Dad Style Is a Look We Can All Steal

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Esquire

I had a weekday routine with my older daughter before the pandemic. Every morning I’d shower and dress for work, while she drank apple juice, watched cartoons, ate breakfast, and complained. Then I’d walk her to school and get on a train for the office. This school year, I drive her to school—she still complains—and almost never shower before. I wear the T-shirt I slept in, the sweatpants hanging from my bedroom door, and a pair of slip-on Vans.

Clearly, I am no Bradley Cooper.

This week, Cooper was photographed walking his daughter on the streets of New York. It appears he’s taking her to school—there are school buses in the background—but that’s unclear. (For privacy reasons, we’ve removed his daughter from the photos.) Cooper got dressed for the walk: peacoat, joggers with a stripe, boots, black shades, and a black mask. I can’t say I’d wear his hat, nor would I recommend you try it, but Cooper pulls it off.

Meanwhile, this week, I had to get out of my car to help my daughter put on her backpack—usually someone from the school handles this—revealing to all the other parents my ill-fitting, coffee-stained tie-dye sweatpants. This was mildly embarrassing. It shouldn’t be. But in my mind, the sweats and beat-up Vans don’t suggest to the parents in their idling cars that this man has a job, a sense of personal style, and a wife who finds him attractive. Instead, it sends the signal that I spend most of my time fiddling on a guitar, waiting for bars to reopen so I can rejoin my ‘80s-era cover band, Bonnie Tyler and the Rippers.

In other words, Cooper’s an inspiration for a dad in his 40s. I will be stealing his look for these drop-offs, and I suggest you do the same, regardless of where you’re heading and who you’re with.


Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

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