FIXER-UPPERS; SURPRISE MAKEOVERS GIVE DESERVING DADS STYLIN' NEW LOOKS.Byline: Barbara De Witt De Witt, uninc. town (1990 pop. 8,244), Onondaga co., central N.Y., a residential suburb of Syracuse. Fashion Editor Make them look younger, more stylish, and give them more hair. Kids. They say the darndest things about dear old Dad. When the Daily News asked for a few men who deserve and need a Father's Day makeover, plenty of readers wrote in with requests and reasons why their fathers should be selected for a day of pampering and a more fashionable look. It was difficult to narrow it down to one, so we picked three. Father of the bride Lori Thomka's letter about her dad, Albert, was particularly touching. She described him as a man who has been a caregiver for more than 30 years, looking after his elderly grandmother, then his mother and now his disabled wife, Leslie. ``What is amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. is that he doesn't think it is anything really special because he always says that since he was the oldest son in a family of four that it was his family obligation,'' wrote Lori Thomka, 27. She added that she was getting married next year and wanted him to feel good about himself - and thought he'd need several months to adjust to a new image. ``I have all the faith in the world that you can come up with a look that my Dad would love,'' she wrote. Attached was a snapshot of her 55-year-old, 255-pound dad wearing a comfortably sloppy T-shirt and tropical print ball cap, with a grizzly gray beard and matching hair. Here was a fashion editor's makeover dream man. Once chosen, the Chatsworth resident confided, ``I want to look like Pierce Brosnan. He's my idea of a stylish guy.'' According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. his daughter, he needed to get used to the latest trend in hairstyles, which is boyishly boy·ish adj. Characteristic of or befitting a boy: boyish charm. boy  ish·ly adv. short. So the experts at Frederic
Fekkai Beaute de Provence salon in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. took over. The posh
place caters to a mostly female clientele that includes society maven
Betsey Bloomingdale and TV stars Heather Locklear and Catherine Bell This article is about the actress. For the politician, see Catherine J. Bell. Catherine Lisa Bell (born August 14, 1968 in London, England) is a Scottish-Iranian British-American actress best known as being David James Elliott's co-star, as fiancee and . Thomka looked around and confided, ``You know, I'm very casual, a shirt-and-sneakers kinda guy.'' But after a shampoo, scalp massage and the tingling tin·gle v. tin·gled, tin·gling, tin·gles v.intr. 1. To have a prickling, stinging sensation, as from cold, a sharp slap, or excitement: tingled all over with joy. sensation of the blue pore-tightening mask, he was sold on the pampering idea: ``So, can I have a manicure? Do you think they'll dye my hair?'' Before the day was over, Thomka was raving rav·ing adj. 1. Talking or behaving irrationally; wild: a raving maniac. 2. Exciting admiration: a raving beauty. n. that it was the best haircut he'd ever had - and that he couldn't remember when his beard and hair matched. ``It must have been 20 years ago!'' he quipped. Since he's going to be the father of the bride, his daughter wanted him to get a preview of the latest in formalwear. Unlike sportswear, tuxedos really haven't changed much, except vests have upstaged cummerbunds, he learned as he changed into one of the latest designs from Gary's Tux Shop at Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks. Gary's provided him with an Oscar de la Renta Oscar de la Renta (born July 22, 1932) is a leading fashion designer. Early years De la Renta (born Oscar Aristides Renta Fiallo) was born in the Dominican Republic to a Dominican mother and a Puerto Rican father. design, featuring an elegant shawl collar, which is not only a classic design but also slimming to a mature physique physique /phy·sique/ (fi-zek´) the body organization, development, and structure. phy·sique n. The body considered with reference to its proportions, muscular development, and appearance. . Casually chic Maren VanOrman also dished dished adj. 1. Concave. 2. Slanting toward one another at the bottom. Used of a pair of wheels. Adj. 1. dished - shaped like a dish or pan dish-shaped, patelliform concave - curving inward on dad. In her letter, the 19-year-old wrote, ``As a general contractor A general contractor is an organization or individual that contracts with another organization or individual (the owner) for the construction of a building, road or any other execution of work or facility. , my dad is involved in much physical activity and keeps himself in great shape. His profession, however, often calls for him to get down and dirty, and consequently fashion has gone out the window.'' When he was notified he was a winner, he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of being a fashion guinea pig guinea pig (gĭn`ē), domesticated form of the cavy, Cavia porcellus, a South American rodent. It is unrelated to the pig; the name may refer to its shrill squeal. . ``I was surprised. Kind of nervous and embarrassed ... I've never been very fashion-conscious, and I told the kids I didn't have enough hair for a makeover,'' VanOrman said. But he was willing. And hoping he'd go home looking like his favorite fashion plate, Sean Connery. To achieve VanOrman's casually chic look, salon stylist Yvette Perez said his wispy wisp n. 1. A small bunch or bundle, as of straw, hair, or grass. 2. a. One that is thin, frail, or slight. b. A thin or faint streak or fragment, as of smoke or clouds. 3. gray hair needed to be shorter. Shorter? ``Really, it will make you look younger. And when combed forward it actually makes your hair look longer,'' Perez explained, as she snipped. (According to his daughter, VanOrman has dutifully du·ti·ful adj. 1. Careful to fulfill obligations. 2. Expressing or filled with a sense of obligation. du followed the stylist's instructions.) Next came the clothes. For a touch of Euro-flair, Prestigio in Sherman Oaks suggested a yellow polo-style shirt by Hugo Boss. ``Colors are bright this summer and they're more youthful,'' says manager Sayeh Fathi. Knowing that black is always slimming - and sophisticated - she chose an unstructured jacket that accommodated VanOrman's broad shoulders, finishing the ensemble with ultra-trendy black monk Black´ monk` 1. A Benedictine monk. strap shoes. ``You're sure this is a good look for me?'' he asked, surveying himself in the mirror. After he'd posed for pictures, he admitted he liked the fashion lesson. ``They'd be great for dinner or theater, but I'm still not sure about the shoes,'' he said. Up the career ladder The Career ladder is a metaphor or buzzword used to denote vertical job promotion. In business and human resources management, the ladder typically describes the progression from entry level positions to higher levels of pay, skill, responsibility, or authority. Joining Thomka and VanOrman at the salon was makeover man No. 3, Gerry Curtis, 43, of Northridge. His children - Todd, 13; Noel, 12; Sean, 8; and Laila, 4 - (with the help of his wife, Carol) composed a sweet letter stressing that Dad deserved a little attention. ``He never spends any money on himself ... he's always a good sport about everything and sacrifices a lot for his family,'' they wrote. And they added that he'd recently gotten a promotion so he needed a more professional image. According to Curtis, ``I haven't had time to experiment with a whole look, so I hope I can find out how someone else sees me ... and I'd like people at work to say, `Gerry dresses for success.' '' To send him up the career ladder with panache, stylist Maurice Dadoun suggested a more artistic-and-tamed beard and a more square-cut hairstyle. Next came the suit, a neutral-toned spare-cut number by designer Joseph Abboud Joseph Abboud (born circa 1950 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an award-winning American menswear fashion designer and author. Family The Abboud family was a working-class Christian Lebanese family that started out in the South End of Boston and later moved to the Roslindale from Bloomingdale's at the Fashion Square mall in Sherman Oaks. When teamed with a blue dress shirt and a gold-patterned tie, Curtis was ready for business. He quietly studied all of the details, from the aggressive shirt-and-tie combination to the traditional braces ... and the carefully folded pocket square that is never supposed to match the tie. Overwhelmed with his new appearance, Curtis shyly said, ``It'll take some time to get used to the look. I'll have to go home and see what the family thinks.'' (A few days later, son Sean said it was a thumbs-up 'do. And it was also a hit at Curtis' office.) Relaxing at the end of the day, the three fathers admitted they felt stylishly enlightened - and grateful to their children for writing the letters. Then they started laughing about how silly each of them looked with all that blue gunk on their faces. Manly? Heck no, but it sure was fun and it felt great, they agreed. Letter writers were looking out for the old man Father may know best, but not in the fashion department. According to the roughly 50 letters the Daily News received, there are plenty of dads in need of a makeover - or at least their kids thought so. Here's a sampling of some of those warm and witty letters: Jay Lite ``My dad is a very professional, warm and generous man. My whole family ... even our dog, Gabby gab·by adj. gab·bi·er, gab·bi·est Slang Tending to talk excessively; garrulous. gab bi·ness n. , beg you to save this man from the
fashion police.''
- Cynthia Lite Sherman Oaks David Gee ``My father, David Gee, is a 38-year-old Southern California Gas This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. Co. field worker. He earns his wages through manual labor ... and has worked hard to support our entire household.'' - Jenni Gee Van Nuys Wally Blaufuss ``He's had this flat-top so long it's come in and out of style, twice ... I think he uses his neighbor's hedge clippers.'' - Sarah Blaufuss Topanga Canyon Chris Ball ``He's had a beard for almost eight years and we want to see what he looks like under all that scruffy scruff·y adj. scruff·i·er, scruff·i·est 1. Shabby; untidy. 2. Chiefly British Scaly; scabby. [From obsolete scruff, scurf, variant of gray stuff.'' - Arthur, Russell and Laura Ball Valencia Kevin Recchia ``My mom and dad got divorced last year and my dad works very hard ... and doesn't have much money left over for himself. He would rather spend it on my brother and me. I know he would have a fun time getting his hair fixed by a pretty lady ...'' - Gina Recchia Burbank Joseph Lamberti ``My dad has raised three children ... took us to school, soccer and baseball practices, doctor appointments, everything. I think he deserves a little pampering and publicized pub·li·cize tr.v. pub·li·cized, pub·li·ciz·ing, pub·li·ciz·es To give publicity to. Adj. 1. publicized - made known; especially made widely known publicised recognition for his hard work, dedication, support and love for all his efforts.'' - Danielle Lamberti Sherman Oaks Joseph Bardes ``Help! My dad is very cool but sometimes I think he's back in the '70s.'' - Nicole Bardes Agoura Hills CAPTION(S): 10 Photos, Box Photo: (1--Cover--Color) GET HIP, DADDY-O New looks for favorite Valley fathers On the cover: Fathers in search of a makeover are Gerry Curtis, left, Albert Thomka and Greg VanOrman. (2--Color) The Father's Day makeover begins with a shampoo and scalp massage at Frederic Fekkai Beaute de Provence salon in Beverly Hills. (3--Color) Yvette Perez cuts Greg VanOrman's hair into a Caesar style to minimize his receding hairline hair·line n. The outline of the growth of hair on the head, especially across the front. . (4--Color) Albert Thomka has his nose powdered for his ``after'' picture. (5--6--Color) Name: Albert Thomka Personal stats: 55; married; two children; lives in Chatsworth. Profession: Full-time care-giver and part-time real estate broker. Style model: Pierce Brosnan. Makeover strategy: A youthful color on his cropped hair and beard at Frederic Fekkai, and the newest shawl-collar design by Oscar de la Renta from Gary's Tux Shop at Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks. (7--8--Color) Name: Greg VanOrman Personal stats: 52; married; four children; lives in Newbury Park. Profession: General contractor. Style model: Sean Connery. Makeover strategy: A shorter hairstyle at Frederic Fekkai, and a casually chic ensemble from Prestigio at Fashion Square, Sherman Oaks. His jacket is by Zingaro, shirt by Hugo Boss, trousers by Zanella, and monk strap shoes by Pal Zileri Pal Zileri is a fashion house based in Vicenza, Italy specialising in clothing for men. Pal Zileri clothing can be bought in many clothing stores around the world. Their clothing lines include Pal Zileri Lab and Pal Zileri Sport. External links
(9--10--Color) Name: Gerry Curtis Personal stats: 43; married; four children; lives in Northridge. Profession: Sales/technical support engineer. Style model: Billy Dee Williams. Makeover strategy: A more squared-off hair style and artistically trimmed beard at Frederic Fekkai and a snazzy snaz·zy adj. snaz·zi·er, snaz·zi·est Slang Fashionable or flashy. [Origin unknown.] snaz suit from Bloomingdale's at Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks. His suit and shirt are by Joseph Abboud, tie by Metropolitan View, and burgundy shoes by Johnston & Murphy. Photos by Andy Holzman/Daily News Box: Letter writers were looking out for the old man (See text) |
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