Prince William is a ‘dad’ but Harry is a ‘daddy’. How can you tell?

Social media has transformed the affectionate term for men fulfilling their fatherhood potential into a symbol of mature style potency that comes with its own wardrobe – children optional.

To illustrate this difference, Hamish Blake, the Australian Father of the Year for 2023, is a dad rather than a daddy, despite having two children. Meanwhile, his childless comedy partner, Andy Lee, is definitely a daddy. Put this down to Blake’s commitment to dad-core staples such as jeans, chinos and navy jumpers while Lee exudes Big Daddy Energy thanks to relaxed suiting from Australian tailor P Johnson and eyewear with attitude.

The difference in dressing like a dad or a daddy.

For a more regal example, Prince William is definitely made of dad material in his stiff suiting, while the Californication of Prince Harry’s wardrobe puts him in the daddy category.

The title of “the internet’s biggest daddy” belongs to The Last of Us actor Pedro Pascal. In an interview for The Hollywood Reporter, he suggested the “daddy” issue was related to his on-screen roles, adding that in real life he is not a parent: “And I’m not gonna be a daddy!”

Actor Pedro Pascal, who doesn’t have children, is also known as “the internet’s biggest daddy”.Credit: Beau Grealy/Trunk Archive/Snapper

There is a daddy swagger, however, to Pascal’s red-carpet choices, and it has nothing to do with DNA distribution. It’s the short suits, billowing wide-leg pants and knitwear thrown over the shoulders with Milanese flair that exude daddy energy in stark contrast to the waxed trucker jacket from US brand Flint and Tinder worn by his zombie-hunting character, Joel Miller.

Martin Walsh, the owner of Australian agency Chadwick Models, has watched the fashion industry expand to create this new space for older men with a semblance of style that stretches beyond polo shirts and moleskins. A chisel-jawed father of two, Walsh was a fixture of the international modelling scene in the 1980s, delivering blue-steel stares for Valentino and David Jones.

“It was a bit different when I was modelling,” says Walsh. “I think most men would pick a style of pants when they were in their 30s and stick with them until the grave and sometimes beyond.

“Now the opportunities have opened up for older models such as Marty Thomas, who really owns that space on the runway in Australia. He brings with him the energy and experience that has come from being a father in real life along with that special something some people are calling ‘daddy’.”

The Sydney-based Thomas, who has modelled for The Iconic, R.M. Williams and Farage, has accrued more than 300,000 followers on Instagram with his take on daddy style. “Marty certainly hasn’t stuck to the one pair of trousers,” says Walsh.

Thomas has tapped into the key aspect that can make any dad a daddy, which is fashion confidence. Basically, being boring is clothing contraception that prevents dads becoming daddies.

Here are some style short cuts to pulling off the paternalistic trend.

From left: Oversize bermuda shorts on the Fendi runway. Classic Armani double breasted jacket. Silk shirt by The Tales Customs.

BERMUDA SHORTS

Leave the jorts revival to millennials and short shorts to Gladiator actor Paul Mescal and AFL players. Knee-skimming bermuda shorts signal leg confidence but with sufficient thigh coverage to demonstrate a commitment to quality fabrics.

Happy singer and noted daddy Pharrell Williams, who’s also Louis Vuitton’s creative director for menswear, is a fan of styling floaty blazers above bermuda shorts on the Paris runway. It’s the mature approach to acknowledging warmer weather without looking as though you’re pushing the limits of the beach-to-bar trend by wearing board shorts to your favourite restaurant.

Take your cues from Pascal and his Valentino shorts-and-coat combination, or look to the Fendi runway where billowing shorts offered a more casual silhouette reminiscent of new father Justin Bieber.

DOUBLE-BREASTED JACKETS

The double-breasted blazer or suit jacket continues to be the daddy’s choice, demonstrating the type of confidence that won’t be satisfied by a single button.

You can wear double-breasted jackets above bermuda shorts, but trousers with a generous cut (skinny silhouettes are not daddy) can do double duty in the office from Monday to Friday.

Unless you’re at a wedding, in the boardroom or at the races, ditch the tie and let your shirt collar stretch over your lapel. If you’re feeling especially confident in your daddy bod, trade the shirt for a tank top or waistcoat and keep the jacket’s silhouette slightly oversized in the spirit of Giorgio Armani.

SILK SHIRTS

Being a daddy means being in touch with your feminine side. Pascal again leads the way with blouse-style shirts, but away from Hollywood, silk shirts like those from emerging Australian menswear brand The Tales Customs are not only a sensual step up from last season’s linen shirts and crocheted polo shirts but a safer bet.

A boxy, dramatic silhouette should stop people from asking whether you borrowed your shirt from mummy. But if you did, that move would be so daddy.

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