10 Funky, Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts That Aren’t Socks, Ties, or Mugs

Ah, Father’s Day gifting. Mother’s Day commerce is notoriously driven by guerrilla marketing, the kind that hawks goods and services, from the saccharine to the prohibitively priced, intended to deliver a day of relaxation, recognition, and pampering. But Father’s Day gifting is harder to figure out. Whether you’re honoring your father or the father of your children, it’s good to have options beyond the proverbial, old-timey tie.

If you’re shopping for a dad like mine, he is an absolute pragmatist and feels there is nothing at all that he needs. If he is like my husband, he is an aesthete with a great style, which I sometimes cannot anticipate. The trick with both extremes is to find the thing he didn’t even know he needed/existed, one that appeals to his sense of style but also purpose. No one will be missing that coffee mug once they unbox one of these beauties:

4Handkerchiefs


Not everything with a retro flair translates well to our modern lifestyles, but there are few things that have made me want to instantaneously renew my vows with my husband and have 10 more kids with him than the times he solved a mucus/schmutz/barf situation with a handkerchief. Have plain ones monogrammed for an extra personal touch.