You are probably thinking, “Where are your pants, Sonia?” And it’s a valid question, it really is. But while I assure that I am in fact wearing cut-offs in full never-nude form underneath this oversize button-down, the notion of pants (or shorts) is irrelevant here. What is relevant is my Dad’s giant shirt.

For Mother’s Day I showed you how to style Mom Jeans, or more specifically, my Mom’s jeans circa 1985. But what about Father’s Day? Originally, my plan was to dress like my Dad since we own a few fairly similar pieces: red and white striped button-down, khakis, tassel loafers. But then he showed up at my apartment with one of his old crisp white shirts deeming it unwearable due to a mini hole up near the collar. Never one to turn down a freebie or opportunity to have pedestrians take a double-look as they question whether I’m wearing pants, I gladly took the shirt from his hands and promptly hung it up in the dress section of my closet.

There were a few iconic giant shirt movie moments going through my mind while styling my Dad’s shirt. The first was Risky Business, but since I am not the biggest Tom Cruise fan and have a hard time thinking of tube socks as anything but a teenage boy’s favorite vessel, I decided not to imitate the look to its entirety — though, yes, I did wear wayfarers in true Joel Goodsen form. Then my noggin went to Pretty Woman, when Julia Roberts borrows Richard Gere’s shirt to wear shopping since she can’t very well go out on Rodeo Drive in her prostitute outfit, now can she!? So, she puts his white button-down on and ties the bottom half of the shirt so it sits as more of an oversize crop-top. I admittedly tried doing this but the resemblance to Julia Roberts’ half-hooker half-Richard outfit was too close. So I nixed that. Finally, my mind took me to the memory of when Carrie Bradshaw falls into the pond in Central Park while trying to avoid Mr. Big’s unclear kiss/hug hybrid (it’s the Cock-a-Doodle-Doo episode in Season 3, FYI). She then goes back to Big’s apartment to shower and borrows one of his white button-downs to wear with her stilettos on her strut home. As a forever admirer of Carrie’s style, this was clearly the winner. One pair of red pumps and a few bulky accessories and Dad’s shirt turned into that effortless outfit Carrie wears as if she had intentionally put it on that morning while getting dressed.

So is this an everyday look? Probably not. But for something to throw on quickly while running out the door? Why not! Just add pumps, consider shorts, and go.

My Dad’s shirt | the shorts are irrelevant but they’re vintage Levi’s | Boutique9 heels | Ray-Ban sunglasses | Kenneth Cole watch

// photos by Emily Malan