Daddy's Girl: 5 Ways To Be the Coolest of the Cool

I must confess, I'm quite the Daddy's girl--as anyone who knows me will tell you. So you can imagine that my world was turned quite literally upside-down with the passing of my beloved Daddy, Nicholas Fish Warner, last Thursday, September 10. All fashion sentiments--of white after Labor Day, the Manolos I so coveted, and the split ends that desperately needed attending to--immediately disappated with just one phone call.

Today, let this post be a tribute to the man who, among other things, taught me how to adapt rather than conform; to conquer each day; and, of course, how to wear leather pants.

Not every girl can claim they inherited a pair of leather pants from their rockstar (figuratively, if not literally) father. It's true, I am lucky. But before you start seeing green, allow me to share some of Daddy's infine wisdom, in the form of the following top 5 list. You can think of it as a "how to" guide on being the coolest of the cool... Because cool is always in fashion.

1. Adapt, Don't Conform: This one is a life lesson and thus applicable to all areas. Yet, as the self-proclaimed fashionista that I am, I can attest that it's especially important in fashion. As could Daddy, who wore a silver lamé suit to his high school graduation. The thing is, we all love trends, but try to avoid being a total fashion victim. Rather, find a way to interpret what's hot hot hot and to make the look all your own.

2. Find Your Voice: I've always admired those who could walk up to any group and strike up a conversation. I am so not this person, but that doesn't mean I lack a voice. Obviously. While I may not know much about painting (unlike Daddy, who was a genius), cooking (he made a mean beef stew), or politics, I know fashion. And so do you! I mean, you're reading my blog, are you not?

3. Write It Down: Daddy was the most gentlemanly of gentleman, and he was amazingly able to maintain both written and electronic correspondence with those important to him for all of his life. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: fashion loves manners. It's no coincidence that some of the coolest artists and designers have their own lines of stationery. Write that down!

4. Wear It Well: Unlike the 99.9% of people I know, I don't think I ever saw Daddy wearing a pair of jeans. What I consider uniform just didn't enter his reality, as he favored Dickies and Carhaart over all else. The moral of the story? Whatever fashion god you pray to, the only "must" is that you wear it well.

5. Enjoy Every Sandwich: Whether it was painting in his studio, sneaking off for a burger at The Bucket, blasting music in the car, driving across country, or dancing in the kitchen with Momma on Christmas, Daddy's life was consumed by the people, places, and things that he loved. Yours should be too.

Of all the things I have discovered in the past twelve days, perhaps this is the most important: once a Daddy's girl, always a Daddy's girl. You see, not even death can undo something as powerful as love. In the immortal words of Coco Chanel, Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening. Daddy was and is all of these things to me. To know him was to love him, as he left no life untouched. I can only hope that, in reading this, you somehow know him a little bit better--for that would make you infinitely cooler.

Requiescat in pace.

Images, in order of appearance: (1) Daddy, photographed by Leta Warner; (2) Daddy, photographed by me; (3) Momma, Daddy, and me.