"It is a wise father that knows his own child."

Photos by KEITH HADLEY / Staff (ENLARGE)

Morris Kalinsky, who owns shoe stores in Charleston, S.C., and Charlotte, passed along his love of fashion to son Jeffrey Kalinsky.

(ENLARGE)

Food and style are a family affair for (from left) Pano Alexander King Karatassos, 5, Pano Ignatius Karatassos, Ignatius Pano Karatassos and Lucas King Karatassos, 2.

(ENLARGE)

"I think she will get a true sense of style because of how I dress, as long as I instill in her how important it is to be a lady," says Shawn Lovings of his daughter, Sierra, 6.

— William Shakespeare

Today, Father's Day, we honor the guy who taught us how to ride a bicycle or surf the Net. Perhaps he dressed us in our school uniform, made us breakfast and got us to the bus stop on time.

And then, there are matters of style.

Fathers, whether their style is trendy or classic, pass on to their children the all-important lesson of being well-dressed. It's not so much about what you wear, but how you wear it.

Atlanta business owner Shawn Lovings always admired the way his father dressed.

"Men from the '30s, '40s and '50s had a classic sense of style that was very simple," he said. "But they had an elegance that made them look like men."

So on your day, Dad, celebrate in a sartorial fashion!

Take a look at some fathers and how they inspire.

Like father, like son

Long before Jeffrey Kalinsky was a force in fashion, his father, Morris, had a reputation as the dapper owner of the Bob Ellis shoe store in Charleston, S.C.

"I've been in business 56 years, and I've always liked fashion," said the elder Kalinsky, 82. Ever the Southern gentleman, he wouldn't dream of stepping into his store without a long-sleeve shirt and coordinating tie.

"I'm a happy dressed person," Kalinsky said. "I like things to blend. And that makes me feel good."

Over the past five decades, Kalinsky, who also owns a shoe store in Charlotte, has influenced the way women buy shoes. Two sons are following in his footsteps — Jeffrey in New York, Barry in Charleston and Charlotte. And it's been an easy journey.

"You can't teach fashion. You are born with it," Kalinsky said.

Believe in yourself

This son of the South plays on an international fashion field.

Like his father, Jeffrey Kalinsky's fashion influence is widely felt — as the founding owner of Jeffrey boutiques in Atlanta and New York and as president of designer merchandise for Nordstrom.

But when it comes to his own style, Kalinsky, 43, does not follow in his father's footsteps. Morris Kalinsky is a traditional dresser, while Jeffrey refers to his own look as "modern classic."

Careful, preppy and thoughtful, he seldom wears ties to work. When he does wear suits, Kalinsky favors Thom Brown. Yet the fashion icon speaks with pride about his father's time-tested retail principles. "He's a great goodwill ambassador and the best merchant," said Kalinsky. "He's very old-school, and I am proud that he's my dad." Dad's best advice? "Believe in yourself."

Food + fashion = style

Pano Ignatius Karatassos, 35, father of Pano Alexander King Karatassos, 5, and Lucas King Karatassos, 2

As executive chef of the Greek restaurant Kyma, Pano Ignatius Karatassos, 35, caters to upscale tastes. When it comes to clothes, he's a tad more casual than his father, Ignatius Pano Karatassos, founder of the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. He prefers slacks with button-down-collar shirts and sport jackets. "And I don't like wearing neckties," he said.

Make no mistake: As a child, Pano followed the fashion dictates of his father to the letter.

"Every Sunday as kids, we would go to brunch, where my father was working at a resort in Missouri," he recalled. "Dad could never get us to wear saddle oxfords. I would take tennis shoes for me and my brother. Then, when we arrived at the resort, there would be Dad and we had to put on those saddle oxfords, which were hard on your feet."

As for teaching sons Pano Alexander King Karatassos, 5, and Lucas King Karatassos, 2, about fashion, Karatassos said, "Clothes reflect who you are. As my sons grow up and develop their own style, I hope they remember this."

Dad sets the trend

Ignatius Pano Karatassos, 67, father of Pano Ignatius Karatassos, 35

As style arbiter for the family and the Buckhead Life restaurants, Ignatius Pano Karatassos, 67, always means business.

"They [my sons] were pretty good about dressing up," he said. "They were expected to dress like little men."

Karatassos, whose empire includes Bluepointe, Nava and Buckhead Diner, follows in the style mode of his father: "He was always in a suit and white shirt and looked neat as a pin."

Karatassos' own style is simple. He usually wears a suit to work, so he has a good collection of colorful ties and shirts. "I need to set the trend," Karatassos said of his business attire. Most pieces are tailored, and he picks out everything, occasionally asking his wife for advice. At home, the restaurant czar relaxes in a T-shirt and shorts.

Maintaining his work gear means following advice Karatassos received from his dad: "Take good care of your clothes."

What you wear is who you are

Shawn Lovings, 35, father of Sierra Lovings, 6

Shawn Lovings started wearing a suit when he was 5 years old. Of course, that meant he was taunted by other kids, but many ended up following his lead.

"A suit is like my armor," said Lovings, owner of Core Consulting and Marketing. "What I decide to wear dictates the type of person I'm going to become that day."

Lovings, local winner of Esquire's "Best-Dressed Real Man in America" competition, credits his dad with teaching him to put effort into his appearance. He hopes that his daughter, Sierra, picks up a few pointers from him.

"I think she will get a true sense of style because of how I dress," Lovings said, "as long as I instill in her how important it is to be a lady."

Sierra is every bit the lady when she visits Lovings at work, tapping quietly on her Barbie laptop while waiting for Dad to finish up.

"I like [Dad's] pink and black outfit," she said, referring to the charcoal-gray pinstriped suit and pink and white shirt that won Lovings the Esquire title. Sierra helped him pick out the shirt that day.

Pink, after all, is her favorite color.