ONTD

We aren't going to lie here — we watch White Collar, but we're a bit hazy on the plot lines. It's hard, really, to focus when hottie Matt Bomer, who plays con-man Neal Caffrey with such devious aplomb, is on screen.

So, color us amped when we got the chance to chat with the suited-up smokeshow at last night's Park & Bond dinner; the intimate three-course meal at Minetta Lane's cozy Perla celebrated the shopping site's "NYC's Most Stylish Dads" feature — and, no brainer, Bomer really leads the Big Apple pack.

And, when he wasn't schooling us on "sartorial porn" (his words, not ours....swoonage), Mr. Matt proved that he's way, way more than just a pretty face. Read on for our quick-hitting Q&A, where Bomer talks all things children (he has three kids with husband Simon Halls), menswear, and his perfect Father's Day present.


Tell us about how you find a suit — a lot of dudes don’t know how to find the perfect one.
"Well, one thing I’ve certainly learned from being on the show is the importance of a tailor. If you like a suit, just because it doesn’t fit you off the rack doesn’t mean that you should give up on it. A good tailor can make anything work. For me, it depends from designer to designer: I feel like a lot of times I’m picking something for a specific event so that will be my guide process to which designer I wear. If I wanna pop of color, I’ll go Paul Smith; if I want something a little more traditional that I’ll feel more confident and comfortable in, I’ll go Tom Ford... it just depends."



And what about for everyday wear, who are some of your favorite designers?
"Casual look? I love the stuff that Michael Bastian does for GANT. Especially in the summertime, the colors he uses…it fits well and it’s fun, you know? It says summertime to me. But in my personal life, I’m a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. I really like hoodies and jeans and tees, but when I’m stepping it out, it just depends. I love Billy Reid, he has a lot of great stuff this summer."

Do you have a stylist?
"No."

You do it all yourself?
"Yeah."

Where else do you shop?
"I used to live in the West Village so a lot of my life — because I’m so busy shooting most of the time — was confined to Bleecker Street, between Ralph Lauren, James Perse, Marc Jacobs, GANT, Jack Spade, and Brooks Brothers."

And how are you involved with Park & Bond?
"Well, the reason I wanted to be here tonight is because all the proceeds from these ties that they’ve made, from great designers like Ovadia & Sons go to Boys Club of New York, an incredible organization which has obviously been around for a long time, and gives people a chance to become responsible members of society and get a foot up in the world and make something with their lives."

When you say it’s amazing to be acknowledged as a Dad, what do you mean by that?
"I think there are a lot more guys in New York who are a lot more stylish than I am, so I’m lucky to be on a show that features a lot of sartorial porm, and I’ve learned a lot from that, I have a lot of help on the show, but you know, more importantly than that is to be acknowledged as a Dad. Dad sounds good, man!"

Do you have any parenting tips for living in New York City?
"Oh man...We have three boys so everything is so kinetic. They’re so outdoors-orientated so there are days when we just have to find an outdoor venue, run around Sheep's Meadow, or go to things like the Intrepid Museum where they can see all things like the airplanes and space shuttles. My advice for being a parent in the city is just doing the research to find out what the best outlook for your kids’ personality is."

Do you think there is advantage to raising them in the city, versus the suburbs?
"Culturally, I think there is such an advantage for kids to grow up in a metropolitan environment, especially in New York City. I mean, this is the hub of all culture in America in my opinion. They are exposed to so many things, that teach them a lot of lessons about life, art and culture from a very young age. It gives them an edge up in some ways. At the same time, in an environment where so much is going on, you have to figure out how to shelter them within that environment."

Do they take style cues from you, or do they have their own fashion sense?
"You know, our oldest, I think he’s seen a lot of marketing material for White Collar, so he has this fascination with ties, and he has this old Thom Browne thing going on where we’ll say we’re going out for dinner and he’ll come down in a polo shirt, a tie, blue blazer, shorts, and black skinny loafers. We just embrace it and say you look fantastic. He’s seven. It’s incredible, if that’s what you wanna wear, do it."

So you let your kids dress themselves?
"Absolutely. I wanna let them cultivate their own sense of expression in the world, and style is a great way to do that."

Do you go shopping with them?
"Well you know, they’re boys, they’re seven and four so they don’t have a whole lot of patience for shopping per se, but to be honest with you, and I’m not just saying this because I’m here tonight, I do a lot of my shopping for them on Gilt. It’s an easy way to get things especially with the hours I do, I don’t have the time to go door-to-door to do their shopping, so I just do it online and try them on, it’s awesome."

Finally, what do you want for Father’s Day?
"Oh, I have no expectations for any gift. The kids always do something really nice for us, a book of photos, a picture frame of them, which is great, but to me the most important thing is to spend time together. A BBQ out back, spending time in the pool, it’s awesome."

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