Gird Your Loins and Grab Your Stacy Adams, Because Cat Daddies Are Back on the Prowl in Detroit

What our “new normal” looks like may still be in question, but in Detroit, the city’s Avenue of Fashion recently hosted a heartwarming sight. Dozens of men dusted off their Stacy Adams and favorite—and in many cases, flashiest—suits to compete in the Times Square competition for best dressed. Reporter Charlie Langton of local stations WJBK Fox 2 and WWJ News Radio 950 was the emcee for the “amazing event” that appears to have taken place last weekend, tweeting out a video of the contestants on Sunday.

There were pinstripes, plaids, French cuffs, bowties, vests, wingtips, Steve Harvey six-button specials and a lot of headwear—and at least one silver fox standout whose Versace-inspired fit coordinated from brim to sole (because you’ve got to coordinate!). In the immortal words of YouTuber Darell J. Hunt: “You can’t outdo Black people…c’mon, Papa!”

Frankly, we never thought we’d be this happy to see what one anonymous social media user rightly dubbed “CatDaddyCon” (h/t The Root’s contributing writer Shanelle Genai). But something about this assemblage of predominantly middle-aged to elder “suited and booted” Black men reminded us of a simpler time, one in which family cookouts required unlimited Henny rather than masks and social distancing, one could still find an open club to be the “old guy” in, and every deacon had his day to stunt at Sunday service.

Ahh, the good old days, when every man tipped his wide-brimmed, feathered and questionably hued fedora in greeting when passing. The unfettered white parties of our youth may remain indefinitely on hold for now, but the dapper gentlemen of Detroit give us hope that we will indeed return to indulging in overdressed shenanigans some day soon. We only have one question: What does one win for winning “CatDaddyCon”? A cubic zirconia tie clip? A custom eight-button suit? Or—and we can only dream—a bronzed Stacy Adams crocodile brogue?