An American Family:

  

What They're Wearing Now

 
 

By ELLEN TIEN AND JENNIFER TUNG

Published: November 26, 2006

Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and remembrances, kitchen idylls and football gods. Mostly it is a time for coming together. Two weeks ago, three generations of the Miguel-Strah family gathered at the Manhattan loft where Barry Miguel, the president of Zac Posen, and his partner David Strah, a real estate agent and an author of ''Gay Dads: A Celebration of Fatherhood,'' live with their adopted children, Zev, 8, and Summer, 5. Joining them were Mr. Miguel's parents, Ron and Ruth Miguel from San Francisco; Mr. Strah's father, Michael-Penn Strah, and stepmother, Sara Penn-Strah, ministers from Lowell, Mass.; Susan Gallin, Mr. Strah's sister's mother-in-law, a Broadway producer; and Naomi Ben-Or, 28, and Ivria Ben-Or, 26, Barry's nieces.

On Thanksgiving, their number doubled. But on this day, some family members pondered their style DNA.

BARRY MIGUEL (seated, center left; suit by Z Zegna): ''I've always loved fashion. But if you looked in my closet, no matter what decade, you would always find the following: white shirts, white T-shirts, navy suits, gray suits, navy blazers, gray trousers and a good pair of jeans.

Ruth Miguel (third from left, seated; pants by Babette, silk top from the Giftcenter in San Francisco): ''I created a monster. I used to dress him up when he was a little boy.''

Barry: ''My father bought me my first Robert Talbott ascot when I was 8.''

Ron Miguel (far left, seated): ''My shirt and ascot are by Robert Talbott. I've bought things from him for 50 years. My jacket is Bassoni. If you stay with classics you've got it made.''

David Strah (seated, center): ''This sweater is by Thom Browne. My sneakers are by Nike for Scoop. Before I met Barry, I dressed more traditionally, boy-next-door. During the 15 years we've been together, my fashion horizon has expanded. But most of the time, I'm running after the kids.''

Summer Miguel-Strah (seated, center; IKKS faux fur vest, Floriane skirt, Venettini boots): ''Will you please stop talking? Look at my boots!''

Susan Gallin (second from left, standing; sweater by Rick Owens, skirt by Marithé François Girbaud): ''My earrings are by Yvonne Christa, and people always ask me about them. My bracelets are by Sidney Garber. A group of my friends has them. They're our ''kabbalah bracelets.''

Michael Penn-Strah (fourth from right, facing his wife): ''I have no clue what I'm wearing. [Looks in jacket.] This says Chaps by Ralph Lauren. [Leaves room momentarily.] My pants are Pierre Cardin.''

Naomi Ben-Or (second from right, facing Ivria Ben-Or; dress by Zac Posen, boots by Dune): ''I work in marketing at Morgan Stanley so I usually wear a suit, but this dress is so soft and fits nicely -- it's made for women with curves.''

Summer: ''Please stop talking! Do you like my lip gloss?''

Zev Miguel-Strah (seated, center; brown corduroy suit by Charabia): ''Basically I wear jeans and polo shirts. My favorite colors are blue and black.''

Summer: ''My favorite colors are green and blue.''

Zev: ''My other favorite colors are red and scarlet. On the guitar I can play 'Twist and Shout,' 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' and 'Ode to Joy.' ''

Summer: ''Stop talking now!''

Zev: ''Being a big brother is hard. Sometimes it's so hard that I can barely concentrate.''