Eclectic Charming Dad on the Street Evan Kidd
Whether he’s making his way down high-fashion catwalks, running his multi-media company, or playing on the beach with his girls, Eclectic Charming Dad on the Street Evan Kidd exudes confidence and style.
Meet Evan
I’m Evan Kidd, a Norfolk, VA native. For my first career, I was an international fashion model for 13 years or so (2000 – 2013). I then returned back to the 757 to go to get my BA in Cinema-Television (Regent University, 2012). Now, I own and run a multi-media company called EKCO LLC (Evan Kidd Company). You can also find me freelancing, working on motion pictures for TV series and the big screen. I’ve been happily married to my wife, Carly, since 2014, and God has blessed us with two daughters, Lola (est. 2016) and Cecile (est. 2019).
Eclectic Charming (and Former Model) Style
Which three words best describe your style? Charming, Eclectic, Easygoing
What are your favorite places to shop? Ask my stylist, my wife. If I bought my clothes, Target has been the winner bc I can find a good v-neck t-shirt and some fitted jeans. I also love a good thrift store because I can find some tasty vintage. It’s the thrill of the hunt and finding something that no one else has, not to mention the epic bargains.
Who’s your favorite style icon? Throughout my 20’s, I was supposed to be “the icon,” being an international fashion model. After living and working with the kings and queens of fashion in Paris, Milan, London, New York, Germany, Australia, and Tokyo, I still can’t answer that question. I think fashion and style are intrinsically related to what someone’s personality is. The trick to wearing any fashion or any style is confidence. It’s being comfortable in your own skin to where ultimately, the fabric on your back is just an accent that goes along with the unique personality God gave you. Above all, confidence is key. If you’re confident, you can basically throw on anything or nothing at all, and absolutely strut it like a peacock.
What’s your best style advice? Be yourself, because no one else can.
What trend did you love at the time, but now cringe when you see old photos? I remember when the Looney Tunes gear was out in the ’90s. I was in middle school and I rocked a funky-colored, Bugs Bunny / Looney Tunes character necktie for school picture day a couple of years in a row. And a few of those Bugs, Sylvester, Tasmanian devil t-shirts at summer camp. Ugh.
Facial hair or clean-shaven? The always stylish scruff is my M.O.
Eclectic Charming Family
What’s your favorite way to spend time with your family? On beautiful days we go for walks at Norfolk Botanical Gardens, ride bikes around the neighborhood, swim at the pool, or just hang out at family’s or a friend’s houses for cook-outs.
What’s been your best family vacation? When you have kids you really don’t “go on vacation.”
We call them “trips with a change of scenery.” My favorite trip, so far, was to a private, beautiful, waterfront house on the Eastern Shore of VA. You pull up to a big, grassy yard surrounded by tall conifers, a play set was just waiting to entertain the kids in the middle of the yard. We brought a pop tent, to give the kiddies an option to “camp” even though we had a perfect house that slept everyone. The kids chose to sleep in the house but had fun building the tent. We played games, kayaked, and explored the water. We cooked out and at night we lit up the fire pit, made s’mores, and put the kids to bed. The adults then awarded our hard work with some strong drinks and had great conversations with family and friends.
Family Activities
What’s your favorite family activity? It sounds corny, but anywhere that we’re all together is a favorite activity. I love it when we are all together. Although, I am fond of cook-outs with friends and family in any backyard. Double the fun if there is a pool! We also, almost every day, have a blast tossing the babes into a sea of pillows on our king size bed.
What’s your go-to family dinner? The ultimate home run? Baked, wild-caught salmon with an Israeli pearled couscous salad. If we’re in a time pinch, we make “spinny noodles” (Rotini) with butter and parmesan cheese and some type of vegetable.
What’s your favorite family restaurant? We don’t get to enjoy restaurants at this age. Our girls, Lola and Cecile (4 and 1) are all action with two speeds, on / off, so they really don’t sit still more than 15-20 minutes. We are definitely not the “just give the kid an iPhone” type of parents because we want our girls to learn how to talk to and interact with people. Crayons can only go so far and chasing your one year old around while your spouse eats then switch shifts to return to cold food is no fun.
Parenting Advice
Best parenting advice: There are a LOT of books on this stuff which means there is a TON of advice and information out there. But how your child acts and responds is different from the next. Siblings are just as different. So with that in mind, the following tips are my Go-to’s:
- Go with the flow. Don’t be so intent on being “the all-powerful parent who must be obeyed and follow the schedule.” There is a lot of fun to be had, spontaneously, living your second childhood, discovering, teaching, and learning from and with your kids.
- Do what Cesar Milan, the dog whisper, says, “Be calm and assertive.” This works in almost every situation. There is no need to flip your lid on the little things. Yes, parenting can be frustrating but your kids are watching and listening constantly, so monkey see monkey do.
- Play / Live it up! I find that your children listen and respond so much better to the parent who plays with them, spends time with them, listens to, and understands them. They also respond better when you need to discipline because you have established a foundation of communication where they can differentiate between the fun dad and the serious dad. In most cases, you don’t even have to raise your voice.
What’s your dad superpower? Precognitive. It’s like a Spidey-sense. I’ve lost count to how many times I’ve saved my kids life just by knowing what was going to happen in advance. It’s like you can see what’s going to go wrong as soon as their little eyes or hands land on / touch something in any given situation
Parenting true confession: Sometimes I end up eating most of the snacks we bring for the girls.
Eclectic Charming Life
What’s your favorite show to binge-watch? We are more of a popcorn and a movie kind of fam.
If you could pick anyone to star as you in a movie based on your life, who would it be? Matthew McConaughey What’s your favorite sport and why? I used to be a few-time VA state karate champion in high school. During my travels, while modeling, I also skateboarded, road street BMX, and surfed. I dig the independence and the individuality of these sports. They are also very physical and require a lot of balance. Life is a lot like that. I also like the fact that if you’re not doing so hot that day the only one who gets the blame is yourself.
What’s your favorite family dance party song? “Gangnam Style” was top at one point and “Single Ladies” was a big hit. But, it changes every other month. Our current car dance song at the moment is, “Feels Better When I’m Dancin‘” (Megan Trainer).
If you could hang out with anyone from history, living or deceased, who would it be? Gotta be my ultimate hero, Jesus.
What’s at the top of your travel bucket list? It’s a toss-up between The Holy Land, an African safari, Tuscany, Egypt, Machu Picchu, or somewhere in the South Pacific… although a rocket to space trip would be cool if I could get a ticket.
What’s your favorite way to unwind at the end of a long day? Sitting with my smokin’ hot wife, sharing a cocktail and talking about life, our days, and how much our girls make us smile.
Finding Your Own Eclectic Charming Style
We love the way Evan approaches parenthood, style, and life. His confidence and enthusiasm for life, especially as a dad, are so apparent by the way he loves spending quality time with his family. He definitely reminds us that if life’s a catwalk, give it your best strut!
Be sure to check out his LinkedIn page to find out more about him and his work. And for more interesting and stylish dads, check out our Dad on the Street Channel!
