July 14, 2023
Mothers and daughters don’t always agree when it comes to fashion. We challenged a duo whose styles rarely mesh to create outfits using the same pieces. The upshot: They’re less dissimilar than they thought.
By guest author Emilia Petrarca / Photography by Ashley Markle for the Wall Street Journal; Styling by Kevin Huynh. Styling Assist by Christina Middleton; Hair and Makeup by Roy Liu; Location: Gary’s Lofts.
I NEVER thought she’d do it. A photo shoot for a newspaper? About fashion? Not in a million years.
My mom, Sarah Bartlett, 68, is a no-nonsense person. At 31, I look to her for sage guidance on everything—except fashion. She generally dislikes shopping, has worn the same Uniqlo leggings and Merrell shoes for as long as I can remember and, despite a long career in journalism, has never subscribed to a fashion magazine. The only fashion stories she’s read are mine.
“I never put much thought into style,” she said. In this way, we couldn’t be more different. And yet, she agreed to undertake The Wall Street Journal’s challenge with me: to build outfits using a variety of on-trend pieces mixed with our own clothes. This story forced us to talk about style—our relationship to it, its role in our lives—in ways we never had before.
Pleated Skirt, USD 725, ShopAttersee.co
I have my dad’s Mediterranean colouring, but green is one colour that flatters both me and my mom. I styled the skirt with my black Agnes B. cardigan, a piece my mom wore when I was growing up. She went with a hand-embroidered shirt she bought on our family vacation to Laos in 2019. “It brings back nice memories,” she said.
The role style plays in mother-daughter relationships is complex. “We learn through observation,” said Dr. Carolyn Mair, a London cognitive psychologist. So as daughters observe their mothers’ choices, their own styles are influenced. Some daughters like what they see; others run in the opposite direction. Often, it’s a mix of both.
New York fashion designer Rachel Antonoff, 42, remembers cringing at a pair of red sweatpants her mother would wear to pick her up from school. “They strongly suggested, ‘I’m not wearing underwear because I didn’t have time,’” she said.
“Trends change over time, and what was fashionable during the mother’s youth may differ significantly from current trends embraced by the daughter,” said Mair. “These differences can lead to…disagreements regarding what is considered stylish and appropriate.”
This photo shoot with my mom was an experiment. Though we weren’t sharing clothes, we did style three of the same pieces in our own way. I arrived to set with multiple suitcases full of designer clothes and shoes; my mom, just an edited selection of preferred items.
I got my interest in fashion from my dad—an architect who’d take me with him to Barneys and appreciated Dries Van Noten and Giorgio Armani. He died in 2003, when I was 11, leaving my mom to raise two kids. Time and money were precious commodities for her; trendy new clothes were not.
In general, she prefers leggings to pants or jeans, and I tend to agree, but I went with bike shorts to make it a little flirtier. She refuses to show her knees.
Embroidered Tunic Top, USD 1898, ToryBurch.com
Growing up, I saw this “difference in priorities,” as my mom puts it, as a disconnect. It wasn’t that she didn’t support me—she did. But we argued over my shopping habits and I felt she did not understand this significant part of me.
Arielle Patrick, 34, a chief communications officer at an investment firm in New York, grew up in opposite circumstances. She was “never allowed” to pick out clothes. Her mom, Beverly Jocelyn-Patrick, 57, bought everything for her. “I was raised by immigrant parents, and they were loving but strict,” said Patrick. This applied to style. “There were so many rules.” No makeup or heels until prom. No sneakers.
When her daughter was growing up in the ’90s, said Jocelyn-Patrick, then-fashionable clothing made kids “look like little adults.” She wanted her daughter to develop her own style, but also to dress in an “age-appropriate” way. It was a “tug of war,” she said.
A lot of teenagers would have fought back, but Patrick appreciated her mom’s taste. “I mean, there were probably moments when I wish I could have been more made-up or looked more adult, but I look back now and I’m like, thank God.” Patrick’s mother selects most of her wardrobe to this day. “She can spot a dress from across the store and know whether it will fit me or not. I think that’s really special.”
“Despite the potential for conflict, fashion can serve as a means to build bonds between mothers and daughters,” Mair said. “Mothers can play a crucial role in supporting their daughters’ style choices to help build their self-esteem.”
Sweater Set If there’s one clothing item my mom and I will share, it’s a good sweater. We’d both buy this one. I went for playful styling, pairing the sweater with my red Prada shorts of a similar texture, while my mom teamed it with her blue-and-white pants suited for a sailboat or a dinner party upstate.
I’m not sure my mom will ever understand why I needed red Prada shorts more than a good credit score. But she gets that my desire for such things runs deep; it’s not a vapid obsession.
As an adult, Antonoff has come to around to her mom’s style. “She taught me about comfort,” Antonoff said. And about being comfortable in your own skin. “She didn’t feel societal pressure to be like the other moms; she did her own thing.”
Mothers can learn from their daughters, too. In December, Ella Potter, 18, and her mom, Larissa Mills, 52, took part in a viral TikTok challenge that involved daughters dressing their mothers in outfits from their own closets. Potter, a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, chose something she knew her mom would never wear: a lace-up corset and mini skirt. When her mom, who lives in Beverly Farms, Mass., emerged, she did a runway walk. “I thought it was funny, but I was also embarrassed,” said Mills of the resulting video. But watching her daughter confidently embrace style has inspired Mills to do the same.
After this photo shoot, I realised my mom and I aren’t entirely dissimilar in terms of clothes. We’re uncompromising about fabric and fit, and we’re equally stubborn about what we do and do not like.
Style is not about brand names. It’s about making decisions with confidence. My mom does that. Thanks to her, so do I.
“I enjoy watching you embrace fashion,” she told me. “I like seeing your father’s interest in it live on in you. You value things that I don’t necessarily value, but that’s what makes relationships interesting.”
The Wall Street Journal is not compensated by retailers listed in its articles as outlets for products. Listed retailers frequently are not the sole retail outlets.
Fashion:Younger Clients, Worse Manners: How Luxury Shopping Has Changed Since 1976
After nearly five decades working at Manhattan’s Bergdorf Goodman department store, Betty Halbreich has helped a range of generations. Here, she reflects on what’s different—and what isn’t.
“I’M NOT the most mature person you’ll meet,” said Betty Halbreich, 95. “I might be the oldest, but not the most mature.”
What maturing Halbreich has done occurred during her 47 years (and counting) working at Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury Manhattan department store that’s overlooked Fifth Avenue since 1928. A Chicago native, Halbreich landed at Bergdorf (or BG, as devotees call it) in search of “stability” after her marriage traumatically unraveled. “I grew up here, and another person emerged.” That person founded the store’s Solutions personal-shopping department in the late 1970s, wrote two books and has become as much of an institution as BG itself.
She isn’t going anywhere, either. “I have a fear of retiring,” she said. “I have frailties, which most people can’t believe. One of them is being [constantly] alone in an apartment I’ve lived in for 70 years. I’m more comfortable around people. I have my strength here. I won’t give that up.”
Here, Halbreich’s astute observations after studying BG and its clients for half a century.
The Kids Are Alright
“It took a long time to bring the young in here. When I started, it was a small, elitist store. People were afraid to come in. Chauffeured cars were allowed, but if you pulled up on a bike, forget it. Lately, I’ve seen a huge uptick in the young. It boggles my mind that they spend the prices that are demanded. They’re buying two things: handbags and shoes. Yet somehow, they walk around in jeans and a tank all day.”
Rude and Ruder
“Manners have changed. People of all ages treat salespeople terribly. It shocks me. They throw things around and walk away or come out of the dressing room stripping. I won’t tolerate it. The only thing I’ve ever demanded is: Leave me with my dignity.”
Take That Back
“Returns are a game now. People buy things on sight. When I started, Mr. Goodman was still here and he didn’t allow returns. I don’t accept it like everyone else. I tell clients, ‘If you have feelings about it, don’t buy it.’”
Dupe, There It Is
“The newest shopping problem is the sameness. Designers had more influence when I started. [Giorgio] Armani, Anne Klein, Geoffrey Beene—they were individual. You could tell who designed what. Many designers are ‘monkey see, monkey do.’ If one’s making a great shirt, they all are. But Bode is wonderful. She’s an exception. I love an exception.”
Edited from an interview by Katharine K. Zarrella
Fashion: Can Men Ever Wear Shorts to the Office? What About Baseball Caps? Our Poll Results May Surprise You.
We surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. adults about what casual items guys can get away with wearing to work now. Often, generations were divided.
By guest author Jamie Waters from the Wall Street Journal Magazine
IF YOU want to ignite debate at a family dinner, lob this to the group: Is it ever OK for men to wear shorts to the office? More kindling: What about sandals?
Though office dress-codes have skewed more casual postpandemic, opinions on what constitutes too casual vary greatly—including between generations. To determine which laid-back items the public deems acceptable deskside, and where each age-group stands, we hit up global research company Ipsos. Between June 30 and July 2, it surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1020 U.S. adults.
The baby boomers considered shorts and sandals verboten for work. But millennials, the most chill generation overall, greenlit these and other beachy items. And no, it’s not always a young vs. old face-off: Gen Zers can be stricter, and boomers less formal, than one might think. Here, the 411 on the most contentious items.
Overall: Though this result isn’t exactly a home run, a narrow majority of total respondents think baseball caps can go to work. It matters little if your hat is plain, à la Kendall Roy’s in “Succession,” or logoed: 55% approved of branded caps and 56% of unbranded ones.
Young and old disagree. Gen Zers and millennials are clearly pro caps at the desk, while Gen Xers can’t make up their minds (50% said unbranded caps are never OK). Among older folks, 53% of the 59-and-ups say unbranded caps are never acceptable, and a smidge more veto branded ones.
Can You Wear Jewelry?
Overall: Most of those surveyed consider office bling a go. With a 92% approval rating, rings are the most-accepted adornment, but bracelets (91%) and chain necklaces (88%) come close. Most controversial? Earrings: 23% of respondents say these have no business in an office.
A plot twist: Those aged over 58 are iffiest about earrings. But, rather surprisingly, they’re more relaxed than youngsters regarding rings: While just 7% of older respondents consider finger furnishings (excluding wedding and signet rings) never OK, 12% of Gen Zers feel that way.
Can You Wear Shorts?
Overall: A healthy 58 % of respondents think it can be appropriate for guys to flash some leg in the office.
But boomers will have something to say about that. Those aged over 58 were the sole anti-shorts crusaders, with 57 % deeming the style unacceptable at all times. They’ll have to face off against millennials, who were the most enthusiastic knee-freers: 75 % say shorts can be office-worthy. Gen Zers and Gen Xers were also fairly bullish on leg-baring, with 67 % and 56 %, respectively, asserting that shorts can be appropriate professionally.
Can You Wear Sneakers and Sandals?
Overall: Proving that sneakers are now a fixture in professional settings, a healthy majority (73 %) give running sneakers a pass—and even more (87 %) approve of dressier versions. But deskside sandals triggered fury. They received the harshest response of any item—and were the only style to be rejected overall—with 54 % of total respondents declaring them “never OK.”
More on sneakers. All age groups are relaxed about sporty shoes. But millennials are the most relaxed: 85 % allow running sneaks and 95 % give dressier versions a tick.
…And as for those sandals. Younger respondents narrowly approve of strappy summery footwear at work, with 52% of Gen Zers and 56% of millennials saying sandals can be fine. But older folks gave toes out in the conference room a firm no: 60 % of Gen Xers, and 64 % of boomers and the Silent Generation said sandals will never cut it in the office.
Can You Wear Graphic T-shirts?
Overall: With a guitar-pick-slim majority of 52 %, most respondents think men can rock a band tee (or other loud designs) at work.
Mick Jagger is 79. But he didn’t take our survey. Two-thirds of those over 58 who aren’t Rolling Stones rejected graphic tees. Other generations were more accepting, with 50 % of Gen X and 60 % of Gen Z approving. The biggest thumbs-up? Yet again, that came from millennials: 73 % OK’d these chilled-out tops.
Newsletter of last week
How Yves Saint Laurent’s Moroccan Hideaway Became a Boutique Hotel – Your Smartphone Can Have Two Lines. Here’s Why You’d Want That. Find the two features only here: https://textile-future.com/archives/115476
Highlights of News of the past week for your reading please just click on the item.
Companies
Clariant Q2 2023 sales and FY 2023 outlook weaker, Catalysts improvement on track https://textile-future.com/archives/115316
Rieter Sells Land in Winterthur (CH) https://textile-future.com/archives/115453
Autoneum: Better acoustic comfort with Zeta-Light: innovative application of integrated particle dampers https://textile-future.com/archives/115458
Meta and Twitter Go to War https://textile-future.com/archives/115569
EMS Group: Key figures Half-year results 2023 (January – June 2023) https://textile-future.com/archives/115637
Data
May 31, 2023: over 4 million – temporary protection in EU https://textile-future.com/archives/115350
How many people can afford a proper meal in the EU? https://textile-future.com/archives/115471
EU companies face difficulties in hiring ICT experts https://textile-future.com/archives/115598
Empa
Global regulations disregarded: Widespread illegal trade of hazardous chemicals https://textile-future.com/archives/115537
EU
Maritime transport emissions: Commission welcomes new IMO climate ambition for 2030, 2040 and 2050 and calls to set transition in motion https://textile-future.com/archives/115343
‘Roaming’ for Ukraine: operators extend agreement to provide affordable calls to and from Ukraine for another year https://textile-future.com/archives/115464
EU Commission adopts rules for implementing the Foreign Subsidies Regulation https://textile-future.com/archives/115467
Data Protection: European Commission adopts new adequacy decision for safe and trusted EU-US data flows https://textile-future.com/archives/115507
Solidarity Lanes: study on EU rail connections with Ukraine and Moldova suggests deploying European track gauge on key lines https://textile-future.com/archives/115577
EU Commission proposes new legal framework for more efficient and coordinated European statistics https://textile-future.com/archives/115580
Culture Moves Europe: Commission awards mobility grants to artists and cultural professionals https://textile-future.com/archives/115595
Finnland
Do I Know You? “I get bored very easily with things,” says Minna Parikka https://textile-future.com/archives/115301
Nestlé
Nestlé U.S. advances regenerative agriculture practices in its Digiorno wheat supply chain https://textile-future.com/archives/115633
OECD
Personalities
The European Commission transfers in the interests of the service a new Director-General for its Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy https://textile-future.com/archives/115586
The European Commission transfers in the interests of the service a new Director-General for its Directorate-General for Education and Culture https://textile-future.com/archives/115589
Science
PSI: Mystery of microgels solved https://textile-future.com/archives/115514
Switzerland
Swiss Foreign Trade: Share of MEM Exports in Swss Foreign Trade sank within 25 years markedly https://textile-future.com/archives/115328
Swissmedic issues warning about falsified Ozempic pens https://textile-future.com/archives/115341
Television
Study: Just 38 % of UK streaming more than last year https://textile-future.com/archives/115679
Tennis
This French Open Champion Nearly Gave Up Tennis to Sell Insurance https://textile-future.com/archives/115380
Turning in
Turning in https://textile-future.com/archives/115525
WIPO
The 2023 WIPO Global Awards for SMEs: Winners from China, France, Kenya, Mexico, Singapore, and Slovenia https://textile-future.com/archives/115574
WTO
WTO issues new edition of World Tariff Profiles https://textilefuture.com/archives/115321
WTO: NEGOTIATIONS ON FISHERIES SUBSIDIES: Fisheries subsidies chair opens fourth “Fish Week” to help distil elements for negotiation https://textile-future.com/archives/115541
WTO: COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS Goods Council reviews work on MC12 follow-up https://textile-future.com/archives/115545
WTO: Nomination deadline for Youth Trade Summit on Gender extended to September 12, 2023 https://textile-future.com/archives/115552
WTO Gabon Fish Gabon formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies https://textile-future.com/archives/115672