up front | advice
Victoria Sanchez-Lincoln with daughter Victoria Emilia
Wardrobe Wars How to conquer the struggle over what kids wear to school
Y
ou’d think having a professional stylist for a mom would ensure that you’re always perfectly put together, but for Victoria Emilia, the daughter of New York City-based fashion director Victoria Sanchez-Lincoln, “It’s more important to be comfy,” the 9-year-old says. “My mom has her own style, but it’s not like mine.” Sanchez-Lincoln is also a creative consultant and a former fashion editor for several national
30 BACK TO SCHOOL | 2021
magazines, so she is about as clued in as a parent can be when it comes to the latest styles. Yet her daughter prefers taking her fashion cues from TikTok and YouTube. “It’s all sporty clothes, tie-dye crop tops and sneakers for everything,” Sanchez-Lincoln says. “I tell her, ‘Please allow me to introduce you to a sandal or ballerina shoe.’” Kids’ fashion choices usually reflect more than just trends or even personal preferences. “The pandemic
created so much loss for children and adolescents and so much has been out of their control,” says Fatima Watt, an adolescent psychologist at Franciscan Children’s Hospital in Brighton, Mass. “It’s really important that parents let kids have some say in the decisionmaking when it comes to what they wear.” Sounds easy enough, but what if your child wants to wear skimpy outfits to school, or the same >
GETTY IMAGES; PROVIDED BY VICTORIA SANCHEZ-LINCOLN
BY ANAMARY PELAYO CONNERY
