Parents as a species have always had a bad rap for the way they dress, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve seen my mom and dad as quite the sartorially savvy couple. One always seems to compliment the other, and no matter what they’re wearing, they fit perfectly together. When I was home a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon an album of photos from early in my parents’ marriage. I can safely say one thing: my parents are cooler than yours.

Apparently parents have been on the brain at WORN. Check out Lisa Kannakko’s photo shoot in issue 13 for more hip parental styles captured on film. (Just a warning: there will be Mom jeans.)

text by Stephanie Fereiro

Montrealer Yuli Sato spends her time creating photographs of unseen other worlds with an assortment of thrifted vintage cameras. Yuli studies at Concordia University. Her photos are haunting but beautiful, often taking place in deserted snowy forests, upon grassy hilltops, or in empty indoor swimming pools. Yuli talks to WORN about butterfly clips, school uniforms and chai lattes.

What’s the last fashion publication you read?
Lula, but I haven’t actually looked through it thoroughly yet even though I got it a few months ago. I love the overall aesthetic; they’re not as concerned with showing the clothes in a commercial way and its general mood lures me in. I also dig the interviews.

How has your style changed since elementary school?
Quite a bit. I grew up in the ’90s, so I was obsessed with wearing those woven plastic necklaces. Platform sneakers and butterfly clips were also big for me. I think I was a little too young to really get the full effect of the ’90s, but my sister is three years older and was such a ’90s teen - it was so fantastic. She rocked bell-bottom jeans, cropped tanks and flannel.

I’ve been trying to move toward a more classic look lately, so I only buy things I know I will like in five or ten years, as opposed to something super trendy. If I ever feel like dressing a little crazy, I’ll shop at a thrift store so I don’t feel guilty if I don’t end up liking things in the long run. I just bought an amazing Navajo print blazer, a floral maxi dress, black maxi skirt, and a few giant men’s sweaters at Goodwill for less than $20.

How did attending a boarding school with uniforms affect your personal style?
There wasn’t much room for having fun and experimenting. It was so easy getting up and throwing on knee-high socks, a skirt, polo and blazer, but it definitely got boring after a while. It certainly made me appreciate fashion more - in my first year of university I wore a lot of crazy outfits to make up for lost time.

Heels or flats?
Heels if I could wear them every day. Alas, my feet cannot handle wearing heels so I suppose I’ll have to say flats, though I’m trying to train myself to wear heels at night so I don’t come home and collapse from foot pain.

If you had to dress like a lunchbox item, what would it be and what would you wear?
An extra large chai latte: all neutrals and maybe a light colored beret!

What is your favorite photo series? Why is it special?
“Ghost” from 2009. I wanted something creepy but still nostalgic and beautiful. It was a cold, November weekend and my good friend Amanda (the model in the series) and I went to my house on the Ottawa River and worked for two days straight, waking up at 7 a.m. to take photos by the river, then going over to our family friend’s place to shoot in their huge old house.

Where do you find inspiration for your photography?
At the moment I love photographers Annette Pehrsson and Hannah Davis. I’m also becoming interested in installation and environmental art - Andy Goldsworthy is an environmental artist from Britain whose film Rivers and Tides is just beautiful. I love the idea of art being transitory and I’m beginning to think of ways I can experiment with these ideas in my own work.

What role does fashion play in your work?
I want to get just the right amount of dreaminess, and clothes can either make it or break it. I want the viewer to immerse themselves in my photographs, and sometimes when the clothes are too over the top I find it distracting. As I deal with subjects surrounding childhood, nostalgia and girlhood, clothing is an important and considered contribution to the atmosphere I’m creating.

Interview by Alyssa Garrison
Photos by Yuli Sato

I’ve always been obsessed with my family’s old photo albums; they bring back memories so far gone that sometimes I think I’ll never get them back. On a recent visit with my parents, my dad (while looking for some important papers in a tightly-packed drawer) stumbled upon some albums from his own childhood and teenage years. It was the seventies and eighties; the bell-bottoms were nothing short of epic, the plaids were so bad they were good, and the floral-prints were downright groovy.

Where to begin? Look at those pants (second from the left, like you didn’t already notice)!
Then there’s my grandmother and Auntie Ruth in plaid (on the right). Also note my
Uncle Bill’s hair (centre, back) and that awesome shearling coat in the front row.

Here’s my dad’s mum in a poppy-printed dress, belted at the waist. Spring inspiration?

Well, what do we have here? There’s some wicked-cool knee-high socks with what looks
like a school kilt and a leather jacket. Then there’s the mustard yellow tops (far left, far right), and
my dad in double-denim (front and centre). My cousin Adam sports a bonnet and one-piece sleeper.

Dad’s mum again, this time wearing a simple, navy, nautical-themed outfit.

Auntie Ruth, perfectly happy in purple flowers. If I were in that dress, I’d be smiling too.

I don’t have any recollection of the events at which these photos were taken — I hadn’t yet been born. But somehow, looking at these albums, I’d like to think I was there. I’d like to think my personal style grew from all of these people. Because, after all, I knew my parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents before I knew my right shoe from my left.

- Stephanie Fereiro

Like the rounded corners on a sepia-toned photograph, there is something about gingham or polyester that can evoke a different era on sight. They say clothing can retain memories; photographer Irina Werning put that theory to the visual test with her photo series Back to the Future. In letting people recreate their childhood photos (and childhood outfits), the series is an exercise in both nostalgia and retro aesthetics - a little reflection on how much we might change while our clothing stays the same.

- Anna Fitzpatrick