Sheryl Lee Ralph & Ivy Coco Maurice on Their Mother-Daughter and Actor-Stylist Relationship

Photos courtesy of Larry Barnard. Makeup by Franky Raw. Hair by Cassidy Mitchel.

Many mothers, like Sheryl Lee Ralph, at some point in time discover the tangible fashion capital that doesn’t lie in the insularity of luxury fashion houses but instead down the hallways of their homes in the budding minds of their young daughters. In the hurried bustle of press runs, Ralph’s occasional request for fashion counsel from her daughter, Ivy Coco Maurice, soon transformed into a full-throttle wardrobe restructuring. “Early on, I started to get so much more engagement around what I was wearing and who I was wearing. Everything just seemed to fall into place,” Ralph tells Teen Vogue.

When we meet on Zoom, Ralph and Maurice are ensconced beside one another under a chunky taupe knit blanket. It’s evening in Los Angeles and the world through their screen seems as inviting as it appears cozy.

The magnetic field between Ralph’s reign as television’s matriarch of matriarchs and Hollywood’s spotlight is unquantifiable. From Broadway’s Dreamgirls and the ‘90s hit sitcom Moesha to Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary, she gleams as an existence of her ancestors’ dreams and her descendants’ guiding star. Her off-camera presence in high-octane award speeches nurtures us to practice unrequited joy as much as her onscreen characters demand courtesy and tact. The spotlight is surely never leaving her. Instead, it's augmenting with her daughter by her side.

When it comes to navigating this new terrain of their relationship, there lies a friendship fused with fashion and ample mother-daughter time. “I think the only dynamic that has now changed is that we see each other as partners. People are like, ‘Oh my god, that’s your mom.’ And, I’m like, ‘This is my number one client,’” Maurice says with conviction.

At just 29 years old, Maurice’s foray into fashion flaunts the celebrity of clients like WNBA legend Lisa Leslie. She’s the vice president of the wellness nonprofit WalkGood LA, founded by her brother Etienne Maurice. And, she’s reimagining her grandmother’s 1960s atelier, House of Ivy, under its original namesake.

Yet, her principal client and mother, is teaching her how to maneuver with transparency as a fashion professional. “We respect each other, where I have to know her work schedule,” Maurice says. “I have to know when she feels comfortable. I have to know when she actually wants to try on outfits. I actually have to know her DNA and how she operates.”

In a relationship predicated on love, the lines between personal and business are happily muddled. “We set our boundaries really clearly with each other. But sometimes, it doesn’t feel like work because we love each other so much,” Maurice says.

The 2021 premiere of ABC’s Abbott Elementary, a mockumentary unveiling the disconcerting hilarity of education through a Philadelphia public school, thrust the show into network comedy acclaim with a momentous award cycle in tow. Ralph, who plays resolute veteran teacher Barbara Howard, won the 2022 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and found her timeless red-carpet styles flooding best-dressed round-ups.

“I always ask my mom each season, how do you want to feel?” Maurice says. At the end of each appearance, she waits up all night to present her mother with her final prompt: “What were people saying?”

In her reverential cadence, Ralph explains her absolute captivation with her daughter’s scrupulous execution. “What fascinates me though is how Ivy is able to put the whole thing together top to bottom. It’s not like someone else comes in and says, ‘This is the hair inspiration.’ It’s not like someone else comes in and says, ‘This is the makeup inspiration.’ Or somebody else comes in and says, ‘This is the jewelry.’ It’s all out of her vision.”

“Excellence with elegance” is the Sheryl Lee Ralph stylistic throughline. Timeless bodices, the subtleties of Old Hollywood shimmer, and vibrant hues are at the fore. She’s also adamant that the grueling “beauty is pain” platitude is objectively obsolete in her fashion sphere. No tight braids, no tight shoes, and absolutely no tight wigs. “Beauty should not be painful. Just like love and life, it should not hurt anyone,” she quips.

In a mock-neck, twinkling indigo gown from Jason Rembert’s Alié­ette NY, Ralph stunned at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards. During her performance of “Lift Every Voice & Sing” at Super Bowl LVII, she wore an equally phenomenal red cape jumpsuit with billowing sleeves custom-designed by Charles Harbison of Harbison Studios. And as she accepted her first Emmy Award, she debuted Brandon Blackwood’s first-ever gown: body-contouring velvet lined with orange duchesse satin, and featuring a hip-nearing slit.

“To shine the light on us is to shine the light on others,” Ralph says. “And we realized, people when they see us wear things, those lines expand in a way they didn’t think was possible.”

As for the legacy they are forging, love and gratitude are placed in the fire. Ralph says, “I love the fact that my child is leading a life that is open, that is full of grace, and she lives in gratitude.” What does she love just as much about her daughter? Her ability to still listen to her mother.

“Ask your mom all the questions before it’s too late. Ask the true questions,” Maurice says. “The love she felt when I was in her womb is still the love that’s palpable to this day. I always tell her that she’s loved, valued, and appreciated. And I hope young girls continue to say that to their mothers.”

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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