How Trump’s sudden tariff policy changes are affecting one small clothing manufacturer in New York City: ‘Everyone’s terrified’

It’s a Thursday afternoon in New York and Pauline Lock has a problem. 

At the apparel factory she runs on West 36th Street, she’s storing hundreds of crisp cotton button-down blouses—a seasonal must-have—that are almost finished except for some critical details: The shirts’ buttons are stuck somewhere on their journey from China, and Lock is unsure of when they will arrive.  

Lock manages InStyle USA, a 35-year-old company that has made clothes for iconic U.S. brands, including Calvin Klein...