English to French Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters general

There was a time when adults were adults. When they were all stern authoritarians who smelled of tea and boot polish and grew moustaches because it made them look sensible and not because it'd **set off** their brightly coloured sockless Asos espadrilles.

dans ce contexte, je ne vois pas trop le sens, "mettre en valeur" me semble bizarre ici, ou bien est-ce le sens?

merci de vos idées!