good reads: chinatown pretty.

by victoria comment

one of my favorite places to visit in san francisco was its historic chinatown, and it even made it into the pages of my book, see san francisco, because i just loved photographing the colorful surroundings and the people who lived there. well, now there’s a new book out from chronicle books that celebrates that infectious street style, Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown’s Most Stylish Seniors, by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu, it couldn’t be more charming. i had a friend point out to me once that the people of chinatown dressed eclectically and almost like avant-garde supermodels, and i immediately saw her point — the patterns, the colors they paired were so unexpected and yet pulled off in such an inspiring way. Andria Lo and Valerie Luu have been interviewing and photographing Chinatown’s most fashionable elders on their blog and Instagram since 2014 and in Chinatown Pretty they honor these seniors with beautiful portraits and heartwarming stories of trend-setting seniors across six different Chinatowns across north america — Chinatowns in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, and Vancouver and share nuggets of philosophical wisdom and personal stories about immigration and Chinese-American culture. their covetable style is a mix of modern and vintage, high and low, handmade and store-bought clothing and is an incredible celebration of Chinese American culture, active old-age, and creative style. it makes me want to revisit my old stomping grounds to capture these fashionistas again. here’s a small sampling of their beautiful book.

• all photographs courtesy of Chinatown Pretty: Fashion and Wisdom from Chinatown’s Most Stylish Seniors, by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu, published by Chronicle Books, 2020.