Life.Culture.Discovery.

Senior-citizen street style in America’s Chinatowns celebrated in blog that could become a book

Writer and photographer capture the eclectic looks favoured by elderly Chinese-Americans – outfits full of bold colours, patterns, handmade clothing and accessories, and ‘vintage’

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Published: 10:04pm, 10 Feb 2018Updated: 10:03pm, 10 Feb 2018

Ten years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a 69-year-old actress to sign a beauty contract – as Helen Mirren did in 2014 – or a nonagenarian to grace the cover of a glossy magazine (hello, Iris Apfel). But the fashion industry seems to have finally realised that great style doesn’t end once its wearer turns 40.

The success of Instagram accounts such as @advancedstyle, which documents the outfits of seniors, has undoubtedly played a role in the embrace of the more mature. But high fashion aside, style can be found in the everyday wear of people who may not spend much time planning their attire, but still manage to look fabulous.

Some of them can be found on Chinatown Pretty, a blog founded in 2015 by photographer Andria Lo and writer Valerie Luu, both of the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States.

A year earlier, the two friends had wanted to find out where elderly people in Chinatown found their clothes. They started shooting, and while their ultimate goal is to publish a book, for now they simply aim to “celebrate the street style of seniors living (and grocery shopping) in Chinatown”, as they explain on their Instagram account, which has more than 11,000 followers.

Valerie Luu (left) and Andria Lo, founders of Chinatown Pretty.

“We usually wander around Chinatown, stop by parks and busy shopping streets – the usual seniors hangouts – and introduce ourselves to people who catch our eye,” Luu tells Post Magazine. “It’s hard to pinpoint what we’re drawn to, but we look for outfits that spark joy.