The Wide Shot celebrates the work of Bay Area photographers, showcasing their latest projects and the behind-the-scenes stories of how they got the shots.
Call them bold. Garish. On fleek. In 2014, when photographer Andria Lo set out to capture the outfits worn by Chinatown seniors on their daily outings, she discovered a time capsule of contrast-y clothes accumulated through the decades.
Some wore handmade items dating back to their youth. Others wore neon jackets from the 1990s. One wore counterfeit “Nike” sweatpants.
ADVERTISEMENT
Lo and a friend, the writer Valerie Luu, dubbed this aesthetic “Chinatown Pretty.” Their photo book of that name is a vibrant showcase of Asian American identity — a hybrid between old and new, practicality and self-expression.
Beyond showcasing seniors’ fire fits, the portraits capture the joyful cultural fusion on display in Chinatowns across the U.S.
Lo and Luu discussed the project with The Standard in answers they wrote together.
What inspired the project?
“Chinatown Pretty” was started in 2014, when we would go on dim sum dates in Chinatown and found ourselves turning our heads at all the grandmas’ and grandpas’ outfits in the neighborhood.
We noticed a patchwork of bright colors, patterns, mixing old and new — clothes they had tailor-made in Hong Kong 30 years ago combined with a new hat that read “Party animal.” It was inventive, unexpected, and oftentimes carried stories about their history and lifestyles.
Our curiosity started out with wanting to know where people got their shoes and became a wider investigation into their immigration stories and how they live their daily lives in Chinatowns.
For our book “Chinatown Pretty,” published in 2020, we traveled to four cities outside of the Bay Area. The book includes photos and stories from San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Vancouver.
What challenges or surprises did you encounter working on this project?
Over the course of a decade, we’ve received many rejections — about 90% of the people we approach on the street declined to have their photo or interview published.
But it’d be a mixed bag. We encountered people who were willing to tell us their life story but would politely decline a photo. Or people who would say, “Go ahead, take as many photos as you want,” but maybe had to dash off to their bus (so we couldn’t find out where they got their shoes after all). These interactions were often short-lived and ephemeral, and over many years left a big impact on how we interface with the public.
There is so much joy in seeing and being seen by others in the street, when it’s easy to feel invisible or anonymous or just moving through your day.
For years, we would stop seniors to tell them their fit was fire. Now that we’re not shooting anymore, we’re noticing that seniors also look at us. Before it felt like it was one-way, when actually there’s mutual exchange and acknowledgement. Sometimes we get told our outfits look great!
Can you tell us a story behind one of your favorite images?
The image of Shi-Ping is so iconic. We met her while she was shopping on Jackson Street. She had on her snow-white bob that she had cut herself, acid wash jeans, and a vibrant floral blazer. She’s radiating colors and textures.
Later on, we got in touch with her through her relative and got to visit her at her apartment in the Mission. She had a clipping of her portrait in a newspaper article of “Chinatown Pretty” on her wall. We could see how our project weaves its way into the seniors’ lives too.
How would you characterize the senior street style you captured?
The style we capture in “Chinatown Pretty” is a patchwork of clothes that come from different eras and is a flurry of patterns, florals, and colors.
It’s also urban utilitarianism at its best, since the seniors often prioritize function, wearing clothes that will keep them warm throughout the day, with a lot of pockets — because when you’re living an active life in the city, as these seniors are, you need to have a place to put your keys, phone, wallet, and, sometimes, a secret hand-sewn pocket to stash cash.
It’s about keeping warm with many layers (we’ve seen as many as nine shirts) while keeping the sun out with extra-wide-billed caps and stylish sunglasses. The result is something truly unique and joyful.
