Grannies on the Red Carpet, 2024

It’s not every day that older women can steal the show on the red carpet.  However, that was the case recently when Chang Li Hua and Yi Yan Fuei showed up in Hollywood dressed in custom Rodarte.  Vogue even took notice. They were there because their grandson, Sean Wang, was nominated for the documentary he filmed starring the two—Nai Nai and Wai Po.  It’s a short, heartwarming film.  See it if you can.

The film documents the daily lives of Wang’s paternal grandmother (Nai Nai) and maternal grandmother (Wai Po), who live together in the Bay Area.  Filmed during the pandemic when Asians were under attack, Wang gives these two old women dignity and humor. It shows them at everyday tasks, like washing dishes and hanging laundry.  They also dance, sing, and exercise, trying to keep fit and avoid falls.  Although the film has moments of “aren’t old people cute,” Wang shows his grandmothers without condescension.

Their everyday clothes, shown in the film, are not so glamorous.  Like many old people they dress for comfort and ease of movement. 

But obviously they have taken to their new roles as stars with gusto.  Even when they don’t have custom Rodarte designs, they show up for special events looking fabulous, using red as their basic theme.  The very good news is that Chang Li Hua (Wai Po), at the age of 86, is now getting new film roles.