Lillian Ho Wong was born in 1895 in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Her parents were first-generation Chinese immigrants. When Lillian was thirteen years old, her father died on a trip to China, so that her mother had to raise four children on her own. Due to poverty, racism, and lack of resources, Lillian only completed studies until grade three. Growing up in Canada, Lillian had no white friends and was always in contact with people of Chinese heritage. The idea of hierarchy was very dominant at her time. Marrying an immigrant made Lillian lose her reputation in the Chinese Canadian community. Chinese movie celebrities were a significant influence on Lillian’s fashion. She would always buy Lunar New Year calendars from Chinese department stories, which had Chinese celebrities, and she used them to decorate the house. Lillian’s nephew, Paul Yee, discovered many of her 1920s beaded, glamorous dresses when he organized Lillian’s belongings.