Bill Cunningham is a New York photographer, now 84 years old who spends his days and nights riding a bicycle around New York and photographing fashion. The difference between Bill and others who take fashion pictures is, that Bill has earned himself the title Sartorialist because he is only interested in clothes that real people are wearing.
During the day, he photographs the trends he sees worn by people on the street. At night he goes to a stunning round of parties and works there also. However, the difference is that among the fabulous and rich at night, he only photographs the charities that appeal to him and never accepts, even a glass of water so that his objectivity is not compromised.
At one time he worked for Women's Wear Daily, the fashion bible of the once great garment trade in New York. It is possible that I might even have seen him lurking outside of Le Cirque in New York in 1980, photographing the rich and famous as they left this famous eatery. However, he fell out with WWD's management after he found his photographs were being used to criticize people rather than to show what people were actually wearing and showing about the world through their clothing choices.
He has worked for the New York Times ever since. It was in the original Details magazine that he could freely and expansively express his personal point of view. He never accepted a paycheque from Details, since he felt this gave freed him to express himself as he wished. Everyone says that the current publishers still owe him his salary from those days.
He lives an incredibly modest life, probably still residing among the few artists left living at Carnegie Hall. He may by now however, have been forced to relocate to Central Park South, courtesy of Carnegie Hall as they attempt to turn the remaining residential premises into offices.
Regardless, of where he lives now, he doesn't have much to move, since his main, and actually only furniture, consists of file cabinets full of his photographs and negatives and fashion books. In 2012, he was riding his 29th bicycle.
By studying street fashion for 50 years he has earned a unique place as a fashion historian and archivist. He has discovered unique and unusual people throughout the world wearing their own amazing clothes. His contribution earned him, among many accolades, the high honour of Officer of the Legion of Honour of France.
He continues to find beauty wherever he sees it in everyday people, some like him, living a very simple life esteemed by friends, colleagues and people from all walks of life.
NOTE: SEE ALSO: CLOTHES THEN AND NOW and
WHEN EVERY DAY IS CASUAL FRIDAY and
AT LEAST WALMARTIANS ARE REAL PEOPLE
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