Bill Cunningham

I finally got a chance to see the Bill Cunningham documentary today.  I had seen his "On The Street" column in the New York Times but didn't know anything about the person behind the pictures.  What a fascinating man!  He lives (at least he did at the time of filming) in Carnegie Hall in a teeny tiny studio that is completely packed with file cabinets which contain the negatives for every picture he's ever taken.  Since he's 82, you can imagine just how many photos that might be.  He rides his bicycle all around NYC taking street photos of people who's style he finds interesting.  Today, the internet is flooded with bloggers who take street style photos of people but Bill was the original street style photog.  He appreciates fashion and the people who put the extra effort into looking their best when they leave the house in the morning.  Whether that's Anna Piaggi, Iris Apfel (one of my favorite style icons) or Agyness Deyn and Patrick McDonald, Bill truly appreciates fashion and people of all ages ethnicities and styles who take fashion risks.

It's hilarious that he's made a career out of his love of fashionable people but he his entire wardrobe can hang on the handles of a single file drawer.  Most of the time, he wears a bright blue jacket that he buys in Paris for about $20 because the cameras would just wear out an expensive jacket.  He works harder than most everyone else who's a quarter his age.  By day, he's photographing on the street riding his bike everywhere, or working in the NY Times offices to edit one of his two columns.  By night, he photographs for his nightlife column at various social functions around the city (which he also travels to by bicycle).  It's kind of crazy to think of an 82 year old man riding his bike around NYC late at night.  He seems to know everyone and everyone loves him.  He treats everyone with respect but doesn't play favorites with anyone who wants to get their picture in the paper.  Throughout the film, Mr. Cunningham is just a very hard working guy, who's very likable and obviously loves what he does for a living.  I highly recommend this film to anyone who loves fashion whether you're in the industry or not.  If you are in the industry, you'll appreciate just how rare a nice, down to earth person like Mr. Cunningham is.  
Photo of Isabella Blow by Bill Cunningham for the New York Times