Goodbye Bill

I was schocked and saddened earlier this week to hear the news of one my favourite people I never met, Bill Cunningham.

For those of you who don't know who Bill Cunningham, he was most famously a New York street style photographer working with the New York Times for over 40 years.

Of course, if you want to read a much more eloquent piece on Bill from the people who knew him best, you can find it here.

 This is just a short piece on my personal feelings and admirations towards the photographer. I think the reason myself, alongside many others admired and liked Bill so much was because of his eye for eccentric styles and finding humour in fashion. With Bill it was not a serious, stuffy, business. It was fun, carefree and expressive.

 He was one of the first street style photographers, and one of the first to compile similar items he saw on people and write up a sort of 'trend report', which also translated digitally on a weekly YouTube episode for those who couldn't get the NY Times, narrated by Bill himself.

 It was a badge of honour to be photographed by Bill. I never had an enviable wardrobe, my closet being a selection of Penny's finest, but I remember 2 years ago when I went to New York, saving a bright blue dress I made a few years prior for the day I spent going up all and down 7th Avenue (also known as Fashion Avenue) going in and out of fabric and trimming shops, I'd somehow bump into Bill Cunningham, and seeing my dress was the exact blue of his jacket, take a picture and my design would end up in the NY times. (Yes, you can laugh, I'm actually cringing as I write this. Imaging impossible scenarios that have a 0.01% chance of happening are not new to me, but the 8 hour flight was only a catalyst for them.)

 (God knows why I wore that bag with it, and for those with eagle eyes, the cardigan was just for 6am-9am, when it was so cold you couldn't even tell it was summer) 

 But it was not just his eye that I think he will be remembered for, but his kind personality and humour, showcased through his work and documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, which has been on Netflix for years, but has mysteriously dissapeared off the streaming network since the need of his death. Even if you're not into fashion, I'd highly recommend it, as it is really is a sort of feel good, inspiring film.

Until next time,

Gabrielle x