Last Saturday, one of America's first street style photographers, Bill Cunningham, passed away at age 87. He paved the way for today's street-style photographers such as Scott Schuman or Youngjun Koo.
At the age of 19, he dropped out of Harvard University and made his way down to New York City, America's fashion capital. Cunningham began designing hats under the name William J. and was soon drafted for the Korean War. After he came back in 1953, he continued taking odd jobs around the city to pay for his meals and hat supplies. In 1966, illustrator Antonia Lopez gifted Cunningham an Olympus Pen-D Half Frame camera and thus began his journey into women's fashion in New York City.
In the early 1970's, he began working for The Times which morphed into the series On The Street, as we know today. Bill Cunningham would notice small things that would inspire him in a women's clothing choices. As he photographed actress, Greta Garbo, he noticed the particular cut in the shoulder of the coat she wore.
You may be wondering, "How are his photos any different from a magazine's?" and the answer to this is quite simple. While magazines took interest in actresses, models, and moguls, Cunningham was out on the New York City streets photographing real women as they headed off to work or parties. He took interest in how a woman, constantly moving, dresses in the city.
At the turn of the century, one could find Bill Cunningham's dark cobalt jacket on the corner of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue or riding his red bicycle through midtown with a camera strapped to his neck. He spent much of his time photographing women at shows during fashion week, but said that, "I knew from photographing people on the streets that the news was not in the showrooms. It was on the streets."
Fashion photography will always exist, but it was always brimming with perfect women dressing in avant-garde clothing that one usually wouldn't wear to work on a daily basis. Cunningham catalyzed a movement of appreciating the art of fashion amongst women who dressed up for themselves and took ownership of what they wore. In this day and age, women are less likely to dress up for anyone other than themselves. They want fashion to be an extension of who they are rather than covering themselves up to look like a celebrity. Fashion mirrors culture, and currently, women are taking their bodies back.
In Bill Cunningham's words, "He who seeks beauty, will find it."
