[We All Get Dressed For] Bill Cunningham

Known for his candid street photography, New York Times fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham has made quite the name for himself. A master of street style, Cunningham works out of a below-average looking office and rides his bike around the city. Capturing beauty and style of ordinary civilians is his job. In the trailer to Bill Cunningham New York, a film by Richard Press, he tells the camera he isn't interested in celebrities and their free dresses, he's interested in clothing. A true and genuine critic, being captured by Cunningham's shutter is a compliment in itself.

Courtesy of Zeitgeist Films

“The main thing I love about street photography is that you find the answers you don’t see at the fashion shows. This was something I realized early on: if you just cover the designers in the shows, that’s only one facet. You also need the street and the evening hours. if you cover the three things, you have the full picture of what people are wearing."

Courtesy of Zeitgeist Films

Courtesy of Zeitgeist Films

 Bill Cunningham is no ordinary member of the media. Invited to Brooke Astor's 100th birthday party as the only member of the media, he's trusted and a vital part of the Manhattan society. Designer Oscar de la Renta credits Cunningham when he said, "“More than anyone else in the city, he has the whole visual history of the last 40 or 50 years of New York. It’s the total scope of fashion in the life of New York.” Even Anna Wintour, Vogue's editor-in-chief, says, "We all get dressed for Bill." His pictures are worth much more than a thousand words, but they describe a whole society, and the island of Manhattan's style sense for many decades.

Cheers to Bill Cunningham and all he's done, and continues to do, for fashion. Capturing fashion one picture at a time, this street style guru will never ever be forgotten.

Who doesn't love a little piece of [fashion] history?

xx, ZM