Jun
Bill Cunningham’s Egalitarian Eye
[responsivevoice_button voice=”UK English Female” buttontext=”Listen to Post”]
On Saturday, June 25, 2016, Bill Cunningham passed away at the age of 87. He had suffered from a stroke and failed to recover. In a way, I sort of knew this was coming. 2016 has been a difficult year. In this one year, we have lost David Bowie, Merle Haggard, Phife Dawg, Prince, Maurice White, and Muhammad Ali. That doesn’t include lesser-known artists like Ernestine Anderson, Gato Barbieri, and Pierre Boulez. Forgive me for being a little cynical for thinking we are losing our legends.
What Bill Cunningham taught us about ethical journalism
Bill’s approach toward street style was always about other people, regardless of background. Men, women, black, white, Latino, Asian, LGBT, disabled, old, young, rich, poor; everyone in Bill’s eye had the capacity to get up and get themselves together. He wasn’t interested in who was wearing the clothes, but rather how people were wearing clothes. He was a cultural and social archivist that captured both New York’s inner circles and downtown street kids. He cared more about other people’s lived experiences and how what they wore reflects how they live.
I had the wonderful opportunity to be photographed by Bill during one of my visits to New York. I was spending the weekend with my dear friend, and we decided to head toward Bergdorf Goodman. Of course, there’s Bill scoping the crowd. I immediately recognized him by his electric blue down jacket; the winter version of his signature summer smock. I just wanted to stop him, say hello, and keep it moving. Then, he took a closer look at me. He leaned in and said,
What are you wearing?
I told him,
Oh, this is a vintage Gucci coat from Tom Ford’s Fall 2000 collection. And I got this clutch at a thrift store in Paris.
He stood back and started snapping photos.
Eventually the photo made it to his weekly video series for the New York Times. This was also the moment that finally motivated me to make the move to New York City. While this was a truly surreal moment, it was also colored by Bill Cunningham’s kindness and care toward making sure we are both acknowledged and look our best doing so. That must never be forgotten.