Legendary fashion photographer Bill Cunningham has passed away at the age of 87. He documented women’s fashion trends at the onset of second wave feminism and took photos regardless of a person’s social status or age. Cunningham suffered a stroke and his loss is felt throughout the fashion community.
The New York was notorious for riding his bike in his uniform of a blue working jacket, documenting what he noticed to be a change in women’s fashion that coincided with social changes. He noticed the increasing popularity of casual dress and this provoked him to pick up a camera and document this important shift. While he was huge in the fashion community, he refused to take the spotlight. His position was to document, not participate.
He was known for recognizing everyday people with great outfits. “I don’t decide anything,” he once said. “I let the street speak to me, and in order for the street to speak to you, you’ve got to stay out there and see what it is.”
