“The problem is I’m not a good photographer. To be perfectly honest, I’m too shy. Not aggressive enough. Well, I’m not aggressive at all. I just loved to see wonderfully dressed women, and I still do. That’s all there is to it.”
– Bill Cunningham
This morning, as I drank my morning coffee and dreamily looked out the window, my eyes rested on a postcard sitting near me. The title was, “The King Is Dead”.
It is not often that I am totally affected by the passing of someone whom I have never met, spoken to, or even seen in person.
But this time was different.
Saturday, June 25 2016 was a sad day for the global fashion industry.
I woke that morning, Sydney time, with a heavy heart, to find that the iconic Bill Cunningham, the famous bicycle pedalling street photographer, and dedicated columnist for the New York Times, will no longer be seen in mid-town New York capturing his special version of visual fashion delights.
Bill has crossed over, and is now travelling on a runway of a different kind.
Bill Cunningham was special. Eccentric. Dedicated. One of a Kind. And. He Will Be So Missed.
It has literally taken me days to comprehend that he is gone. At least from my current world.
And so this post is dedicated to Bill.
A man I never met, but a man that I know has affected so many lives with his work. As I write these words I realise what an incredible thing that is. To actually be such a contributory pillar of artistic genius that causes fashion lovers across the world to mourn his passing.
Bill is someone that I would have loved to have met, even briefly. For whatever reason, that was not to be. But it actually doesn’t matter because I hold such gratitude for the contribution he has made to my life. And to my own passion for fashion.
And there is that word again. Contribution. Ahh yes! That word has been spoken about a lot lately, post Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, Sydney 2016.
Contribution.
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