The Public Runway:
A Celebration of New York City Street Fashion and Bill Cunningham
“The best fashion is on the street. Always has been, always will be.” - Bill Cunningham
Flash! The cameras screech in the dark of the bustling private room. Clash! The trash can echos as it swallows a black plastic bag of garbage. Boom! Goes the music as the models strut down the runway in pace with the beat. Vroom! The taxi demands as it rushes down the street. The audience of celebrities, the audience of shop clerks and wanderers. Private and Public.
In the 1980’s, fashion was no longer defined as only wealthy women who sat in the front rows of the fashion shows adorned in diamonds and draped in couture; it became a term which included anyone who was willing to express themselves with their clothing. People of all socioeconomic classes and people of all genders. Rebellious Japanese, English, and French designers such as John Galliano, Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Vivienne Westwood spearheaded this fashion revolution by creating clothing that was extremely bold and, some would even say, ugly. Fashion shows were no longer exclusively available to the wealthy. The guests were now young and wild. Runway shows were held at night clubs instead of private spaces. The line between the public and the private runway became blurred.
Through his photographs, Bill Cunningham (March 13, 1929 - June 25, 2016), a street fashion photographer for the New York Times, captured the juxtaposition of these two diverse definitions of the term “runway” and, most importantly, documented fashion’s reinvention during the eighties. Bill’s journalistic and democratic observation is what declared him an artist. He attended Wigstock, the annual drag queen convention, as well as the Central Park Conservancy Luncheon (he loved looking at the hats). As an observer of fashion myself, I find Bill’s work incredibly inspiring and influential. It was recently when I last paid a visit to the beloved (and incredibly loud) city where I found myself constantly seeing not only recherché outfits but also people just like Bill: observers and photographers of this marvelous artform which is street fashion. Street fashion is an incredibly important piece in our democracy. We scream and yell and fight and resist without uttering a single word or letting a single note escape from our lips. Both on the public streets and within the private runway of New York City, Bill Cunningham democratically celebrated originality and helped the private runway become public through documenting styles and trends during the 1980’s. I chose this essay topic because I want to reflect the individuality which an outfit may project and the power of self expression which Bill Cunningham valued in his photographs.
Bill was a very private man. All people really knew about him was that he wore a blue coat and rode a Schwinn bike around New York City, vigorously snapping pictures of fashion wildlife. He took little personal time and lots of public time. His main focus in his later life was not on himself, but on the originality of the “bird” who passed briefly on the corner of 5th and 57th street. It was that bird who he would grant flight to for 5-10 seconds in his Sunday column “On the Street.” When the documentary Bill Cunningham New York, a film by Richard Press, was being filmed, Bill was incredibly reluctant in allowing Press to film him. It took ten years for Press to make this movie and eight of those were spent trying to persuade Bill to participate (Kenneth).
Bill led a simple life. He never accepted food or money from others. He refused to be called an artist. He wanted to be a journalist. And his view, both artistic and journalistic, was democratic. He focused on the photos and not himself. His apartment could be summed up in these four words: shelves, shelves, shelves, and cot. He did not have much. He did not want much. His shelves were filled with negatives and he did not have a kitchen or a bathroom. In his earlier life, he was William J.: hat designer and a millionaire with a Harvard education. But when he realized his material possessions were trapping him in a cage of his own desires, he purged everything he owned. Then he began the next phase in his life: street photography.
Between 1983 and 1986, the years in which Bill worked for Details, Annie Flanders would send him to fashion week in Paris. In Paris, Bill would madly snap pictures of the wild fashions which colorfully littered the beautifully old streets and the runways. Flanders then published as many of his photos as possible which was absolutely unheard of. Most of their magazine would be occupied by a single photographer. This was incredibly important in fashion turning public. Now, not exclusively the people who went to the fashion show could see it, but everyone who bought Details. From the streets and runways of Paris to almost everywhere (Donelan). The trends would spread, and, most importantly, the trend of expressing individuality through fashion. When Bill was employed at the New York Times both his photos and the magazine would gain more publicity. The New York Times introduced Bill to their more private audience, and Bill introduced the magazine to his more public audience. Not only would he be important to the New York Times, he would last. He would be a voice and he made them hip.
Bill captured the street people and the socialites. The street is a random selection of people of different ethnicities and backgrounds. There is and is no rhyme or reason to the street. In his Sunday podcast “On the Street,” Bill presented and discussed the trends which he observed throughout the week. I can remember my mother watching Bill on Sundays. I can remember his raspy, passionate voice talking about how he thought the black and white stripes were so “fantastic” (Cunningham) and how he was just mad about them and the little song which would play every podcast. He showed pictures of clothing draped around a stunned figure. Annie Flanders was one of Bill’s favorite figures to photograph. Once he saw her buy a coat with four sleeves, which he was just mad about.
Bill was relentless in teasing out trends. There were the seasonal trends and there were the spontaneous and sporadic trends which Bill focused on in his Sunday podcast. The seasonal trends included florals for fall, altered silhouettes for winter, and vibrant or bold colors for summer. The spontaneous and sporadic trends were obviously never predicted. They popped up as they pleased or in response to something. They would be influenced by the the designers or the designers would be influenced by them. These trends included the sagging pants trend or hip-hop trend, popularized by skaters and hip-hop artists of the 1990’s. This trend then made a comeback in the 2010’s. Even if Bill did not like these trends, he appreciated them.
Bill also regularly published “Evening Hours,” a column about society events. Unlike “On the Street,” “Evening Hours” was not democratic or random. It was the private, wealthy, famous champagne drinkers. It was full of designers with their big, black sunglasses and powdered wigs. Staying true to his beliefs, Bill photographed the “stunners” and originals. Bill was not concerned with the “familiar” faces which included models, actors, or singers who tend to populate our life with appearances in magazines or movies. He just wanted to photograph the clothes. “And Women’s Wear has been photographing socialites and celebrities for years. But the difference for me is I don’t see the people I photograph. All I see are clothes. I’m only interested in people who look good. I’m looking for the stunners” (Horyn qtd. Cunningham). Indeed, Bill captured “the stunners.” Once he photographed Kanye West in a fabulous and extravagant jeweled bomber jacket and ripped blue jeans. Bill was mad about this. Not because Kanye West was wearing it but because his outfit was unique. He was just stunning. Bill’s eye was random, just like the trends he captured. However, the outfits he caught were not. They were all stunning and all original.
When I walk the streets of New York, I see people who do not fit into the modern bento box of society’s expectations. These people are the product of the 80’s revolution. In this life, you must be brave. You must stand up and stand out. Today I feel we are being manipulated by corporations just trying to steal our money. They tell us what is in fashion and what is not. They tell us “wear this,” “buy this!” I walk the streets and I also see people who look like they are clones of the person I just saw in a magazine. Corporations are now stripping us of our individuality. Bill knew this. That is the reason he began photography. He was being stripped of his own individuality and trapped by money. By letting go of the screeching but silent voice of society which tells us how to live, he stood out.
Bill was did not intentionally stand out, but in a world of consumerism, he did. He lived simply and therefore freely. He did not care what people thought of him and he photographed people who were also unafraid. He helped the rebirth of fashion which occurred with the rebirth of himself. He put a spotlight on those who wanted or needed a public voice. Those who were not tricked or stripped of their individual voice. He put a spotlight on the artists instead of on the models in an editorial. Bill’s photos were not staged. They captured real life.
Our style is our wordless expression of ourselves. I want to pursue fashion because I believe I can make a difference. It is because I believe I can break the walls that surround, trap, and confine us and make us abide by the mental rules and expectations of society. I want to help people find their voice again and not the one society has shoved down their throats. I want to make fashion public once again.
Works Cited
Horyn, Cathy, “What It Was Like to Be Photographed by Bill Cunningham.” The New York Times.
The New York Times, n.d. Web. 25 Jun. 2016.
Bill Cunningham New York. Dir. Richard Press. Perf. Bill Cunningham, Iris Apfel, Anna Wintour, and
Michael Kors. Zeitgeist Films, 2010. Film.
Cunningham, Bill. “Duality.” Narr. On the Street. The New York Times, 26 Jun. 2017. Web. 7 April
2017
Collins, Lauren. “Bill Cunningham Takes to the Streets.” The New York Times. The New York Times,
n.d. Web. 7 April 2017.
Donelan, Charles. Interview. 23 Mar 2017
Turan, Kenneth. "Movie Review: 'Bill Cunningham New York'." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
Horyn, Cathy, “What It Was Like to Be Photographed by Bill Cunningham.” The New York Times.
The New York Times, n.d. Web. 25 Jun. 2016.
Bill Cunningham New York. Dir. Richard Press. Perf. Bill Cunningham, Iris Apfel, Anna Wintour, and
Michael Kors. Zeitgeist Films, 2010. Film.
Cunningham, Bill. “Duality.” Narr. On the Street. The New York Times, 26 Jun. 2017. Web. 7 April
2017
Collins, Lauren. “Bill Cunningham Takes to the Streets.” The New York Times. The New York Times,
n.d. Web. 7 April 2017.
Donelan, Charles. Interview. 23 Mar 2017
Turan, Kenneth. "Movie Review: 'Bill Cunningham New York'." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 25 Mar. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.