Here's a wonderful video column by Bill Cunningham, revered fashion photographer and journalist for The New York Times, best known for his street photography. If you know about The Sartorialist (see sidebar, under "Men's Style Sites"), then Bill Cunningham is the godfather of this street-style fashion photography.
I've read that he spends 30 hours a week on the streets with his trademark bicycle and camera, and has done so every week for the past several decades. Designer Oscar de la Renta has 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." (Quote lifted from Wikipedia)
In this video, Bill walks us through the current state of men's fashion as seen on the streets of his stomping ground, Manhattan. He speaks about the evolution of menswear from the rigidity of the 50s to today's state of boundless freedom. Not only do I love these photos of real-life stylish men, but the addition of Bill's voice truly doubles the pleasure. The man is in his 80s, but his exuberance, joy and love for his work and for fashion is very energizing.
The Times doesn't allow this video to be embedded, so ... sorry dear readers ... I'm going to have to ask you to exert your finger muscles and click here to view it. The extra click, I think, is worth it for such a delightful walk with Bill to the world of men's summer fashion.
If you're in New York and want to see this legend in action, you'll have a good chance finding him on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, or in that vicinity, where he's regularly seen shuttering away at the fashionable pedestrians that glut the area. If you spot an old man with white hair and a camera and bicycle, that's him. There's also word that a documentary is currently in the works for said man, bicycle, and camera.
Enjoy.
