"The wider world perceives fashion sometimes
as a frivolity that should be done away with in the face of social upheavals
and problems that are enormous. The point is, in fact, that it’s the armor to
survive the reality of everyday life."
I watched Bill
Cunnigham New York last week and to say it is inspiring is an understatement.
Long before fashionable people sauntered around waiting to be snapped by The Sartorialist, they waited for
Bill. "We all get dressed for Bill", Anna Wintour
claims. However Bill isn’t "interested
in celebrities with
their free dresses”. "The best fashion show is definitely on the
street," he says. "Always has
been. Always will be."
It’s
more than heartening to see someone with such pure talent seem
un-jaded, although completely aware, and still living off his passion into his 80’s,
“fashion is my food” he tell us. (I can kind of imagine Kate Moss saying that but with a completely different sentiment.) Here's Bill on his 29th Schwinn bike, the previous 28 were stolen.
In a business where his morals must have been
tested many a time, he declares “Money’s the cheapest thing. Freedom is the
most expensive.” I won’t say much more except, go to see this documentary at
Better Fashion Week if you’re in Dublin on the 29th April. I’m
sure Bill would approve of their ethics.
www.betterfashionweek.com
Pics by Bill Cunningham- Bike pic from Tumblr
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