Some time last week, I watched the Bill Cunningham New York documentary and I loved it! And not soon after, I discovered the Facebook page, Humans of New York (HONY). These two incidents sparked my dormant love for New York City and fashion. And now, I feel suddenly compelled to post about it.
Let’s talk Bill Cunningham first. This documentary about the New York Times fashion photographer was entertaining and fun, as well as sad. In the film, we are introduced to an eccentric yet charming old man who is obsessed with capturing fashion, i.e. individual style. Cunningham has a very humble lifestyle. He lived above Carnegie Hall, in a one-room apartment crowded with file cabinets and books stacked around. His bed was a mere mattress, placed above some boxes and his “closet” was a few simple articles of clothing hanging from his cabinets. Cunningham didn’t even have his own kitchen or bathroom. He just owned his trademark blue jacket and bicycle and camera.
Cunningham was captivated by fashion on the streets on New York. He wasn’t interested in celebrities who wore sponsored clothing. Rather, he wanted to capture how ordinary women recreated fashion from the runways and made it their own. He’s so passionate in his work, but to the extent that all he does is work. He said that he doesn’t have time for relationships. And when the interviewer asked him about religion, family, and sexuality at the end, the moments of silence and the building tension were lurking with sadness. Loneliness. No one really knows about Cunningham’s personal life, not even his close friends. Ah, the life of a beloved man!
Anyways, I highly recommend this documentary, even if you are not a fashion enthusiast.
Next, I discovered HONY: a Facebook page dedicated to photographs capturing the people of New York on the streets of New York. “The photographic census of NYC. One street portrait at a time.” And this site has a lot in common with the Bill Cunningham New York documentary. They both revived my interest in fashion and New York City. They both made me want to update my wardrobe with a style that expresses myself. (Right now, I am too lazy to update my clothing. I wear the same 7 outfits, day in, day out. I’m still trying to figure out how I want to dress. And my mom made a promise to me that if I lose the fat I gained last year, she’ll pay for my new wardrobe. So, I’m arduously working towards that day.)
In addition to inspiring a wardrobe change, the documentary and the site (as well as Macaron Day) have motivated me to explore NYC (specifically Manhattan) and visit museums, look at buildings, etc. All those things that make me happy. Oh! And now that I have a new Brooklyn Museum ID (my old one expired), I can go to museums for free again! Since midterms are over and spring break is a-coming, I’ll be heading on more adventures through the city! Until then…
xoxo Gossip Girl
P.S. Two posts back, I wrote about the SPRING/BREAK Art Show. I promise you that said post is coming. There’s just so much stuff to talk about that I keep pushing it back. Sigh…
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