Meeting Bill Cunningham

I always knew I was at a party when I spotted Bill Cunningham. He was a fixture in the New York fashion scene, from the Met Ball to New York Fashion Week to every fundraiser that took place in the city. And he was a gem of a man.

Everyone knew him and everyone knew that he was very discerning when it came to who he took photos of. His columns in the New York Times every week were a well-curated who’s who of big style. I’ve always been someone who has adopted a simple yet chic style uniform and I was never one of his subjects, but I did have the chance to meet Bill. One day as I was leaving a fashion show, I stopped him and asked if he would allow us to take a photo together. His smile said it all and he posed with me. It made my day.

A few years later I ran into him again in Midtown. I noticed a man on crutches, struggling to get out of a car with a few bags and I went to help him. When he looked up at me, I realized it was Bill. I helped him carry his bags across the street into the New York Times building, happy I could return the favor in making his day a little bit better.

His presence on the New York City streets, from Fifth Avenue to Canal Street, is greatly missed.