Wishlisted

Why yes, yes that is a camera bag. Currently swooning over one of the newest additions to the always delightful collection by Lo & Sons. Wouldn't this be a chic alternative to those clunky, hey-look-I'm-a-tourist camera bags when traveling?

Bill Cunningham: On the Screen

The other night I finally got to watch "Bill Cunningham: New York" - a documentary by Richard Press about street/fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. What an incredible life this man has led, capturing the evocative, the eccentric and the everyday fashions while cruising the streets of New York (and sometimes Paris) by bicycle! And yet you don't get any sense that Bill has acquired an ounce of pretentiousness rubbing elbows with some, if not most, of New York's high society. If anything, his modesty and mirthfulness has become more stubborn despite being honored with the title chevalier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

He really seems to approach his work as an anthropologist, slightly removed (Bill himself wears a cheap blue workman's jacket and patches cheap ponchos with duct tape) yet utterly absorbed and dedicated to his subject. What he does every day is wake up and do what he loves. You can tell he is simply devoted to documenting the beauty he encounters. In an interview with Bill about 20 years ago, he says, "You can't let them give you any money. Then you're free... Money is the cheapest thing. Freedom, liberty, those are the most expensive."

Last Sunday's On the Street (above) is right up my alley, a reflection on black and white. But if shoes are more your thing, check out Bill's latest here.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

 

Summer is officially here! 

Yesterday was the longest day of the year. The clouds were dark and heavy in D.C. so it didn't seem like it. Not to mention that my body prefers the bedtime of a 5th grader, so I was asleep before the sun went down. But, I feel like when the sun is shining and the air is warm, everyone is naturally in a better mood.

I notice this when I wait outside the Metro station for Pem and people watch. In the winter, everyone has their heads and hands buried in their downy layers and walk to their destination as quickly as possible. In the summer, people are more likely to slow down and smile. 

Two street photographers capturing these moments of sun-loving contentment (be sun smart!) among the very best dressed of us are the Sartorialist and his amie, Garance Dore (their photos above).

Stay sunny!