Fashion Climbing - Bill Cunningham. New York 1st UK HbDj 2018 Nread in MELB

Description: An enchanting memoir by the legendary New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham 'I took to New York life like a star shooting through the heavens.' Bill Cunningham's first love was fashion but the big city came a close second. He left for New York aged nineteen, losing his family's support but enjoying the infinite luxury of freedom. Living on a scoop of Ovaltine a day, he would run down to Fifth Avenue to feed on the spectacular sights of the window displays - then run back to his tiny studio to work all night. Working as 'William J' (to spare his parents' blushes), Bill became one of the most celebrated hat designers of the 1950s, creating elegant town hats for movie stars and playful beach hats for the summer set. Bill's mission was to bring happiness by making beautiful things - even if it meant pawning his bike to fund fancy-dress outfits for all his friends. When women stopped wearing hats and his business was forced to close, Bill worked as a fashion journalist, touring the couture houses of Europe. But New York remained his home, and it was as a street photographer of the fashions of the city that he became well known, in a job that would last almost forty years. Fashion Climbing is the enchanting memoir he left behind, capturing the madcap times of his early career and the fashion scene of the mid-century. Written with the spark and wit of Holly Golightly, and brimming over with Bill's infectious joy for life, it is a gift to all who seek beauty, whatever our style or status. The untold story of a New York City legend's education in creativity and style For Bill Cunningham, New York City was the land of freedom, glamour, and, above all, style. Growing up in a lace-curtain Irish suburb of Boston, secretly trying on his sister's dresses and spending his evenings after school in the city's chicest boutiques, Bill dreamed of a life dedicated to fashion. But his desires were a source of shame for his family, and after dropping out of Harvard, he had to fight them tooth-and-nail to pursue his love. When he arrived in New York, he reveled in people-watching. He spent his nights at opera openings and gate-crashing extravagant balls, where he would take note of the styles, new and old, watching how the gowns moved, how the jewels hung, how the hair laid on each head. This was his education, and the birth of the democratic and exuberant taste that he came to be famous for as a photographer for The New York Times. After two style mavens—the women who eventually gave Jackie Kennedy her famous pink Chanel suit—took Bill under their wing, his creativity thrived and he made a name for himself as a designer. Taking on the alias William J.—because designing under his family's name would have been a disgrace to his parents—Bill became one of the era's most outlandish and celebrated hat designers, catering to movie stars, heiresses, and artists alike. Bill's mission was to bring happiness to the world by making women an inspiration to themselves and everyone who saw them. These were halcyon days when fashion was all he ate and drank. When he was broke and hungry he'd stroll past the store windows on Fifth Avenue and feed himself on beautiful things. Fashion Climbing is the story of a young man striving to be the person he was born to be: a true original. But although he was one of the city's most recognized and treasured figures, Bill was also one of its most guarded. Written with his infectious joy and one-of-a-kind voice, this memoir was polished, neatly typewritten, and safely stored away in his lifetime. He held off on sharing it—and himself—until his passing. Between these covers, is an education in style, an effervescent tale of a bohemian world as it once was, and a final gift to the readers of one of New York's great characters. - A Financial Times Book of the Year 2018* - The New York Times Bestseller* Bill Cunningham, the iconic New York Times photographer, was the creative force behind the columns On the Street and Evening Hours. Cunningham dropped out of Harvard and moved to New York City at 19, eventually starting his own hat design business under the name "William J." His designs were featured in Vogue, The New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and Jet. While covering fashion for publications including Women's Wear Daily and The Chicago Tribune, he took up photography, which led to him becoming a regular contributor to the New York Time in the late 1970s. Cunningham was the subject of the documentary "Bill Cunningham, New York." His contributions to New York City were recognized in 2009 when he was designated a "living landmark."Very Entertaining & Interesting read!ReviewsFashion Climbing has everything you’d want in a fashion memoir (industry politics, elaborate window displays, hijinks at galas), but it’s also a manifesto for living authentically. Just like Bill Cunningham’s photography, this book is anti-snobbery, pro-having-fun-at-all-costs, and awake to the pleasures of being oneself -- Tavi Gevinson, Editor in Chief, Rookie The New York Times’s beloved street-style photographer died two years ago, leaving behind a delightful memoir of his early years, which tells of his escape from restrictive middle-class Boston to a Manhattan career as a milliner. His love of beauty may not have made him rich ― he chose an ascetic existence ― but it sustained him for a lifetime. -- Horatia Harrod ― Financial Times, *Books of the Years* Peppered with delightful colloquialisms...the text bears the signature voice that endeared him to readers... Yet, despite an ample dose of whimsy, there’s also a backbone to this cosy memoir... Fashion Climbingcelebrates one of the industry’s fiercest advocates of sartorial joie de vivre, who established himself on the fashion ladder “not with refined dignity but with an angry howl”. -- Lauren Sarazen ― AnOther Magazine Fashion Climbing is the captivating glimpse through the keyhole of this dizzying, dazzling world, and captures the buzz and bluster of a fashion life lived to the full ― Red Magazine What an endearing memoir! .... I have admired Bill Cunningham since I saw his documentary a few years ago and I couldn't wait to read this. I wouldn't describe fashion one of my particular interests, but Bill is such a genuinely lovely and interesting person that I got much more than I expected from reading about his work in the fashion industry. Without sounding too cheesy, this is an inspiring and touching read - raw and honest and Bill's character and spirit really shine through. I highly recommend it to everyone because it isn't simply about fashion but about maintaining a positive perspective and embracing life during the hardships that come with following your dreams. Bill Cunningham’s enchanting memoir of his love affair with fashion and the people who created, shaped, analysed, and wore it in the combustible years after the Second World War is a delight and a revelation, proving that his pen was as astute as his lens. This lively, compelling, and invaluable social history tells us as much about the mores of the age as it does about the era’s seismic fashion revolutions and reflects the wonder that Bill saw in creation throughout his life -- Hamish Bowles, International Editor at Large, Vogue So good I couldn’t put it down … I loved this book so much I couldn’t put it down. After becoming away of Bill from the amazing DVD Bill Cunningham New York I was delighted to discover this book written by him and it is such an honest and often comical insight into this amazing mans life. I would highly recommend to any fashion fans. REALLY GREAT READ……. Well written. Interesting, amusing.......Great comments and insights about the difficulties of starting a business. Still pertinent today. Heart wrenching hardships overcome. Throughout, references to many well know personalities of his day, and, as the business developed........ Highly recommend. A real page turner ... I found it to be a real page turner. And with each page, I wished I had met Bill Cunningham, fellow Bay Stater, because if he was as funny and droll in real life as he was on the page, you'd have an entertaining time. The book was like a friend was writing a letter with updates on his life and even though the stories went back 70+ years, it all felt very contemporary to me. Mad about the boy!! …. Most of us know Bill Cunningham (yes, THAT one; with the camera, the bike, and the denim jacket) from his street-savvy photography and his New York State of Mind notoriety. But, lucky for us, when he died Bill left this memoir in one of the drawers of his many file cabinets. And as he would say, this book is a lulu. I keep turning over rocks trying to find out if he intended this book to be published. I mean -- One assumes that Bill Cunningham would only have to make one phone call to have a juicy book deal. And yet this typed manuscript languished in a drawer; only to be discovered after he passed. So - draw your own conclusions. It's a slim volume full of goodness. It is written in a breezy personal "oh, WAIT for the punchline" style, punctuated by Bill-isms like "It's a dilly!". Best of all, it gives us a deep dive into his earliest days; revealing a lifelong Creative who got anything-but a standing ovation at home. He needed to get out into the world in order to find his tribe; and all that ignited in Manhattan circa 1948 and onward. While we learn about Bill's earliest days in retail, the story quickly transitions into his career as a milliner. A hat guy. His moniker, William J, was a non de plume for a young man whose family would have been scandalized to learn what he was actually doing. But Bill always amassed his own custom-ordered cheering section; whether they were fresh young things who became fabulous mannikins for his creations, and protective grand dames who bought his hats and then brought their friends. The irrepressible "hey kids, let's give a show!" vibe prevails -- I lost track of how many times he moved and moved and moved his studio/storefront -- but each time he managed to create beauty in the midst of creepy/moldy low-rent brownstones, and his career was defined by both epic feasts and dire famines. Decrepit walls were covered -- voila! -- with brocade drapes found in a dumpster and ostrich feathers. (no, really...…) He was famous for carting around his own bed, because he always "lived above the store". Any money he had was always put right back into the business, and lean times found him eating hot dogs at Nedick's. He was a total misfit for the world of retail and manufacturing -- but was a whiz at One Of A Kind. When the Sixties arrived he realized that hats were going to be a non-issue; so he pivoted to writing for Women's Wear Daily and seemingly taught himself photography. Like Zelig, he seemed to be everywhere before it became Somewhere. He had a storefront in the Hamptons before it was considered anywhere special. When uptown was hip, he was in The Village -- and when downtown was "the place" he was up on Museum Row. He loved theatricality and occasions. The book has a generous handful of his personal scrapbook snapshots, and we see a wide-eyed grinning Bill having Quite The Time. Bill arrived in New York City about 19 years before I did - and I thoroughly loved reading his recollections of Living Large On A Shoestring. Like me, he considered the place to be his personal Shangri La -- a glittering metropolis that could still be decorated on a dimestore budget. He snuck into operas, fashion shows, ateliers, invitation-only galas, and ballrooms. He commented it felt "peculiar" to walk in the FRONT entrance of the Waldorf since he had been sneaking in through the Laundry Door all those years. (smile) When he was low (and even hungry) he could always re-boot by witnessing beauty. Midnight walks past store windows would restore his spirit and launch new ideas. Rarely do we get to hear such granular details of the great expectations of a creative mind. He muses about how he came to prize his originality, and how he stayed faithful to his own best ideas, whether they paid the rent or not. A wonderful book - an amazing man.Great snapshot of the past in general, of fashion in particular - a very joyful read…. Even before the book was published I had read a brief summary I think in The New York Times and at first was disappointed that the book would not cover up to most recent events in Bill Cunningham's life and the fashion world. But once I read it boy was I glad it didn't because through the very time distance it brings across the past even more intensively.Marvellous Reading! WHY do ebayers buy from US?Because you KNOW what you're getting. My close up photos are of the actual item & form part of my description!! POSTAGE IS $9.90 WITHIN AUSTRALIAWe pack your books with care - using secure, lightweight, waterproof packaging to ensure that they are well protected in transit.*All items will be shipped within 3 business days of receipt of payment. Payment can be made by Direct Deposit Bank Transfer or Paypal. Check out my other items- *Buyer to make contact within 3 days of auction end and payment within 5 days. *Cash on pick up is fine. *Bank deposit & PAYPAL available. *Any questions? Just ask! Please look for my other items in our new Ebay Store 'Jingle Bells Books' ~ as there are lots & lots of old, RARE and COLLECTABLE BOOKS to be cleared from our bookshelves. We're new retirees downsizing from 30+ years teaching & clearing an 80 year, 3 generation private family collection of often valuable books ! *HAPPY TO COMBINE POSTAGE up to 3kilos of BOOKS can post WITHIN Australia for $16.90! THANKS FOR DROPPING BY

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