Bill Cunningham's Secret Memoir Reveals What No One Knew About Him

The fashion industry is still coping with the loss of iconic street style photographer Bill Cunningham, but we're about to get something that will help fill the void. As The New York Times reported, Cunningham actually left behind a never-before-seen memoir that will soon be published.
Titled Fashion Climbing, the memoir chronicles his career, as well as memories from his childhood that he had kept private. One of the passages obtained by NYT is particularly illuminating: "There I was, 4 years old, decked out in my sister's prettiest dress. Women's clothes were always much more stimulating to my imagination. That summer day, in 1933, as my back was pinned to the dining room wall, my eyes spattering tears all over the pink organdy full-skirted dress, my mother beat the hell out of me, and threatened every bone in my uninhibited body if I wore girls' clothes again."
Although the book includes some less-than-pleasant memories, NYT summarizes it as a "rosy account" of his path to success. Stay tuned for more: The memoir is expected to be published in September.

Erin got her start as a Who What Wear intern in 2011—back when the site only published a single story per day. (We have since increased that number twentyfold.) She graduated magna cum laude from USC and lives in Los Angeles. In college, she also interned at Refinery29, where she was promoted to editorial assistant and then assistant editor. After nearly three years at R29, she came back to WWW in 2015, where she is now the Associate Director of Fashion News. From the Oscars to the Met Gala, she leads the site's entire red carpet coverage strategy. She specializes in celebrity and fashion news but also enjoys writing travel features and runway reports. She frequently contributes to WWW's social accounts and has a sizable following on her personal TikTok.