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Although published recently, this memoir is very much a product of the time period it‘s set in. If you love stories of society, fashion, and the designers of the time, and can look past some troubling statements about class and classiness that reflect poorly on those same times, you‘ll enjoy this quick read. Kind of like having drinks with a maiden uncle who has great stories, but is far from woke. (1)

DNF. his prose is so pedestrian & precious that, once he was done working as a milliner, i didn't care what else came of his early career. But, that was maybe the last two chapters?

If you are interested in a memoir of a flamboyant, spendthrift young man who tossed away a scholarship to Harvard to traipse around making truly hideous hats, here you go. The details about mid-century millinery in NYC are interesting, but otherwise, it's a wash.

He might have been a legendary fashion critic and photographer but this guy made some straight-up stupid looking hats.

I‘m interested in his perspective on mid century department stores and millinery production but the man is not a good writer.

Example: I hate when a memoirist writes something like, “I can‘t begin to express how important XYZ was.” Like, hi, you are writing about it already so give it a goddamn try.

Just found out that Bill Cunningham‘s memoir is about his prior career as a milliner, before he became a famous style photographer! Yes please!

A cozy afternoon read (and you really can read it in an afternoon). Cunningham‘s early life as a milliner is a realm of fashion I know almost nothing about. Somehow these stories- the vibe and the soup- out- of-the-can detail reminded me of listening to my dad talk about his youth. Worth a read.

I was rather disappointed with this book. I loved Bill Cunningham‘s photographs and enjoyed the documentary about his later life. He came across as a delightful personality in that documentary but you didn‘t get any of that in the book, which is about his early life as a milliner, designer and fashion writer up to the mid-sixties. I just felt that the book lacked warmth and his tales lacked depth.

#ReadingUSA2019 - New York

This is sort of an approximation of my #25in5 so far. I fell asleep reading once & then forgot to start the clock a couple times so . . . 🤷‍♀️

An easy read and look into the early life of Mr Bill Cunningham, a fascinating and classic New York character. If you haven‘t watched the documentary on his later life, do yourself a favor and check it out!