Althouse: "He was drafted into the Army, not always a congenial place for men who like curlicues and twists."

August 21, 2018

"He was drafted into the Army, not always a congenial place for men who like curlicues and twists."

"Seemingly within minutes, he writes, 'I was the star of the camouflage maneuvers,' his helmet covered with a 'dazzling garden of flowers and grass.' When forced to march for hours, he pretended to be holding not a rifle but a bouquet of ostrich feathers. A general had him give classes to the officers’ wives in hat making... There is much to learn in this memoir about hat making."

From "Bill Cunningham, Style Maven, Leaves Behind a Memoir and It’s ‘a Real Dilly’" (NYT), a review of "Fashion Climbing: A Memoir with Photographs."

Military... millinery...

12 comments:

Fernandinande said...: Bill Cunningham is the name of:

No Style Mavens are listed. :-(

But it seems that he invented the Selfie taken by someone else.; 8/21/18, 1:32 PM
Kay said...: I want to read it. This tags in this post led me to his obituary as well, and left me feeling even more intrigued.; 8/21/18, 2:08 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Two gay sailors, holding hands, jumped into the Indian Ocean from the deck of our ship, just as the captain started serving a Sunday Bar-B-Q, instantly becoming part of my military career's personal highlight reel.

You know, thinking about that, I have been on a real adventure.; 8/21/18, 2:20 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Run, don’t walk, to watch the documentary Bill Cunningham New York -- fabulous and touching.; 8/21/18, 2:26 PM
Kay said...: Earnest Prole said...
Run, don’t walk, to watch the documentary Bill Cunningham New York -- fabulous and touching.

Thanks for the recommend. I’ll be on the lookout for it.; 8/21/18, 2:32 PM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: what about Merce-- Merce Cunningham?; 8/21/18, 3:16 PM
rehajm said...: I used to walk by him and say hey Bill! when he was staked out in Midtown. I thought his NYT video snips were great.; 8/21/18, 3:28 PM
Earnest Prole said...: This New Yorker primer is as good as any: “Man on the Street: Bill Cunningham takes Manhattan.”; 8/21/18, 4:20 PM
JPS said...: The Crack Emcee:

"...instantly becoming part of my military career's personal highlight reel.

"You know, thinking about that, I have been on a real adventure."

Can I ask how long you served? (I feel like I used to know, and forgot.); 8/21/18, 4:35 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 8/21/18, 5:55 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I love those military anecdotes. Refreshing compared to the usual, morose didn't-fit-in stories.; 8/21/18, 5:56 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I like that it sounds like he was 100% himself and found a way to use his talents in that context rather than telling about how awful it was to be around people who didn't share his interests.

I was describing this article to my husband, and he said, "Like the guy in The Great Escape who makes the clothes!" Exactly. Guy has valuable talents and finds ways to use them.; 8/21/18, 7:11 PM