Fashion Climbing

A Memoir

By: Bill Cunningham, Hilton Als - preface

Narrated by: Arthur Morey

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

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 he came to be famous for as a photographer for The New York Times.

After two style mavens 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.

Contained inside this audiobook is an education in style, an effervescent tale of a bohemian world as it once was, and a final gift to the fans of one of New York's great characters.

©2018 Bill Cunningham (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“This obscenely enjoyable romp fills in part of the Cunningham back story and provides tantalizing peeks in the psyche of the guarded and mysterious Bill.... [Fashion Climbing] leaves the readers gasping for more.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Bill Cunningham left behind a memoir. It is, to use one of his favorite words, marvelous.” (The Washington Post)

“Cunningham's memoir is a charming ode to being true to oneself.” (NPR)

Oh just fabulous

Viva the spirit of Bill Cunningham ! If only it was read by him ….
The reader does a fine job though and it’s a real pleasure .

Worth listening to while you're working.

The narrator and author take you through working in the fashion industry. please listen to this book.

Inside look through at fashion the eyes of a passionate expert

It was nice to be guided through the memories of someone so excited and genuinely passionate about his subject. It was tasteful and revealing at the same time.

Hats for Everyone!

Having worked at Bonwit Teller in the Beverly Hills store when it closed in 1987, this book felt like a nostalgic walk down memory lane. The old world glory of the department store was spectacular and Bill Cunningham tells his tale with a wide open canvas; furs and hats! i truly enjoyed hearing his adventure and the reader, Arthur Morey, is fantastic! Clear and right up front. The old department stores sure fanned heavy in a world of glamor! I miss it.