In The Beginning

Many people cite Bill Cunningham as the first democratic street-style photographer. Starting in 1978 in the NYT, he snapped candid photographs of people on the street and found trends among them. Old and young, thin and fat, tall and short, rich and poor… his subjects were as diverse as the city he shot them in, and truly representative of the fashions of the time (even if the people in his photos wouldn't be considered particularly fashionable). More photojournalist than portraitist, Cunningham's work was incredibly important in documenting the oeuvre of a time.

Concurrently, photographers like Jamel Shabazz and Shosuke Ishizu were capturing hip-hop style in the mid-'70s and Ivy League style in the mid-'60s, photographing their subjects in both posed and candid shots that let tribes of individuals showcase trends like Cazal eyeglasses and varsity jackets.

Photographed by Tracy Wang