The Fashion World Is Mourning The Man Who Invented Street Style

Bill Cunningham, a longtime photographer for The New York Times, died on Saturday at the age of 87.

The legendary photographer was known across the world for his pioneering work with street fashion, according to The New York Times. He was fondly remembered by not only his colleagues at the Times, but also by fashion giants such as Anna Wintour and aspiring photographers everywhere.

The infamous Vogue editor-in-chief famously said how all people get dressed hoping Bill would snap a photo of them.

I've said many times, we all get dressed for Bill.

Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the Times, summarized just what it was about Bill Cunningham that was so incredible. He said,

To see a Bill Cunningham street spread was to see all of New York. Young people. Brown people. People who spent fortunes on fashion and people who just had a strut and knew how to put an outfit together out of what they had and what they found.

According to The New York Times, the man himself one described his approach, saying,

When I'm photographing, I look for the personal style with which something is worn — sometimes even how an umbrella is carried or how a coat is held closed. At parties, it's important to be almost invisible, to catch people when they're oblivious to the camera — to get the intensity of their speech, the gestures of their hands. I'm interested in capturing a moment with animation and spirit.

Well, the world is now a far-less spirited place without Bill Cunningham in it. If you lived in New York for a long enough time, you were practically guaranteed to see Cunningham sneaking around trying to get his shots and ignoring everything else.

New York won't be the same without him.

Here's to you, Bill. RIP.

RIP to fashion industry legend Bill Cunningham. 2016, you can stop now, thanks. — GQ Style Guy (@GQStyleGuy) June 25, 2016

On an April eve in 2014, I spotted our beloved Times colleague on the streets that he owned. Bill Cunningham. pic.twitter.com/z2iG0hCJk4 — Cynthia Collins (@NYCcyn) June 25, 2016

To learn more about Bill Cunningham, be sure to check out a documentary about the veteran New York photographer, "Bill Cunningham New York."

Citations: Bill Cunningham, Legendary Times Fashion Photographer, Dies at 87 (The New York Times)