The Upper West Side is preparing to welcome a remarkable treasure - one created by a New York legend. The neighborhood will soon house the city's own creative energy, meticulously captured and preserved by the late Bill Cunningham, the iconic New York Times fashion photographer. A treasure trove of his work is about to be unveiled: tens of thousands of photographs, negatives, and memorabilia will find their permanent home at the New York Historical Society on Central Park West.
For decades until his death at age 87 in 2016, Cunningham cycled through the city streets, documenting how people dressed as they lived their unique versions of New York life. His photography captured the personal styles people created for themselves and how they collectively dressed the entire city. To Cunningham, fashion served as armor for surviving daily reality, as he explained in the 2010 documentary "Bill Cunningham New York." "I don't think you could do away with it; it would be like doing away with civilization," he said.
Now visitors can witness the beauty Cunningham captured at the New York Historical Society. But what about life outside the museum? How is the Upper West Side currently expressing its style?
To put it gently, when you spot someone with truly breathtaking style on the Upper West Side, your first thought might be: they're probably visiting. This observation comes with love from a neighborhood resident! Upper West Siders certainly look good - they're glorious, in fact. However, style-wise, the typical Upper West Sider often appears to have other priorities on their mind. A stunning outfit that causes double-takes and lingering glances remains relatively rare. On an average Tuesday afternoon, you don't see much that would have made Cunningham hit the brakes on his bicycle.
Mornings can be particularly revealing. Upper West Side dogs on their first walks are often accompanied by humans who appear to have dressed mid-fall, grabbing whatever clothing offered the least resistance. This creates a grown-up version of teenage angst fashion. Many residents have contributed to this aesthetic - showing up at the park with shirts inside out, washing instructions flapping in the wind like price tags. Fortunately, dogs don't judge fashion choices.
However, the Upper West Side has style embedded in its DNA. This neighborhood gave the world Lady Gaga! It was here that a small shop on 85th Street and Broadway, opened in 1967 by single Upper West Side mother Selma Weiser, grew into a boutique empire that transformed New York's fashion scene and beyond.
Charivari, the name Weiser chose for her store from the French word meaning "uproar," made the Upper West Side a center for cutting-edge style through her keen eye for avant-garde designs and support of emerging talent. Marc Jacobs began his career there as a stock boy, and Yohji Yamamoto along with countless other designers owe their American breakthrough to Weiser's vision. Charivari became "Planet Cool," as former employee Kerry Harris described it in the documentary "Charivari: A Fashion Uproar." At its peak, Charivari operated multiple locations throughout the neighborhood, establishing the Upper West Side as the destination where fashionable people went to get dressed.
Charivari's final store closed in 1998, but the Upper West Side had another style icon holding court since the 1960s. At Off Broadway Boutique on 72nd Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue, Lynn Dell Cohen sold everything needed to "dress for the theater of our lives," as she described it. Her shop featured sensational ensembles and every imaginable accessory to match - truly everything customers could dream of, including hats so dramatic they resembled sculptures more than headwear.
Arguably the most fabulous element in the store was Lynn Dell herself. Until her death in 2015, she brought out the inner glamour of everyone who entered her boutique. Lynn Dell became a style icon far beyond her shop's walls. She regularly appeared on Advanced Style, the blog by Ari Seth Cohen celebrating fabulously dressed older women. Many Upper West Siders have been featured on that platform, suggesting that style might be everywhere in the neighborhood for those who know how to look.
The key insight is this: Bill Cunningham wore the same blue work jacket every day. He didn't seek attention - he gave it. He found endless joy watching the fashion show unfold on city streets. These are our streets, and this is our show. Cunningham taught people to observe, and when we look with his kind of curiosity, we might see the beauty of someone dressed exactly for the day they're experiencing.
There they are: our neighbors, navigating the theater of their lives, appearing exactly as they do. We get to share these small scenes with them. That's quite extraordinary - definitely worth stopping for.
The Upper West Side continues to evolve its fashion identity, building on its rich history while embracing the authentic, everyday style of its residents. From Cunningham's documentary legacy to the neighborhood's boutique heritage, the area remains a fascinating case study in urban fashion culture, where high style meets real life on every street corner.
