My childhood love affair didn't die, it just vanished. Women had stopped wearing hats.
Money's the cheapest thing. Liberty and freedom is the most expensive.
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.
I could never concentrate on Sunday church services because I'd be concentrating on women's hats.
I go to different places all the time. And I try to be as discreet as I can. My whole thing is to be invisible. You get more natural pictures that way, too.
Most of my pictures are never published. I just document things I think are important. For instance, I've documented the gay pride parade from its first days.
I made hats until I went into the Army. I was drafted during the Korean War.
I'm not interested in celebrities, with their free dresses. I'm interested in clothes.
The best fashion show is definitely on the street. Always has been, and always will be.
I don't pay attention to celebrities. I don't photograph them. They don't dress so... interestingly. They have stylists. I prefer real women who have their own taste.
My family all thought I was a little nuts.
The problem is I'm not a good photographer. To be perfectly honest, I'm too shy. Not aggressive enough. Well, I'm not aggressive at all. I just loved to see wonderfully dressed women, and I still do. That's all there is to it.
I started photographing people on the street during World War II. I used a little box Brownie. Nothing too expensive.
I go out every day. When I get depressed at the office, I go out, and as soon as I'm on the street and see people, I feel better. But I never go out with a preconceived idea. I let the street speak to me.
Fashion is a mirror, reflecting the culture.
The main thing I love about street photography is that you find the answers you don't see at the fashion shows. You find information for readers so they can visualize themselves.
I just loved to see wonderfully dressed women, and I still do. That's all there is to it.
