Johnny Cirillo has been photographing fashion on the streets of New York for almost a decade under the moniker @watchingnewyork.
Dubbed ‘The People’s Paparazzi,’ Long Island born photographer Johnny Cirillo has had his trained eye set on the streets of New York for the past 10 years.
But unlike your typical paparazzi, Cirillo has no interest in fame, gossip or catching you in your messiest moments. Instead, his lens remains focused, scanning the crowds for the city’s most stylish citizens, capturing and immortalizing the very best outfits that New York has to offer.
When the legendary New York Times street photographer Bill Cunningham sadly passed away in 2016, Cirillo, avid photographer and Cunningham fan, took to the streets with his camera, in memory of a photographic icon. He explained: “I went out that day, just to take photos and to feel his spirit a little bit, put myself in his shoes… he was the best.”
“I just really enjoyed it, which was a surprise… I didn’t share anything for the first year that I did it, then I started using Instagram as a way to archive them.”
But what really took Cirillo by surprise was how much he enjoyed the experience – “I just really enjoyed it, which was a surprise… I didn’t share anything for the first year that I did it,” he told me, “then I started using Instagram as a way to archive them.”
Today, almost a decade on from that first day, New York’s streets have become his studio and over a million followers on his dedicated Instagram account, @watchingnewyork, line up to peer through his lens.
On Instagram, Cirillo’s love for New York and its residents glare back at you through the screen. He explained: “I think what sets New York apart, and what I am so attracted to is the bravery and the confidence to express yourself… where somebody can see a little bit of who you are through what you’re wearing.”
The creativity and diversity of the New York public is something that is difficult to capture in photos, but a scroll through Cirillo’s Instagram goes a long way. Each of the images, in their own way, exemplify the originality, boldness and joy of New York fashion without being bound by demographics of age, race or gender.
The only prerequisite is style: “I look at it like, when you go to a museum, there are thousands of paintings on the wall, and you can’t stop and look at every single one. But then there’s always a couple that you stop and stare at, and you don’t even know why… you look at it because it makes you happy.”
While Cirillo himself has not always been a fan of fashion, admitting that before Watching New York, his experience with fashion photography was limited to photographing the outfits of his stylish wife upon her request, one thing that is clear from his work is his growing love for not just fashion but also the sense of community that comes with it.
“I think that it’s a very natural evolution when you stop people to ask for permission to post their photo. It opens up the door a little bit to just start chatting about the outfit.”
As Watching New York’s popularity grew, the need to communicate with the subjects of his images arose. What began as a short conversation requesting permission to post the images, opened the door to connection. “I think that it’s a very natural evolution when you stop people to ask for permission to post their photo. It opens up the door a little bit to just start chatting about the outfit.”
Cirillo found that, often, what could be more interesting than the outfits themselves were the stories people told of them; where they came from, and their connections to the pieces.
He told me some of his favorite stories; a girl who made a full denim jumpsuit out of scraps she had taken from the vintage store she worked in, where they had a service to alter people’s jeans. Each of the scraps carrying the history of their previous lives.
A man who wore an old Carhartt jacket, patched up, from the 70s, that would have gone for hundreds of dollars in a vintage shop – it turned out that the man had been patching it up himself, and fending off his wife, who wanted him to throw the old thing out.
A nervous but impeccably dressed older man, who had a natural “Ralph Lauren” look about him, agreed to be photographed after witnessing Cirillo’s passion for the look.
Each of the images has a story, and it is clear that Watching New York has brought Cirillo a profound connection to his community. “I stay in touch with all of them.” he told me, “they’re some of my best friends. I had a pool party with 60 friends that I only met through Watching New York this summer. They were all strangers that at some point, that I had randomly stopped in the street.”
What began as a hobby, a day out in memory of a photography icon became a passion. A shared love for self expression through dressing opening a window to friendships – like two well-dressed people making eye contact across a crowded room and feeling instantly connected.
In 2024 Cirillo released his first book, Watching New York: Street Style A to Z, with the foreword by model Gigi Hadid, and has his sights set on another one next year.
All images courtesy of Johnny Cirillo.
