MixedHyperallergic\"There are interesting anecdotes... but the book only barely reaches the time he started in fashion journalism at Women’s Wear Daily, and doesn’t relay his interest in photography at all. It’s almost like we’re reading the memoir of an entirely different person. The fact that the book suspends Cunningham in a past that pales in comparison to his work as a photographer is exacerbated by it style of writing. The prose rather reads like a ’50s primer: formal, an almost affected sense of bemusement at anything improper, and peppered with antiquated words ... As a relic, and an unearthed treasure from Cunningham’s past, it’s charming, but there are many unanswered questions as to why this book exists ... Cynics might say Fashion Climbing is a cash grab, a fully written book with a prominent name attached. Fans might say it’s an endearing look at the origins of one of fashion’s most beloved — and missed — figures. Regardless of its intention, it at least gives us another look at the man whom we all wanted to see us.\
