Fashion journalist, New York Times bestselling author and former Vogue creative director and editor at large André Leon Talley has died at age 73, TAA PR has confirmed.
The cause of death has not been released.
A trailblazer for 40-plus years in an industry that had very little diversity in its upper echelons, Talley worked at WWD, Interview, Vanity Fair, House & Garden and Vogue, in between dancing at Studio 54, interviewing Rihanna on the Met Gala red carpet and Michelle Obama for the pages of Vogue. With his baritone voice, vibrant caftans and unmistakable presence, Talley was a forthright personality in an industry filled with notable forces. His decades-long career in fashion also included volunteering at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and a run at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Along the way, by his own account, he dealt with ageism, racism and weight discrimination.
Prior to the release of his 2020 memoir “In the Chiffon Trenches,” Talley told WWD, “People have done things to me that I have forgiven them for. There are things in the book that you can’t imagine — the racism, everything. You don’t even understand how much I’ve gone through.…”
He was best known for his time at Vogue where he was fashion director between 1983 and 1987, before becoming its creative director and later an editor at large. In 1995, he moved to Paris for a stint at W, but returned to New York as Vogue’s editor at large.
A front row fixture known for his flamboyant style and storytelling, Talley was a close confidant of Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino, Marc Jacobs and many other legendary designers, and he provided support and a sounding board to up-and-comers from their first runway collections, including Rodarte, Sergio Hudson and Zac Posen. With his eye for talent, Talley was always in search of the next generation of rising stars.
Upon being notified as a recipient of the de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France in April 2021, Talley said, “Of all the education and experiences that I have had in this world, I think this represents a great deal to my race and my people. I hope that it will make people, who look like me, really proud. I am very proud to be an African American man, who grew up in the Jim Crow South to receive this prestigious honor from the Republic of France.”
Describing himself at that time as someone who has appreciated the relevancy of France, Talley said that included “the culture, the history and every aspect of refinement, style, architecture, the gardens, fashion haute cuisine, Versailles, the churches, the history — even its bad history — its revolution and the guillotine.”
Talley’s all-encompassing way of looking at life — the good and the bad — resonated with a wide range of people in and out of the spectrums of fashion. In his memoir, Talley detailed some of the less glamorous aspects of his life including sexual abuse, his weight struggles and ageism. After an advance copy leaked to the media, consumers’ interest in the book was so strong that the publisher Ballantine moved up the release date from September to May, and greenlighted a second run before it was out.
As a sign of Talley’s dualistic life, he dedicated the book to Lee Radziwill and Calvin O. Betts, his pastor at the Abyssinian Baptist Church, where he often attended weekly services. “When I sit back and look at the riches of my life, I just wanted to share some of the great moments of my life, as well as the struggles.”
In May 2020, when Talley learned that he had landed on The New York Times bestseller list for hardcover nonfiction, he told WWD that he was thrilled. But what he really wanted to discuss in an interview was “the horror” that had happened in Minneapolis, referring to the police murder of George Floyd. “This is just systematic of the world that we live in. The video — I have no words.” he said at that time.
Memories of the icon started to pour in Tuesday night.
“I have 45 years of memories of André from his working for Interview and Andy Warhol to working at WWD and WWD in Paris,” said Diane von Furstenberg. “I remember him wearing a cashmere robe when people wore black tie. We used to have tea at the Plaza Athénée in Paris, and he used to pretend he was an African king. We went to the inauguration for [Barack] Obama together and Nancy Pelosi gave us the best seats in the house. He introduced me to SCAD and he has a gallery in his name at SCAD [Savannah College of Art & Design]. Naomi [Campbell] took him to Algeria just before COVID-19 and he loved it. He had so many friends. He was truly bigger than life.”
Donna Karan told WWD Tuesday night, “He was larger than life. I always looked up to him. He loved fashion and we all loved him so. His fashion was beyond the clothes, the people, his presence, his heart, his laughter. He was fashion to the world like a big daddy. He will always be here by our sides watching over us all. We love you, André.”
Former Vanity Fair editor in chief Graydon Carter, who is now co-editor of Air Mail, said, “He was a dear friend and maybe the greatest fashion historian of his generation. He was a giant of fashion and a walking dictionary. When he came to Vanity Fair, he did five or six things for us that were as inventive as anything that we’d ever seen before.”
After his Condé Nast days had wound down, Talley pitched in at Carter’s newsletter Air Mail. Describing Talley as “a wonderful contributor,” Carter said he especially loved his book reviews, and “so did our readers. I will miss him terribly.”
Unabashed about sharing his views, Talley was not one to pull punches. His friend, the designer Ralph Rucci, said Tuesday night, “Beneath the particulars and the judgments, he was the most sensitive man — a brother. I loved him and watched over him with a paternal nature. I, and others, loved to constantly bring luxury into his life. Most of all, he made me laugh, which extinguished so much steam from this thing called fashion,” Rucci said.
Retail industry veteran and former longtime fashion director at Neiman Marcus Ken Downing said: “Elegant, engaging and entertaining. Style, wit and intelligence, the trifecta of terrific! RIP Mr. André Leon Talley.”
Lindsay Peoples Wagner, editor in chief of The Cut, said: “Not even sure how to wrap my mind around all you’ve done, and the legacy you’ve left behind, but you gave us hope and aspirations that we never would have dreamed if it hadn’t been for you, André.”
Born in Washington, D.C., he earned an undergraduate degree in French literature at Carolina Central University and later at Brown University, he earned a master of arts degree in French literature. Talley lived in France from 1978 to 1980 while working for Women’s Wear Daily, with his first big piece on Yves Saint Laurent establishing him in Paris. That was the first of “so many great experiences” and travels in France, he said.
There were also trying exchanges, as chronicled in his memoir “The Chiffon Trenches,” which was released in 2020.
Talley authored several books, including “Valentino,” “A.L.T.: André Leon Talley,” “A.L.T. 365+“ and “Little Black Dress,” and contributed to “Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table” and “Cartier Panthère.” He was also the subject of the 2017 documentary film “The Gospel According to André.” Accustomed as he was to the designer crowd and the adornments of a fashion career, Talley often spoke in recent years about the need for greater diversity and understanding. In a 2020 interview with WWD, Talley said, “The biggest challenge is to get up everyday and to go forward and to fight the battle…a Black man must think about racism every single day.”
Fern Mallis described Talley Tuesday night “as always being so much fun to be around. When he appeared at one of her “Fashion Icons” talks, Talley reeled in the A-list to attend, including Carolina Herrera, Michael Kors, Grace Coddington and Bette Midler. When his friend Bethann Hardison attempted to leave for the restroom, Talley chastised her from the stage, Mallis recalled.
“I also loved going to the VIP Manolo Blahnik sample sales. He always sat prominently in the middle of a room filled with tables with mountains of shoes and [surrounded] by lots of frantic women grabbing everything they could. He sat in a majestic chair and women would crave his opinion, which as you could imagine — he was generous with,” Mallis said.
in recent years, Talley was embroiled in a legal dispute about his $1 million White Plains, N.Y., home with his friend the former Manolo Blahnik USA chief executive officer George Malkemus. Talley contested that he owned it based on a gentleman’s agreement that he had with Malkemus and his husband Anthony Yurgaitis, who purchased the property. The couple contended in court filings that Talley had failed to pay rent for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Malkemus died last fall.
Another public dispute surfaced after “The Chiffon Trenches” was released. Talley’s blistering portrayal of his former Vogue boss Anna Wintour and the severed ties between them set off a firestorm of media publicity. Talley speculated about the public’s fascination with the feud in an interview with WWD in 2020, “I think people are riveted by this, because Anna Wintour is on everybody’s brain waves, because she is a very powerful human being. Perhaps they are perplexed or mystified by me, my relationship to Vogue, how did I land at Vogue, why am I not at Vogue now, what’s going on.”
He added, “People are so fascinated by this, because she is a very, very powerful woman, as with ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ She managed to be more than icon. She is a world figure.”
By Tuesday night, a number of people paid tribute to Talley on social media. Karla Martinez de Salas, editor in chief of Vogue Mexico, said: “I still remember the first time I met him when I started at Vogue in 2001. I thought he was going to be intimidating and mean, but he was the complete opposite. He was funny, outgoing, witty, incredibly smart, friendly and a walking fashion encyclopedia. I will never forget his loud voice and laughter. May your contribution to fashion and the arts never be forgotten.”
Talley was also outspoken about the need for advocacy and brands to enact change and inclusion. “The brands should be more aware and conscious of the times that we live in, which are difficult because of the pandemic and the whole thing about social justice and equality for Black people.…People have got to be included more. It’s not just a selfish thing anymore. Fashion turned in on itself and became this very narcissus endeavor, with brands outdoing brands and shows outdoing shows.”
Despite the arcs and tenors of his life, Talley maintained the importance of progressing and moving forward. In a 2020 interview with WWD, he said, “What makes me hopeful is a sense of who I am and that there can be progress. People have to come together — individuals within the fashion world and outside the fashion world — to continue to work, to struggle and you don’t give up. You don’t give up the dream. The dream has not been realized.”
