The Man Behind the Image of Vogue

The death of fashion editor André Leon Talley sparks remembrance of his legacy as a trailblazer for POC in the fashion industry

From reading fashion magazines, to seeing runway showcases, to hearing small anecdotes from fashion insiders, there was no name as publicized in the fashion circuit as André Leon Talley. Standing at 6’7” and often adorning elaborate kaftans, decadent jewelry pieces and coveted furs, Talley was a statuesque presence that could not be missed.

On Jan. 18, the famed fashion mogul passed away at age 73 from complications of a heart attack and COVID-19. While his name may not be familiar to most, he was an iconic presence in the fashion industry.

Born in Washington D.C. in 1948, Talley was brought up by his grandmother. Although far removed from the industry, his grandmother was a fashion icon and inspiration for the young Talley. She would often adorn herself in decadent hats and gloves to Sunday service alongside her blue coiffed hair, which webbed a luxurious image that Talley would later incorporate in his life.

Talley attended Brown University, where he received a master’s degree in French history and literature, but his idols mainly centered on those in the fashion industry — Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol and Diana Vreeland, to name a few. The decadence and opulence of French culture that he studied so thoroughly in his university years would also thread into his love of fashion.

Talley’s aspirations soon came to fruition when he apprenticed for Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s costume design. The unpaid apprenticeship was his first induction into the fashion industry. Prior to Anna Wintour, Vreeland was the most important figure in the fashion industry. For any up-and-coming fashion talent, Vreeland was the go-to editor to access any fashion related connections and positions. His friendship and work experience with Vreeland would eventually lead him to form connections with Andy Warhol, Lee Radziwell and Doris Duke.

Throughout his fashion career, he worked for Andy Warhol’s Interview, Women’s Wear Daily, The New York Times and Vogue as a fashion news director and later creative director. His time at Vogue would go on to be part of his prolific fame. He served as creative director for a cumulative 22 years, from 1988 to 1995 and again in 1998 to 2013. During his time as creative director for Vogue, he would become a significant figure often acting as an art director, stylist, fashion writer and producer — a jack of all trades.

As the first Black creative director for Vogue, he paved the way for many minorities in the fashion industry.

Talley became the godfather to POC designers like Jason Wu, LaQuan Smith and Issey Miyake. He even went on to mentor other POC fashion industry workers like supermodel Naomi Campbell and photographer Dario Calmese.

In a 1996 Vanity Fair editorial, Talley cast Campbell as Scarlett O’Hara in a photoshoot paying homage to “Gone with the Wind” titled, “Scarlett ‘N the Hood.” The editorial shoot heavily featured black models as the socialite equivalents of the film. Later, Talley would endorse Campbell as the first Black supermodel for Vogue’s September issue.

In the media, he would later go on to be featured in the Vogue documentary, “The September Issue,” a film dedicated to the intricacies of Vogue’s biggest monthly magazine spread. The documentary would depict Talley as an influential player in the fashion industry. By 2010, he was a judge for “America’s Next Top Model.” In later years, he would go on to interview many celebrities for the Met Gala.

Although Talley’s life was surrounded by glitz and glamour, the later years of his life would be shrouded by abandonment by his many so-called friends in the industry.

In 2013, his relationship with Anna Wintour (Editor-in-Chief of Vogue) had drifted as he left Vogue. Although there had been no confirmation to why Talley left, it is believed by many that both shared creative differences about the modernization of the company.

Still, Talley continued to work alongside Wintour for the Met Gala as a recurring interviewee. His lively persona and flared fashion sense made him perfectly equipped to interview the many celebrities joining the coveted occasion, but by 2018 he was replaced by Liza Koshy (a rising influencer). It was clear that Talley was struggling to survive in the digital age of the fashion industry.

In 2020, Talley released his second memoir titled, “The Chiffon Trenches.” Here, he described Wintour as a “colonial broad.” Further anecdotes from the book depicted Condé Nast (the publisher of Vogue) as a company lacking diversity in the 21st century. While Talley may have been a flourishing peacock in the face of Vogue, his “exoticness” was exploited to disguise Vogue’s inherent lack of diversity.

In a 1994 New Yorker article, writer Hilton Als, recounted how Talley was the host of a luncheon in Paris. During the luncheon, Talley was offhandedly referred to by 1950’s model, Maxime de la Falaise, as a “n****r dandy.” Such offensive slurs directed at Talley were sadly commonplace in the industry.

Talley may have been a trailblazer for many POC in the fashion industry, but he had to suffer through tremendous racism, elitism and disregard by many fashion elites.

While the fashion industry may have turned its back on him, Talley’s legacy will live on in the many people he has represented and inspired.