01of 20André Leon Talley’s Early LifeDavid Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesThe only child of Alma and William, a printing-press operator and taxi driver, André Leon Talley grew up in Durham, N.C., under the eyes of his grandmother. A victim of sexual abuse starting at age 9, he escaped in fashion, crossing the railroad tracks to buyVogueandHarper’s Bazaar, he told PEOPLE in 2020.“I would devour them, hanging the pages on the wall — Naomi Sims, Pat Cleveland, the great African-American models. I made my own world,” he recalled in that same interview.“I don’t think I ever saw Andre in jeans,” his cousin Georgia Purefoy told PEOPLE in 2003. “He was always into looking good.“By 1974, with a master’s degree in French literature from Brown University, Talley moved to New York City and landed a job assisting formerVogueeditor Diana Vreeland with her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. “She recognized something in me,” Talley told PEOPLE, “and encouraged it.“02of 20André Leon Talley and Diana RossSonia Moskowitz/Getty ImagesVreeland and Talley had a shared passion for a lot of topics, including Diana Ross (here with Talley in 1979). The two could “wax enthusiastically about” her, Talley told PEOPLE.03of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s Early DaysA series of journalism jobs (including under Andy Warhol atInterview) led Talley to a job atVoguein 1983, alongside another new hire, the magazine’s future editor Anna Wintour. The two went on to becomelifelong friends and colleagues, though Talley said their relationship hit “an iceberg” in 2018 after some changes involving his role at the annual Met Gala.04of 20André Leon Talley and Naomi CampbellIn his time atVogue,Talley was a champion for Black men and women in fashion, showcasing models like Naomi Campbell in traditionally white spaces like a famousGone with the Wind-inspired shoot that saw Campbell as Scarlett O’Hara.“We wanted it to be a historical comment in the ’90s that you rarely see in a magazine,“he told theNew York Timesin 1996. “We wanted to temporarily turn the pages of history around.“05of 20André Leon Talley and Janet JacksonKhayat-Nebinger-Orban-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COMOutside of work, he developed friendships with countless celebrities and fashion luminaries, including Janet Jackson, here with him at the Vivienne Westwood show in Paris in 2006.06of 20André Leon Talley and Renée ZellwegerDimitrios Kambouris/WireImageWith Renée Zellweger at the 2003 CFDA Fashion Awards.07of 20André Leon Talley with Mario Testino and Amber ValettaArthur Elgort/Condé Nast/ShutterstockJoining photographer Mario Testino and model Amber Valetta at Prada’s Milan show in 2004.08of 20André Leon Talley and Kristen McMenamyCatherine McGann/Getty ImagesEscorting model Kristen McMenamy at New York Fashion Week in the ’90s.09of 20André Leon Talley and Karl LagerfeldShutterstockWith Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld during Paris Fashion Week in 2007.“It’s wonderful to have friends like Karl,” Talley told fashion executive Fern Mallis in a 2013 chat. “When I turned 50, he gave me $50,000.“10of 20André Leon Talley and Tom FordErik T. Kaiser/Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesCelebrating designer Tom Ford at Saks Fifth Avenue in N.Y.C. in 2005.“André is one of the last of the great editors who knows what they are looking at, knows what they are seeing, knows where it came from,” Fordsaid of his friendin the 2018 documentary about Talley’s life,The Gospel According to André.11of 20André Leon Talley and CherRon Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesSnuggling up to Cher at the 1997 Met Gala.12of 20André Leon Talley and Sandra BullockFront row with Wintour and Sandra Bullock at the Calvin Klein collection show at New York Fashion Week in 2003.13of 20André Leon Talley and Tyra BanksLarry Busacca/WireImageTalley was also friends with Tyra Banks, serving as a judge on her reality competition show,America’s Next Top Model,for several seasons.14of 20André Leon Talley in 2006Johnny Nunez/WireImageWith Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Janice Dickinson at the Fashion for Relief event in N.Y.C. in 2006.15of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour for VogueRose Hartman/Getty ImagesIn a 2020 chat with PEOPLE, Talley called Wintour his greatest supporter atVogue.He leftVoguein 1995 and moved to Paris, where he returned toW Magazineafter working at the publication earlier in his career. He continued contributing toVogueas an editor until he rejoined the magazine in 1998 full-time as the editor-at-large, writing the monthly column Style Fax. He stayed in this role until his final departure from the magazine in 2013.16of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s FriendshipGuignebourg-Khayat-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COMTalley and Wintour’sdecades-long friendshipbecame strained after a red-carpet shakeup rocked Talley’s usual Met Gala duties, when a YouTube personality was named host of the 2018 event, in lieu of Talley.“I owe to her the pioneering role that I had of a creative director ofVogue,” Talley told Gayle King in 2020. “I was the first Black man to ever be named such. I owe that to Anna Wintour. I owe her much. And I think, in turn, I think she owes me.“Wintour never spoke of the pair’s apparent divide, though upon Talley’s deathon Jan. 18, 2022, released a statement remembering their storied friendship.“He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too,“she wrote in an Instagram caption forVogueon Jan. 19. “Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments, but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much.“17of 20André Leon Talley and Diane von FurstenbergPatrick McMullan via Getty ImagesRemembering her dear friend in a Jan. 19 chat with PEOPLE, Diane von Furstenberg said, “He was bigger than life. He was quite remarkable in every way and had such a wonderfuljoie de vivre. He was extraordinary and he was so grand and so elegant and it was completely innate.“18of 20André Leon Talley’s StyleAndrew Toth/Getty ImagesOutside of his actual work, Talley was known for his one-of-a-kind sense of style, which often included flowing robes (“like those of the bishops and cardinals,“he once toldGarden & Gun). “Every designer made kaftans for him,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE.19of 20André Leon Talley at the Met GalaLarry Busacca/Getty ImagesIn one of his signature looks at the 2011 Met Gala.20of 20André Leon Talley’s LegacyCindy Ord/Getty ImagesAt one of his more recent outings, the 2018 SCAD Savannah Film Festival.“I expect him to get bigger than bigger,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE of Talley’s legacy. “I think he’s going to become a bigger star — bigger than ever. He deserves to be.”
01of 20André Leon Talley’s Early LifeDavid Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty ImagesThe only child of Alma and William, a printing-press operator and taxi driver, André Leon Talley grew up in Durham, N.C., under the eyes of his grandmother. A victim of sexual abuse starting at age 9, he escaped in fashion, crossing the railroad tracks to buyVogueandHarper’s Bazaar, he told PEOPLE in 2020.“I would devour them, hanging the pages on the wall — Naomi Sims, Pat Cleveland, the great African-American models. I made my own world,” he recalled in that same interview.“I don’t think I ever saw Andre in jeans,” his cousin Georgia Purefoy told PEOPLE in 2003. “He was always into looking good.“By 1974, with a master’s degree in French literature from Brown University, Talley moved to New York City and landed a job assisting formerVogueeditor Diana Vreeland with her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. “She recognized something in me,” Talley told PEOPLE, “and encouraged it.”
01of 20
André Leon Talley’s Early Life
David Turnley/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images
The only child of Alma and William, a printing-press operator and taxi driver, André Leon Talley grew up in Durham, N.C., under the eyes of his grandmother. A victim of sexual abuse starting at age 9, he escaped in fashion, crossing the railroad tracks to buyVogueandHarper’s Bazaar, he told PEOPLE in 2020.
“I would devour them, hanging the pages on the wall — Naomi Sims, Pat Cleveland, the great African-American models. I made my own world,” he recalled in that same interview.
“I don’t think I ever saw Andre in jeans,” his cousin Georgia Purefoy told PEOPLE in 2003. “He was always into looking good.”
By 1974, with a master’s degree in French literature from Brown University, Talley moved to New York City and landed a job assisting formerVogueeditor Diana Vreeland with her work at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. “She recognized something in me,” Talley told PEOPLE, “and encouraged it.”
02of 20André Leon Talley and Diana RossSonia Moskowitz/Getty ImagesVreeland and Talley had a shared passion for a lot of topics, including Diana Ross (here with Talley in 1979). The two could “wax enthusiastically about” her, Talley told PEOPLE.
02of 20
André Leon Talley and Diana Ross
Sonia Moskowitz/Getty Images
Vreeland and Talley had a shared passion for a lot of topics, including Diana Ross (here with Talley in 1979). The two could “wax enthusiastically about” her, Talley told PEOPLE.
03of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s Early DaysA series of journalism jobs (including under Andy Warhol atInterview) led Talley to a job atVoguein 1983, alongside another new hire, the magazine’s future editor Anna Wintour. The two went on to becomelifelong friends and colleagues, though Talley said their relationship hit “an iceberg” in 2018 after some changes involving his role at the annual Met Gala.
03of 20
André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s Early Days
A series of journalism jobs (including under Andy Warhol atInterview) led Talley to a job atVoguein 1983, alongside another new hire, the magazine’s future editor Anna Wintour. The two went on to becomelifelong friends and colleagues, though Talley said their relationship hit “an iceberg” in 2018 after some changes involving his role at the annual Met Gala.
04of 20André Leon Talley and Naomi CampbellIn his time atVogue,Talley was a champion for Black men and women in fashion, showcasing models like Naomi Campbell in traditionally white spaces like a famousGone with the Wind-inspired shoot that saw Campbell as Scarlett O’Hara.“We wanted it to be a historical comment in the ’90s that you rarely see in a magazine,“he told theNew York Timesin 1996. “We wanted to temporarily turn the pages of history around.”
04of 20
André Leon Talley and Naomi Campbell
In his time atVogue,Talley was a champion for Black men and women in fashion, showcasing models like Naomi Campbell in traditionally white spaces like a famousGone with the Wind-inspired shoot that saw Campbell as Scarlett O’Hara.
“We wanted it to be a historical comment in the ’90s that you rarely see in a magazine,“he told theNew York Timesin 1996. “We wanted to temporarily turn the pages of history around.”
05of 20André Leon Talley and Janet JacksonKhayat-Nebinger-Orban-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COMOutside of work, he developed friendships with countless celebrities and fashion luminaries, including Janet Jackson, here with him at the Vivienne Westwood show in Paris in 2006.
05of 20
André Leon Talley and Janet Jackson
Khayat-Nebinger-Orban-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COM
Outside of work, he developed friendships with countless celebrities and fashion luminaries, including Janet Jackson, here with him at the Vivienne Westwood show in Paris in 2006.
06of 20André Leon Talley and Renée ZellwegerDimitrios Kambouris/WireImageWith Renée Zellweger at the 2003 CFDA Fashion Awards.
06of 20
André Leon Talley and Renée Zellweger
Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
With Renée Zellweger at the 2003 CFDA Fashion Awards.
07of 20André Leon Talley with Mario Testino and Amber ValettaArthur Elgort/Condé Nast/ShutterstockJoining photographer Mario Testino and model Amber Valetta at Prada’s Milan show in 2004.
07of 20
André Leon Talley with Mario Testino and Amber Valetta
Arthur Elgort/Condé Nast/Shutterstock
Joining photographer Mario Testino and model Amber Valetta at Prada’s Milan show in 2004.
08of 20André Leon Talley and Kristen McMenamyCatherine McGann/Getty ImagesEscorting model Kristen McMenamy at New York Fashion Week in the ’90s.
08of 20
André Leon Talley and Kristen McMenamy
Catherine McGann/Getty Images
Escorting model Kristen McMenamy at New York Fashion Week in the ’90s.
09of 20André Leon Talley and Karl LagerfeldShutterstockWith Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld during Paris Fashion Week in 2007.“It’s wonderful to have friends like Karl,” Talley told fashion executive Fern Mallis in a 2013 chat. “When I turned 50, he gave me $50,000.”
09of 20
André Leon Talley and Karl Lagerfeld
Shutterstock
With Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld during Paris Fashion Week in 2007.
“It’s wonderful to have friends like Karl,” Talley told fashion executive Fern Mallis in a 2013 chat. “When I turned 50, he gave me $50,000.”
10of 20André Leon Talley and Tom FordErik T. Kaiser/Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesCelebrating designer Tom Ford at Saks Fifth Avenue in N.Y.C. in 2005.“André is one of the last of the great editors who knows what they are looking at, knows what they are seeing, knows where it came from,” Fordsaid of his friendin the 2018 documentary about Talley’s life,The Gospel According to André.
10of 20
André Leon Talley and Tom Ford
Erik T. Kaiser/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Celebrating designer Tom Ford at Saks Fifth Avenue in N.Y.C. in 2005.
“André is one of the last of the great editors who knows what they are looking at, knows what they are seeing, knows where it came from,” Fordsaid of his friendin the 2018 documentary about Talley’s life,The Gospel According to André.
11of 20André Leon Talley and CherRon Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty ImagesSnuggling up to Cher at the 1997 Met Gala.
11of 20
André Leon Talley and Cher
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Snuggling up to Cher at the 1997 Met Gala.
12of 20André Leon Talley and Sandra BullockFront row with Wintour and Sandra Bullock at the Calvin Klein collection show at New York Fashion Week in 2003.
12of 20
André Leon Talley and Sandra Bullock
Front row with Wintour and Sandra Bullock at the Calvin Klein collection show at New York Fashion Week in 2003.
13of 20André Leon Talley and Tyra BanksLarry Busacca/WireImageTalley was also friends with Tyra Banks, serving as a judge on her reality competition show,America’s Next Top Model,for several seasons.
13of 20
André Leon Talley and Tyra Banks
Larry Busacca/WireImage
Talley was also friends with Tyra Banks, serving as a judge on her reality competition show,America’s Next Top Model,for several seasons.
14of 20André Leon Talley in 2006Johnny Nunez/WireImageWith Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Janice Dickinson at the Fashion for Relief event in N.Y.C. in 2006.
14of 20
André Leon Talley in 2006
Johnny Nunez/WireImage
With Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Iman and Janice Dickinson at the Fashion for Relief event in N.Y.C. in 2006.
15of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour for VogueRose Hartman/Getty ImagesIn a 2020 chat with PEOPLE, Talley called Wintour his greatest supporter atVogue.He leftVoguein 1995 and moved to Paris, where he returned toW Magazineafter working at the publication earlier in his career. He continued contributing toVogueas an editor until he rejoined the magazine in 1998 full-time as the editor-at-large, writing the monthly column Style Fax. He stayed in this role until his final departure from the magazine in 2013.
15of 20
André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour for Vogue
Rose Hartman/Getty Images
In a 2020 chat with PEOPLE, Talley called Wintour his greatest supporter atVogue.
He leftVoguein 1995 and moved to Paris, where he returned toW Magazineafter working at the publication earlier in his career. He continued contributing toVogueas an editor until he rejoined the magazine in 1998 full-time as the editor-at-large, writing the monthly column Style Fax. He stayed in this role until his final departure from the magazine in 2013.
16of 20André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s FriendshipGuignebourg-Khayat-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COMTalley and Wintour’sdecades-long friendshipbecame strained after a red-carpet shakeup rocked Talley’s usual Met Gala duties, when a YouTube personality was named host of the 2018 event, in lieu of Talley.“I owe to her the pioneering role that I had of a creative director ofVogue,” Talley told Gayle King in 2020. “I was the first Black man to ever be named such. I owe that to Anna Wintour. I owe her much. And I think, in turn, I think she owes me.“Wintour never spoke of the pair’s apparent divide, though upon Talley’s deathon Jan. 18, 2022, released a statement remembering their storied friendship.“He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too,“she wrote in an Instagram caption forVogueon Jan. 19. “Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments, but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much.”
16of 20
André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour’s Friendship
Guignebourg-Khayat-Taamallah/ABACAPRESS.COM
Talley and Wintour’sdecades-long friendshipbecame strained after a red-carpet shakeup rocked Talley’s usual Met Gala duties, when a YouTube personality was named host of the 2018 event, in lieu of Talley.
“I owe to her the pioneering role that I had of a creative director ofVogue,” Talley told Gayle King in 2020. “I was the first Black man to ever be named such. I owe that to Anna Wintour. I owe her much. And I think, in turn, I think she owes me.”
Wintour never spoke of the pair’s apparent divide, though upon Talley’s deathon Jan. 18, 2022, released a statement remembering their storied friendship.
“He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too,“she wrote in an Instagram caption forVogueon Jan. 19. “Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments, but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much.”
17of 20André Leon Talley and Diane von FurstenbergPatrick McMullan via Getty ImagesRemembering her dear friend in a Jan. 19 chat with PEOPLE, Diane von Furstenberg said, “He was bigger than life. He was quite remarkable in every way and had such a wonderfuljoie de vivre. He was extraordinary and he was so grand and so elegant and it was completely innate.”
17of 20
André Leon Talley and Diane von Furstenberg
Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Remembering her dear friend in a Jan. 19 chat with PEOPLE, Diane von Furstenberg said, “He was bigger than life. He was quite remarkable in every way and had such a wonderfuljoie de vivre. He was extraordinary and he was so grand and so elegant and it was completely innate.”
18of 20André Leon Talley’s StyleAndrew Toth/Getty ImagesOutside of his actual work, Talley was known for his one-of-a-kind sense of style, which often included flowing robes (“like those of the bishops and cardinals,“he once toldGarden & Gun). “Every designer made kaftans for him,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE.
18of 20
André Leon Talley’s Style
Andrew Toth/Getty Images
Outside of his actual work, Talley was known for his one-of-a-kind sense of style, which often included flowing robes (“like those of the bishops and cardinals,“he once toldGarden & Gun). “Every designer made kaftans for him,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE.
19of 20André Leon Talley at the Met GalaLarry Busacca/Getty ImagesIn one of his signature looks at the 2011 Met Gala.
19of 20
André Leon Talley at the Met Gala
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
In one of his signature looks at the 2011 Met Gala.
20of 20André Leon Talley’s LegacyCindy Ord/Getty ImagesAt one of his more recent outings, the 2018 SCAD Savannah Film Festival.“I expect him to get bigger than bigger,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE of Talley’s legacy. “I think he’s going to become a bigger star — bigger than ever. He deserves to be.”
20of 20
André Leon Talley’s Legacy
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
At one of his more recent outings, the 2018 SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
“I expect him to get bigger than bigger,” von Furstenberg told PEOPLE of Talley’s legacy. “I think he’s going to become a bigger star — bigger than ever. He deserves to be.”
source: people.com
