The world of high fashion experienced a huge loss on Tuesday.
André Leon Talley is one of the most prominent faces associated with Vogue, second only to Anna Wintour. That’s why fashion fans were saddened to hear of the 73-year-old’s passing and are now reflecting on the legacy he left behind.
An official statement on his Instagram account read, “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of André Leon Talley on January 18, 2022 in New York. Mr. Talley was the larger-than-life, longtime creative director at Vogue during its rise to dominance as the world’s fashion bible.”
The larger-than-life six-foot-six fashion expert was best known for his sense of humor, his booming voice, and his eclectic sense of style. Friends remember him for being totally honest no matter what.
Talley spent four seasons on “America’s Next Top Model” as a judge plus had cameos on “Empire” and the first “Sex and the City” movie. The Vogue veteran also dressed and profiled then-first lady Michelle Obama for the magazine.
Talley had joined iconic fashion magazine Vogue in 1983 as the fashion news director. He moved up to the role of creative director and became editor-in-chief Wintour’s right-hand, which is where he stayed from 1987 to 1995. Talley left Vogue in 1995 and moved to Paris, People reported. While in France the fashion guru went back to working for W Magazine, which is where he’d spent the earlier part of his career.
But even while employed by their competitor, Talley remained a Vogue editor until rejoining the publication as editor-at-large in 1998. He remained in that position until leaving Vogue for good in 2013.
Talley has published two memoirs: A.L.T. from 2003 and “The Chiffon Trenches,” which was released in May 2020. In the books, he discusses growing up in his grandmother’s North Carolina home and working as a taxi driver to save money. He went to North Carolina Central University and then attended Brown on scholarship.
Talley’s first job was as a volunteer assistant to Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This parlayed his entrance into the fashion world. After landing a job at Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine, he worked at industry publication WWD and Vanity Fair. But Talley made his longtime home with Vogue.
Despite his legacy there, Talley’s relationship with Vogue and Wintour wasn’t perfect. The fashion editor, who was black, publicly denounced the lack of diversity at Vogue. “At one point, I was the only black person on Anna’s staff,” he told MailOnline after the release of his memoir.
And he also addressed how his relationship with Wintour went bad over the years. “I think my relationship is in an iceberg with her,” Talley said during an interview with Gayle King in 2020. “I hope that it will not be that forever.”
The statement on Talley’s death did not include a cause of death. Big names from the fashion industry including designers Diane Von Furstenberg and Marc Jacobs shared how Talley impacted their lives and how much he will be missed.