The Life Of Creative Genius Andre Leon Talley
Andre Leon Talley By Ike Edeani
Fashion icon and former Vogue creative director, Andre Leon Talley has passed away at the age of 73. Andre Leon Talley was a fashion journalist as well. Talley made sure his presence would always recognized through his unique and fashionable outfits.
About Andre Leon Talley
Raised by his grandmother in Durham, North Carolina, Talley had to fight to make it in the fashion world. In his memoir The Chiffon Trenches, he talks about how going to church with her incited his passion for fashion. In an interview with NPR, he said, “I saw style in church. I saw style in my grandmother’s sisters. They were all beautifully dressed. Church was the nucleus of our lives.”
The fashion icon attended North Carolina Central University, where he majored in French literature. He later went on to earn a master’s degree from Brown. After going to graduate school Talley moved to New York where he eventually began working for Interview Magazine. Following his career at Interview Magazine, he also worked at The New York Times and Women’s Wear Daily.
Life At Vogue
Andre Leon Talley first joined Vogue in 1983. When he started, he was the magazine’s fashion news director. Not long after he moved up to becoming the creative director and then the editor-in-chief. In 1995 he left Vogue but continued to contribute to the magazine as an editor. Then, in 1998 Talley returned to Vogue working full-time as the first black editor-at-large.
Throughout his memoir, Talley talks about his relationship with Anna Wintour while working at Vogue and even afterward. Talley said that although the two’s relationship began to fall apart his memoir was in a sense, a “love letter” to Anna Wintour. In an interview with People he said,
“Ms. Wintour and I made waves. She was always my biggest supporter. She was very inspiring. Going to work every day was amazing. Everything about it was amazing.”
Talley, 2020
Talley had a never-ending love for fashion and the work he did. Andre Leon Talley was an icon and one that will be remembered by many.