Andre Leon Talley was a giant of a man in the fashion industry

Fashion Profile: Andre’ Leon Talley

By Jobari Yarbrough

André Leon Talley was a giant of a man and most popular for his work as the American editorial manager of Vogue magazine. He was renowned among fashionistas for his flashy, frequently handcrafted outfits that covered his 6 feet, 7 inches frame, as well as by his thriving baritone. It is safe to say that Talley, without a doubt, was the most noticeable African American in the high-stakes universe of architect design, a world which spins around the semi-yearly runway shows in New York, Paris, London and Milan.

Talley was born Oct. 16, 1948, in Durham, North Carolina. He was raised by his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis. Davis played a significant role in his life and he acknowledges her for his exceptional style for design. As a high schooler, he went to the library in the white part of town. It was there that he found Vogue and immediately turned into a dedicated peruser.

He at first wanted to teach French, however, the fashion world enticed him. He managed to get into the door working as a right hand for Andy Warhol. In 1983, he started filling in as the editor-at-large for Vogue magazine and before long turned into the most striking African American in the realm of designer fashion.

“Clothes are my security blanket, and my outfits are my armor against the world of the chiffon trenches,” he said in his book “The Gospel According to André Leon Talley.” Talley additionally was known to censure high profile planners for barring ladies of variety on the runway and for advocating a large group of lesser-referred to form originators like Rachel Roy and Jason Wu throughout his profession.

In April 2003 Talley wrote his autobiography titled “A.L.T.: A Memoir,” followed by “A.L.T. 365+,” a craftsmanship monograph that featured elements, photos and inscriptions from one year of his life. That same year, he received the Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism presented by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

He was a board legal administrator at the Savannah College of Art and Design and in 2008, he was granted an honorary doctorate. The André Leon Talley Gallery opened in the Museum of Art at the College in October 2011. During a similar period, the College laid out the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award, a yearly honor surrendered to and coming fashionistas.

“I earned my position not because I was a beautiful, skinny – you can look at the pictures – articulate black man,” he said in an interview with the Guardian. “But because I had done my homework and my degrees. I never thought about being a man of color in my career until recently.” In January 2014, Talley was named Artistic Director for Zappos Couture, an electronic supplier for couture attire and different products.

Talley died from complications of a cardiovascular failure and COVID-19 at a clinic in White Plains, New York, on Jan.18, 2022. He was 73. The response from fans and design illuminators was quick particularly on Twitter, where individuals shared their recollections of meeting Talley and taking motivation from his life and vocation.

“André Leon Talley made it possible for so many Black queer boys and men to express ourselves out loud. No reservations. A legend. An icon. May he rest in peace and power knowing that he paved the way for many people who looked up to him,” Preston Mitchum said in a tweet.

“I love people – it is not the fashion, it is the people in fashion I love.” André Leon Talley, American fashion journalist. (Oct. 16, 1948Jan. 18, 2022)

“I’d like to be remembered as someone who made a difference in the lives of young people — that I nurtured someone and taught them to pursue their dreams and their careers, to leave a legacy. You cannot live your life in the elitist world of fashion and not step out or you’re disconnected. You have to realize