André Leon Talley, Innovator & Vogue Editor, Has Passed at 73
André Leon Talley, the trailblazing fashion journalist, editor, stylist, and former creative director of Vogue, has passed away at the age of 73 on Tuesday, January 18th.
Talley’s death, which came after a series of health struggles, was confirmed by his friend Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation. Walker called him “A singular force in fashion—brilliant, fierce, unapologetic and committed to social justice in an industry that too often refused to acknowledge Black beauty, creativity & excellence.”
Born on October 16th, 1948 in Washington, D.C., Talley was then raised by his maternal grandmother in North Carolina, where she worked as a cleaning lady at Duke University. Growing up in the Jim Crow era South, Talley was immersed in a world where racial segregation defined social boundaries. He attended Hillside Highschool and North Carolina Central University, both historically black schools, and graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature. He was awarded a scholarship to Brown University’s graduate program, from which he also earned his degree in French literature, writing his thesis on the influence of black women in the life and work of French poet Charles Baudelaire.
Through the student connections he made in Providence, Rhode Island, Talley apprenticed, unpaid, for Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1974. So impressed by his skills, the Vogue editor connected Talley with a job at Andy Warhol’s Factory and Interview magazine. He went on to work at Women’s Wear Daily, becoming its Paris bureau chief, and W, from 1975 through 1980. He also worked for The New York Times and other publications before finally landing at Vogue, where he worked as the Fashion News Director from 1983 to 1987 and then as Creative Director from 1988 to 1995. He was the first black man to hold the role.
While bumping shoulders along his career with a who’s who of the fashion and art scene – Yves Saint Laurent, Diana Ross, Karl Lagerfeld, Andy Warhol – Talley fought hard to increase black and LGBTQ representation in mainstream fashion media, unapologetically recognizing that style means nothing without justice, that beauty can only be beauty for all.
Talley left this role at Vogue and moved to Paris in 1995 to work for W, while continuing to work as a contributing editor for Vogue. In 1998, he returned to Vogue as the editor-at-large until his departure in 2013. He took on the role of international editor for Número Russia shortly after its launch in 2013 and oversaw twelve issues, before resigning in protest of the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
In 2008, Talley began to serve as a stylist for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, introducing them to, among other designers, Jason Wu, who designed Mrs. Obama’s inauguration gown.
In addition to his journalism and styling career, Talley authored and co-authored several books on art and fashion, as well as writing two memoirs. The latter of these, The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, was published in May of 2020. The book, which discusses, his start in New York City in the 1970s, his tumultuous relationship with Anna Wintour, and his experiences with racism in the fashion world, became a New York Times best seller.
Talley was an inspirational and rare leading black figure in a creative and editorial landscape that continues to be dominated by whiteness. His achievements on paper are impressive, but those who knew him in person know that they were achieved through an irrepressible spirit and intellect, and a commitment to beauty and justice. His singular personality continues to shine bright, and the world feels a significant loss without his inspirational presence. He will be missed.