Inside André Leon Talley’s luxury legacy: the late fashion icon’s celebrity friends and fallouts, the Anna Wintour factor, and his stylish Louis Vuitton and Chanel outfits he’ll be remembered by

Jan 21 , 2022

FILE - André Leon Talley, a former editor at large for Vogue magazine, speaks to a reporter at the opening of the “Black Fashion Designers” exhibit at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016. Talley, the towering former creative director and editor at large of Vogue magazine, has died. He was 73. Talley’s literary agent confirmed Talley’s death to USA Today late Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

He worked for Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then Andy Warhol’s Interview, The New York Times and finally Vogue, appointed editor-in-chief by Anna Wintour

His friends included Karl Lagerfeld, Alexander McQueen and Venus Williams, and he worked with politicians Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris too

Following the death on January 18 of fashion’s André Leon Talley, tributes have poured in celebrating the life of the 73-year-old editor, journalist and icon who was often described as larger than life, a pioneer and a trailblazer; a fashion force and a creative genius; and the first African-American “outsider” who paved the way for others.

We look back at his lavish life – which he described as fairy tale-esque – that had its fair share of ups and downs, from his glamorous years in the fashion world, to his falling out with fashion friends and leaving behind a real legacy.

From French teacher to fashion leader

Unlike his contemporaries, Talley didn’t come from a family of influence or power – he rose up the fashion ladder out of sheer passion, dedication, style and smarts.

André Leon Talley, who died on January 18, 2022. Photo: @andreltalley/Instagram

Talley was raised by his maternal grandmother – Binnie Francis Davis, a cleaner – after his parents got divorced. Talley went to church and school and obtained a master’s degree in French at Brown University, initially to teach the language.

André Leon Talley and Anna Wintour in 1999. Photo: @andreltalley/Instagram

But a stronger calling led him to take an unpaid apprenticeship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art under the late Diana Vreeland, a fashion editor he adored. This stint eventually led him to work for Andy Warhol’s magazine, Interview, from where he landed jobs at W, Women’s Wear Daily and The New York Times before becoming Vogue’s fashion news director in 1983 and creative director in 1988, appointed by editor-in-chief and fashion icon Anna Wintour herself.

Uncompromised and uncompromising

Talley was always bold, loud and extravagant, making the world – including the tennis court – his runway.

The irrepressible André Leon Talley Photo: @andreltalley/Instagram

Having been encouraged to lose weight by Wintour, Talley took up tennis, making sure he was always dressed up to the nines. In the 2009 Vogue documentary The September Issue, he was shown headed for the court with a Louis Vuitton racket case, Louis Vuitton gym bag and Louis Vuitton monogrammed towel.