At 11:00 a.m. on April 29, close friends, family, and fashion luminaries, including Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Karlie Kloss, Marc Jacobs, Martha Stewart, and many more, ventured uptown to celebrate the life of André Leon Talley at his longtime house of worship, The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. The late legendary fashion editor and cultural icon died on January 18 at the age of 73, shocking the entire fashion industry.
As the Met Gala approaches in less than three days, fashion’s biggest night out will undoubtedly feel different this year without Talley’s larger-than-life personality. Talley represented what it means to be an American: his hard work and determination paid off, as he went from growing up in small-town North Carolina to becoming the first-ever Black Creative Director at Vogue.
Talley will be known for his tangible memory, his several books — New York Times bestseller The Chiffon Trenches, Valentino, A.L.T.: A Memoir, A.L.T. 365+, and Little Black Dress for Assouline — and contributing to Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table and Cartier Panthère. Additionally, he installed a new way of thinking for so many in the industry, as he broke glass ceilings and opened doors for not only himself, but for others, too. As an executive at Vogue, others could finally look at a masthead or screen and see someone who looked like them in a position of power in the industry.
Since Talley spent many years organizing the Met Gala and exhibition alongside Wintour, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has added an iconic portrait of Talley dressed in one of his signature artisanal robes to the “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibition.
Back in January, following the news of Talley’s death, GRAZIA USA reflected on the immeasurable impact that the luminary brought to the fashion world. Give it a read here.
