Legendary fashion editor and cultural icon, André Leon Talley has died at the age of 73. Through his tenure at the Costume Institute, Vogue and being an unofficial cultural ambassador for fashion, André leaves behind a trailblazing legacy of fashion narration, jargon, and lexicon. The titan—known for his signature, artisanal robes—broke many glass ceilings through a monumental career spanning over four decades. From shadowing prolific Vogue Editor Diana Vreeland and working under Andy Warhol at Interview, to becoming the first Black Paris bureau chief at W magazine and Creative Director at Vogue. André lived a grand life, with beauty at the center. Dancing the night away with Diana Ross at Studio 54, wearing custom-made shirts and garments from the world’s finest ateliers, playing tennis wearing Louis Vuitton head to tennis racket, being the eye, ears, and encyclopedia for the entire fashion industry—André was simply put just André. A one of a kind!
André, born October 16, 1948, in Washington, D.C. spent his adolescence in Durham, North Carolina under the care of his grandmother Binnie Francis Davis. Under her wing, he learned the meaning of luxury and developed an interest in aesthetics, culture, and the history of fashion and design. He discovered his first Vogue magazine, at the local library, at the age of 10, which would foreshadow his iconic tenure to come. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in French literature from North Carolina Central University and a Masters in French Literature from Brown, he went on to pave his own way into the fashion industry, making a full circle moment eventually landing at Vogue some thirty years later. While at Vogue he immersed the reader in his fantastical world of interests, beauty, and oddities. After his tenure at the Condé Nast publication, André would remain a pivotal figure in both the fashion and pop culture zeitgeist. From consulting to sharing his myriad of experiences in the industry through talks and a New York Times best-selling memoir.
A trailblazer, Talley was one of the most high-profile, Black fashion editors. He broke through glass ceilings making space for others to walk through, championed diversity, and lived his life unapologetically. His passing is an immeasurable loss for the fashion community at large.
