André Leon Talley–He was 73 years old. André Leon Talley, an American fashion journalist and editor-at-large of United States magazine Vogue, died on Tuesday in White Plains, New York. He was 73 years old. The cause of his death was not immediately known.
Talley’s Instagram account confirmed that he had passed away.
andreltalley wrote on his Instagram account, “It is with great sadness we announce the passing of André Leon Talley on January 18, 2022 in New York. Mr. Talley was the larger-than-life, longtime creative director at Vogue during its rise to dominance as the world’s fashion bible. Over the past five decades as an international icon was a close confidant of Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, Paloma Picasso, Diane von Furstenberg, Bethann Hardison, Manolo Blahnik and he had a penchant for discovering, nurturing and celebrating young designers. His byline appeared in Vanity Fair, HG, Interview, Ebony and Women’s Wear Daily and he was the editor of Numero Russia. Mr. Talley wrote several books, including Valentino, A.L.T.: A Memoir, A.L.T. 365+ and Little Black Dress for Assouline, and contributed to Valentino: At the Emperor’s Table and Cartier Panthère. He was the subject of the documentary The Gospel According to André and his recent memoir, The Chiffon Trenches became a New York Times Best Seller. In 2014, he was named artistic director of Zappos Couture, and he has been on the Board of Trustees of Savannah College of Art and Design since 2000. Mr. Talley was awarded the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Republic in 2020 and the North Carolina Governor’s award for literature in 2021. He was a long-standing member of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church.”
In the 1980s and ’90s, Talley’s tenure at Vogue shaped the magazine’s image and was one of the most celebrated voices in the fashion world. From 1983 to 1987, Talley served as the magazine’s news director before he became the publication’s creative director. In the United States, Talley worked closely with magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour when he was at Vogue. Following the seven-year tenure as the magazine’s editor in chief, he became Vogue’s editor-at-large in 2013. Over the course of his career, Talley contributed to Women’s Wear Daily, W and New York Times, among other publications.
While Talley had numerous impacts on the industry, he was a major force in helping to bring diversity to the runway through his push to include more Black voices among designers and models. Talley, always dressed in flowing robes and caftans, was a familiar sight wherever he went. A major figure in the LGBTQ+ community, Talley called himself “fluid” but did not explicitly define his sexuality.
André Leon Talley Bio
Talley was born in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 1948, and was raised primarily by his grandmother in Durham, N.C. He graduated from North Carolina Central University in 1970 with a degree in French literature, and later earned a master’s degree in the same field from Brown University. He worked at Women’s Wear Daily for many years before becoming the Paris bureau chief. In 1974, Talley apprenticed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Talley later worked at W for five years before joining the New York Times. In 1983, he joined Vogue as fashion news director for four years before becoming the magazine’s creative director in 1988. After briefly returning to W, Talley rejoined Vogue as editor-at-large until his departure in 2013.
During the election prior to the Obama administration, Talley advised the soon-to-be-elected family on fashion, working with designer Jason Wu. Through his television appearances, Talley furthered his stature as a public figure. A regular red carpet correspondent and a judge on “America’s Next Top Model,” André was the subject of the 2017 documentary “The Gospel According to André,” which chronicled his life after leaving Vogue.
In addition to two memoirs, Talley has written three books. “MegaStar” was written by him and Richard Bernstein in 1984. In his most recent book, “The Chiffon Trenches,” he discusses his fallout with Wintour and the racism he encountered working in the fashion industry.
