Influential Fashion Journalist and Former Vogue Creative Director Andre Leon Talley passes away at 73

Vogue’s former creative director Andre Leon Talley has sadly passed away in New York on Tuesday the 18^th of January at the age of 73; his death was confirmed through a statement on his Instagram page that mentioned some of his greatest achievements in his life. As someone who has had an incredible career span across five decades, he will always be remembered as “magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny”, which is how Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, feels. 

In a statement shared by Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour said that Andre Leon Talley had “inspired” many generations of people to work in the fashion industry; she further called him a “brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years”.

Other fashion figures, such as designers and models, have also paid tribute to Andre Leon Talley – including the US designer Marc Jacobs, who said he was “in shock” over the news, and Belgian designer Diane von Furstenberg, who said that no one was “grander and more soulful” than Talley.

Milla Jovovich, an actress and model, said, “Andre Leon Talley was such an incredible artist, but he was also one of the most genuinely wonderful humans I’ve ever met. Always there with the most beautiful smile and open arms, he was so sweet and kind, always so gracious and I imagine the term ‘fierce’ was coined after meeting him.” She ended it with feeling “so lucky to have been embraced in his warm glow so many times in my career, because good people are few and far between in this business”.

The statement on Andre Leon Talley’s Instagram is as follows:

“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.”

Andre Leon Talley was born in Washington DC and raised by his grandmother in North Carolina; he studied French literature before going on to becoming an apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1974. After this, Talley worked as a fashion journalist at Women’s Wear Daily and Vogue, where during his job he attended regular fashion shows in New York and Europe. He soon became the creative director and editor-at-large at Vogue, as well as a close confidant of big-name designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, and Paloma Picasso; representatives noted his “penchant for discovering, nurturing and celebrating young designers”.

Writing for Vanity Fair, HG, and Interview, as well as being the editor of Numero Russia, Andre Leon Talley became a legendary icon in the fashion industry; he was also widely credited for getting more black models into the fashion industry. Just last year in 2021, Talley was awarded France’s Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor, which recognises people who have made significant contributions to the arts.

Interestingly enough, he served as a stylist for former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as the fact that Talley has been a judge on a TV show for America’s Next Top Model – such a versatile career must be applauded.