Sizwe Sibiya
The whole fashion fraternity has been shaken by the passing of André Leon Talley, the former creative director of the iconic Vogue Magazine, who died on Tuesday at the age of 73.
Throughout his career, Talley has been variously labelled a “force of change”, a “larger than life icon” and “the only one” for being the exceptional black editor of the magazine for more than 45 years.
Born on 16 October 1949 in Washington DC in the US, Talley adopted his eye for fashion from his grandmother Bennie Davis in Durham, North Carolina, where he spent most of his formative years.
After graduating from high school, Talley began studying at North Carolina Central University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature, as he reportedly had dreams of teaching French one day.
But some time after leaving university, he is said to have stumbled by chance upon a copy of Vogue, the magazine which would come to define his professional career. He began life there as a fashion news director in 1983, before becoming the creative director and finally editor-at-large.
Talley soon became a household name, a rare achievement for any journalist. This is in part because of his various film and TV cameos throughout his career, such as in the hit show Sex and the City and the movie, The Intern, in 2000.
In 2008, he advised the then-first lady Michelle Obama on what to wear for her husband’s presidential inauguration ceremony.
Talley also became a New York Times bestselling author for his 2020 memoir titled The Chiffon Trenches, which was adored by critics and fans alike.
Leaving behind a wealth of fashion history and creativity, Talley died from a heart attack in New York, the city he called home for the past two decades.
Image source: @Twitter
