Talley, whose personal sense of style made him synonymous with diaphanous robes cut in flowing fabrics, traced his affinity for fashion back to the church he attended as a child, growing up in North Carolina with his grandmother. Born in 1948, Talley encountered his first Vogue magazine at a church library at the age of nine, and thus began a relationship that would come to define a portion of his life.
Talley’s first stint in fashion was working with the legendary Diana Vreeland, after which he moved to Interview magazine, which was still helmed by Andy Warhol at the time. Talley then moved on to Women's Wear Daily, where he rose through the ranks to become Paris bureau chief.
Despite his personal accomplishments, Talley is perhaps best known for his dedication to uplifting Black models, ensuring that more were sent down the runway at major fashion weeks and included in the pages of publications like Vogue. He is also credited as being the first to introduce former First Lady Michelle Obama to designer Jason Wu, who went on to design her inauguration gown. Throughout his years in the industry, Talley became known for the ways in which he strove to both create more space for people of colour in fashion, and give back to the community that raised him, all while standing out as the first African-American man to become a voice of authority in fashion.
During his life, Talley wrote two books: The Chiffon Trenches and A.L.T., was a judge on several seasons of the hit show America’s Next Top Model, made cameos on pop-culture mainstays like Sex and the City and The First Monday in May, a documentary about the Met Gala, and was the subject of the documentary, The Gospel According to André. His work leaves a lasting legacy that will not be forgotten.
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