Fashion editor and writer, Andre Leon Talley has been a fixture in the industry for over five decades. He has witnessed some of the industry’s most memorable events and rubbed elbows with some of the most influential figures in fashion. Recently Talley released his memoir, The Chiffon Trenches on May 19th. It chronicles his endless adventures in fashion from interning with icon Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute to becoming creative director at Vogue and working closely with the likes of Anna Wintour.
Despite how exciting and glamorous Talley’s ascent in fashion may seem, it has been filled with disparity, rejection and the fickle nature of people in the industry. Unfortunately for Talley, the book’s release was poorly timed (however, it has since become a New York Times bestseller, only proving that NOTHING can stop that blessing). The novel coronavirus has affected the fashion industry in more ways than one, currently, editors and designers are scrambling as the certainty of their jobs hang in the balance.
It is difficult for most people to sympathize with Talley’s seemingly surface-level issues when over 36 million Americans and counting have filed for unemployment.
Talley’s story has evolved with fashion throughout the years. As a Black male who has spent over 50 years in an industry with minimal diversity, he was the only one at the top for years. Only recently has he publicly commented on his race stating that “I never separated from my Blackness” and “My Blackness is what made me.” Although this sentiment is appreciated by many, one cannot ignore the decades before where Talley neglected to mention his Blackness, speak out against injustice or address the lack of diversity in the industry.
Instead, images of Talley with Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour overpowered any discussion Talley may have had pertaining to race. It was a huge question if Talley would address race in his second memoir as his first memoir chronicled his relationship with Diana Vreeland and his journey to becoming an influential figure in fashion. Although he couldn’t address too much in his first memoir, ALT: A memoir, he was determined to tell his story through the lens of Black with this new release.
Andre Leon Talley, Cont’d.
Talley addresses some deep-rooted issues such as the sexual abuse he encounters as a child, although he only gives the assault a couple of sentences, he acknowledges the detrimental effects it had when it came to cultivating intimate relationships. He ultimately began to equate love with lavish gifts which certainly played into his lavish lifestyle. He even speaks about his tumultuous relationship with Karl Lagerfeld who had showered him in luxurious gifts in exchange for entertainment until a fallout that severed their relationship.
The most upsetting severed relationship is likely with Wintour. She decidedly had him removed from conducting red carpet arrival interviews at the Met Gala without thanking Andre Leon Talley for his years of service. He attributes this dismissal to his age and size and used the memoir as a commentary on the warfare fashion can cause. He has used his point of view to highlight the cultural and social warfare that wounds almost everyone in the industry.
I have many thoughts around Andre Leon Talley, mostly all that are good and observant of a man who really helped Blacks get into visible positions in fashion. That being said, I still believe that activism, and what that looks like for people of color in powerful positions, is important to discuss. We can not just be okay with sitting in the room when we are the only ones.
Check out the newest episode of TheBlondeMisfit podcast where I discuss my thoughts on ALT’s longstanding history, what Black advocacy should look like in today’s climate, and where we hold influential people accountable:
