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Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley passed away on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, at the age of 73. According to TMZ, he reportedly suffered from an "unknown illness" and took his last breath at White Plains Hospital.
The longtime fashion writer created history by becoming the first African-American creative director of the publication. He was appointed to the position in 1988 by Vogue editor-in-chief and fashion icon Anna Wintour.
Talley and Wintour went on to work together for nearly 30 years and their working relationship was well-known in the fashion industry. They had a falling out in 2018 after Talley was replaced by Liza Koshy for conducting interviews on the Met Gala red carpet.
The ups and downs of their friendship were largely documented in Andre Leon Talley's 2020 memoir The Chiffon Trenches.
A look into Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley's friendship
Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley first met at Vogue in 1983 and immediately developed a strong professional relationship. Wintour appointed Talley the creative director of the magazine shortly after she became the editor.
The duo collaborated on several projects and appeared at prominent fashion events together. In 2020, Talley, who was often considered Wintour's right hand at Vogue, opened up to People magazine about meeting the fashion mogul:
"When I first went to Vogue, I met her, I said hello politely, I took the subway home to 14th St. and Vogue was at 44th. I took two stops on the express train. By the time I got home, under my door on engraved stationary from Anna Wintour was a note: Welcome to Vogue."
The fashion journalist said the pair communicated with each other without using words but created waves in the industry. He also called Wintour his "biggest supporter":
"Ms. Wintour and I made waves. She was always my biggest supporter. She was very inspiring, and she is inspiring. Going to work every day was amazing. Everything about it was amazing."
Talley also mentioned that he was thankful to Wintour for offering him a prominent role at Vogue in the late 1980s:
"I owe to her the pioneering role that I had of a creative director of Vogue. I was the first Black man to ever be named such. I owe that to Anna Wintour. I owe her much. And I think, in turn, she owes me."
According to The Irish Times, Andre Leon Talley was considered to be the only person who could critique Wintour's dressing choices. He once told the publication:
“I would never be so rude as to say, ‘You look bad.’ I would say, ‘Oh, who made that?’ and my eyebrows would raise to the ceiling, and there would be a silence."
Andre Leon Talley served as the creative director of Vogue between 1988-1995 before leaving the position to work for W in Paris. However, he returned to Vogue in 1998 and was appointed editor-at-large under Anna Wintour.
While Talley left Vogue in 2013, he continued to maintain an amicable relationship with Wintour. However, their friendship suffered a major blow when Liza Koshy was invited to interview guests for the 2018 Met Gala red carpet instead of Talley.
Later in life, Talley told Gayle King on CBS This Morning that his friendship with Wintour hit an "iceberg" following the situation. He later opened up about their tumultuous relationship in his 2020 tell-all memoir The Chiffon Trenches.
An excerpt of the memoir published by The Guardian revealed that their friendship first showed signs of crack when Andre Leon Talley's 2016 podcast for Vogue came to an abrupt end:
"Like a morning fog that suddenly lets up, the podcast no longer existed. No explanation or compensation. Just sphinx-like silence from Anna. She decimated me with this silent treatment so many times; it is just the way she resolves any issue."
Talley said he was aware he mattered to Wintour in the early days of their career but confessed that their friendship left him with "huge psychological scars." He even called Anna Wintour a "towering woman" and claimed that the people who worked with her suffered "huge emotional scarring."
The iconic fashion writer also shared his feelings about the 2018 Met Gala and said it was a "stone-cold business decision":
"I had suddenly become too old, too overweight and too uncool. After decades of loyalty and friendship, Anna should have had the decency to call or send an email saying, “André, we have had a wonderful run with your interviews, but we are going to try something new.”
He also accused Wintour of being incapable of having "simple human kindness" and said he promised himself to never attend another Anna Wintour Met Gala in his life.
Andre Leon Talley went on to claim that Wintour only treated him as a “former employee” and alleged that she only associated with the “powerful and famous people who populate the pages of Vogue.”
However, the America's Next Top Model judge also told People that his book was a love letter to Wintour:
"I love her. People see my book as a vengeful, b*tchy tell-all. It is not. My book is in many ways a love letter to Anna Wintour."
Following the release of the memoir, a source close to the Vogue editor-in-chief told the publication that she was “saddened” by the portrayal of her friendship with Talley:
"Anna considered André a friend for over 30 years and naturally was saddened by the way he chose to portray many aspects of their friendship, but he is of course entitled to tell it as he remembers it. She wishes him the best."
Despite his scathing remarks about his former associate, Andre Leon Talley defended Wintour against claims of racism made against her by saying she created history in making him the first African-American creative director at Vogue.
He also told Tamron Hall that Wintour thanked him for his support, even though their relationship remained “complicated” and their friendship was “passive-aggressive”:
“So we've been in communication by email, strictly, on birthdays and holidays. She thanked me for that support.”
Talley also said he was waiting for Wintour to invite him to her Long Island residence and mentioned he was even ready to attend the Met Gala on being invited. In 2021, the editor praised Wintour during an interview with The Cut:
“She’s the empress. She’s worked hard. She’s gone through many battles. She deserves everything they give her. At 72, to have that job, is very, very, very impressive. I wish her all the best.”
In his memoir, Andre Leon Talley said he hoped that before his passing, Wintour would sit by his bedside and hold his hand while saying “I love you. You have no idea how much you have meant to me.”
It remains to be seen if the fashion mogul comments on her longtime friend and working partner’s demise in the days to come.
