André Leon Talley

André Leon Talley
Biographical
Gender:	Male
Born:	October 16, 1948
Died:	January 18, 2022
Age:	73
Home:	Washington, D.C.
Friends and Family
Parents:	Alma Ruth Davis (Mother) William C. Talley (Father)
Appearances
Cycle Run:	Cycle 14-Cycle 17

André Leon Talley (born October 16, 1948) was was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine. He was the magazine's fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first African-American male creative director from 1988 to 1995, and then its editor-at-large from 1998 to 2013. Often regarded as a fashion icon, he was known for advocating for diversity in the fashion industry. Talley also served on the judging panel from cycle 14 to cycle 17.

He also authored three books, including the memoir The Chiffon Trenches, which landed on The New York Times Best Seller list; and co-authored a book with Richard Bernstein. Talley was the editor-at-large of Numéro Russia in 2013, before resigning due to anti-LGBT laws in Russia. He additionally worked stints with Andy Warhol at Interview Magazine, Women's Wear Daily, W and The New York Times. He once served as a stylist for United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama during their time in the White House; as well as styling Melania Trump for her 2005 wedding to Donald Trump.

In 2020, France awarded him the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor for arts and letters; and the following year he received the North Carolina Award for his role in literature. He was featured in the documentaries The First Monday in May and The September Issue, and was the subject of the documentary, The Gospel According to André directed by Kate Novack. In the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, the character Nigel Kipling portrayed by Stanley Tucci is widely believed to be a depiction of Talley

Personal Life

In 2007, Talley was ranked 45th in Out magazine's "50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America". During his May 29, 2018 appearance on The Wendy Williams Show, when asked about his sexual orientation, Talley stated, "No, I'm not heterosexual; I'm saying I'm fluid in my sexuality, darling."

In the mid-2000s, Anna Wintour initiated an intervention to get Talley to lose weight. As seen on The Oprah Winfrey Show, he eventually lost a great deal of weight, and was eating more healthy. He continued again at the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in the late 2010s. Talley lived in White Plains, New York, and attended the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. He died at a hospital in White Plains on January 18, 2022, at the age of 73, of a heart attack stemming from complications of COVID-19.