Quick Facts

Andre Leon Talley was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of “Vogue magazine”. He was highly remembered for being 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. He also offered fashion advise to Michelle Obama in 2008, advising her to study the clothes line of designer Jason Wu.

Talley written three books, including the memoir “The Chiffon Trenches” as well as he was the editor-at-large of Numero Russia in 2013, until resigning due to anti-LGBT policies in Russia. Also, Andre was awarded the Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres distinction for arts and letters by France in 2020 whilst he had also received North Carolina Award for literature in 2021. Sadly, we lost such a versatile man on 18th January 2022.

How much was the Net worth of Andre Leon Talley?

Andre Leon Talley had a net worth of $1.5 million at the time of his death (2022). He also received a fantastic sum of salary which was approximately $300,000 every year. Andre had earned a great amount of money from his profession since his principal source of income was from his fashion writer, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of “Vogue” magazine career.

Early Years: Where was Andre Leon Talley from?

Andre Leon Talley was born on 16th October 1948 in Washington, D.C., U.S. He was American by nationality and Afro-American by ethnicity. Likewise, his religious belief was in the Christian religion and his race was white. Andre lastly had his 73rd birthday back in 2021 and as per his birthdate, his star sign was Libra. He was the son of Alma Ruth Davis (mother) and William C. Talley (father), a cab driver. His parents left him with his maternal grandmother, Binnie Francis Davis, who worked as a cleaning lady at Duke University, in Durham, North Carolina.

Talking about Andre’s schooling, he was schooled at Hillside High School, graduating in 1966, and North Carolina Central University, where he earned with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature in 1970. He got a scholarship to Brown University, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in French literature in 1972.

How did Andre Leon Talley die?

Andre Leon Talley died from complications of a heart attack and COVID-19 at a hospital in White Plains on 18th January 2022, at the age of 73. His death, in a hospital following a series of health challenges, was announced by his friend Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation.

What was the Professional Career of Andre Leon Talley?

Andre Leon Talley starting off his career working at Andy Warhol’s Factory and “Interview” magazine for $50 a week after which he took a job at “Women’s Wear Daily”, becoming its Paris bureau chief, and “W”, from 1975 until 1980. Then he worked for “The New York Times” and several other magazines until finally settling at “Vogue”, where he worked as the fashion news director from 1983 to 1987 and then as the first African American male creative director from 1988 to 1995. He co-wrote with Richard Bernstein the book “MegaStar” in 1984 but, he resigned his post as creative director at Vogue and relocated to Paris in 1995 to work for “W”, and served as contributing editor at “Vogue”.

In 1998, he returned to “Vogue” as the editor-at-large until his retirement in 2013 to explore another editorial initiative. Andre authored an autobiography named “A.L.T.: A Memoir” in 2003 and two years later he also authored “A.L.T. 365+”. As well, he sat on the judging panel for “America’s Next Top Model” from March 2010 to December 2011, and from 2013 to 2014, he worked as foreign editor of “Numero Russia”. Talley also was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Savannah College of Art and Design from 1995.

Later, he started conducting his own radio show largely concerned with fashion and pop culture on Sirius XM satellite channel Radio Andy in April 2017. He was the subject of a documentary film, “The Gospel According to Andre” which was exhibited in September 2016 at the Toronto Film Festival and was released in the U.S. on 25th May 2018. He was also included in the documentaries “The First Monday in May” and “The September Issue” whilst on 19th May 2020, he also released “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir”.

Books

• MegaStar
• A.L.T.: A Memoir
• A.L.T. 365+
• The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir

Awards and Achievements

• 2003: Eugenia Sheppard Award for Fashion Journalism, Council of Fashion Designers of America
• 2008: Honorary Doctor of Humanities, Savannah College of Art and Design
• 2011: The Andre Leon Talley Gallery opened in the SCAD Museum of Art
• 2020: Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres honor for arts and letters
• 2021: North Carolina Award for literature

Who was Andre Leon Talley Married to?

Andre Leon Talley was an unmarried guy. There was not much about his personal relation and spouse since he always maintained a gap in his personal life and media. But we know he was not married and had no wife. Reflecting on Talley’s sexual orientation, he was straight. During his 29th May 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.”

Body Measurement: What was the Height of Andre Leon Talley?

Andre Leon Talley who stood 6 feet 6 inches tall was a recognizable figure everywhere he went. His hair color was grey and his eyes color was dark brown. Moreover, Andre was Average by body build type.

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