1 year ago
44 Anna Wintour is remembering her longtime friend and collaborator, André Leon Talley. Talley died on Tuesday at the age of 73. He worked at Vogue from 1983 to 2013 in a variety of positions including creative director.
"The loss of André is felt by so many of us today: the designers he enthusiastically cheered on every season, and who loved him for it; the generations he inspired to work in the industry, seeing a figure who broke boundaries while never forgetting where he started from; those who knew fashion, and Vogue, simply because of him; and, not forgetting, the multitude of colleagues over the years who were consistently buoyed by every new discovery of André’s, which he would discuss loudly, and volubly—no one could make people more excited about the most seemingly insignificant fashion details than him," Vogue's global editorial director shared in a statement. "Even his stream of colorful faxes and emails were a highly anticipated event, something we all looked forward to."
The 72-year-old British fashion icon continued with a more personal statement, adding, "Yet it’s the loss of André as my colleague and friend that I think of now; it’s immeasurable. He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny — mercurial, too."
Wintour also seemingly alluded to Talley's candid comments about her in his 2020 memoir, The Chiffon Trenches, saying, "Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments, but all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much.”
According to the fashion Bible's site, Talley died of a heart attack, though this has not been publicly confirmed by a rep or coroner's office.
In addition to working together at Vogue, the longtime friends and collaborators also appeared in the fashion documentaries The September Issue and The First Monday in May.
Talley spoke with ET about his memoir in 2020, saying at the time, "I've had a great life and I've met extraordinary people, and I just wanted to let people know that you can survive all formidable odds."
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