The story of a mighty presence in fashion
Film provides intimate glimpse into André Leon Talley’s life: the sartorial to the spiritual
André Leon Talley, the 68-year-old New York fashion editor, is wearing his signature uniform: a caftan, today in gold by Ralph Rucci (“An old one,” he says).
“Where should I sit?” I ask upon entering his suite at Toronto’s Intercontinental Hotel. He points to the furthest chair. “There,” he says. With his regal aura and rapier wit, Talley is frequently reduced to a flamboyant caricature. But in the documentary
The Gospel According to André, which premieres Friday at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, director Kate Novack (executive producer of Page One: Inside The New
York Times) introduces the man behind the persona.
Whereas the 2009 behind-the-scenesat-Vogue doc The September Issue showed Talley arriving to play tennis with a fleet of Louis Vuitton luggage (an embellishment for the cameras, he later admitted), Talley covers his bond with the grandmother who raised him in Durham, N.C.; his spirituality; his obsession with politics; and his reflections (and occasional ambivalence) about being a Black man in fashion journalism.
But Talley’s mighty presence masks humility. He gazes out the hotel window as he recalls the email he received from Edward Enninful last year after Enninful was named the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, the first person of colour to land that particular plum gig. He thanked Talley for persisting through decades of open prejudice so that Enninful could follow in his path.
“I was very humbled,” Talley says now. “I don’t think that way. But I was proud that he gave me the credit.”
Talley spoke with The Kit about diversity in fashion, the social media revolution and the issue of Vogue he wishes his grandmother had lived to see. Why was Kate Novack the right person to direct this documentary? I liked her immensely. And I felt like she would do a sensitive story. And she did. I always get along with women, and I don’t think I could have done this with an aggressive male filmmaker. What moments in the doc resonate with you most? The moments of going home.
Going into the woods where I was baptized. Waiting for the (2016 U.S.) election results at (New York Times writer) Maureen Dowd’s house. And the moment at the fitness centre. My struggle with weight issues. Growing up reading Vogue, models such as Naomi Sims and Pat Cleveland inspired you. I loved seeing a Black model in Vogue. That was a world that I discovered, that Blacks could suddenly be in Vogue. And that was a new world that I didn’t know of growing up. I saw the images and I thought, well, Vogue includes these beautiful Black people, so that must be a great world. And then for you to write the (March 2009) story for Michelle Obama’s first Vogue cover, it’s such a fullcircle moment. I wish my grandmother could have gotten to see it. She didn’t. I keep that issue in my living room. How do you see that story of diversity in fashion continuing? We haven’t gotten there fully. But it is an issue that everyone is aware of. And designers are very conscious that they must embrace diversity. I think they do their castings with more consciousness than they ever did before. I think one has an individual responsibility to create awareness of diversity in the world. As someone who has literally cried at fashion shows because you have been so swept up in the beauty of the moment, what do you think about releasing collections on Instagram? Well, yes! It’s new. Why not? People are looking for new ways to present their fashion statements and this could be a new way to approach a new audience. I am all for newness and change. As someone who was so engaged in the most recent U.S. election, what was it like for you? We’re not talking about it! No, we’re not doing that today. We’re not talking about that election. This is about me! We’re not having that conversation. Do you want to hear the question and then see if you want to answer it? I will listen to the question. To objectively give a critique on what Melania Trump wore to the inauguration, did you have any misgivings about participating in that? No, not at all. And why are you able to be unbiased in your fashion commentary? I admired the way she looked on Inauguration Day, and I looked at it objectively.
“I saw the images and I thought, well, Vogue includes these beautiful Black people, so that must be a great world.” ANDRÉ LEON TALLEY FASHION EDITOR
What excites you about fashion in our current moment? The personalities of the people who are making fashion. Raf Simons (chief creative officer of Calvin Klein), Pharrell Williams and Jaden Smith. They take risks. They break the rules. “Formation.” Lemonade. And Rihanna — she’s always taking risks. It’s amazing to me that those risks always pay off. You’re so full of confidence. Where does that come from? My faith and my grace and my ability to have been brought up in a household of strong women, and my great, great experiences in the beginning of my career. I’ve always been lucky to have people in my life who have been wonderful: Graydon Carter, Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, John Fairchild. I learned by example.