A REFUGE FROM FASHION’S CHIFFON TRENCHES
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — “Come in! Back here!” André Leon Talley’s voice rang out, instructing a visitor to enter his elegant white colonial here, which is surrounded by a tidy lawn and large hydrangeas.
Talley, 68, did not rise from his position on a sofa, seated like a pasha amid enormous pillows, in his cozy TV-reading room with its leopard-print carpet.
“This house has 11 rooms, but I only use two of them,” said Talley, the longtime Vogue fashion arbiter who, though no longer working full time there, is still a contributing editor and does podcasts for the magazine.
Talley has been keeping plenty busy. He is the subject of a new documentary, “The Gospel According to André,” directed by Kate Novack, which screens at the Toronto International Film Festival beginning on Sept 8. And he curated the exhibition “The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta,” which is scheduled to open Oct. 8 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
His home, where he has lived since 2005, is filled with art and baubles. Most of the items were gifts or auction purchases.
In the TV-reading room, amid stacks of books on slipcovered African chairs, there is a silver ice bucket in the shape of an elephant’s head that he says Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis gave him; an original Elsa Peretti snake belt that he sometimes wears as a necklace; a satirical cartoon of himself by designer Karl Lagerfeld; and several items he says were given to him by shoe designer Manolo Blahnik, including Blahnik’s drawing of a shoe.
Diana Vreeland, the late great Vogue editor, looms as an éminence blanche of sorts — the two largest pieces on one wall are depictions of her. Bradley Theodore’s 2014 painting of her hangs next to an undated black-and-white photograph. “That is Mrs. Vreeland, wearing an Yves Saint Laurent pagoda jacket, one of the opening nights of the Met Costume Institute,” Talley said of the photograph.
Talley, a self-professed “news junkie,” turned off MSNBC to chat — but insisted, “I don’t have anything to say about 45,” referring to President Donald Trump. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Q: What will we see in the documentary?
A: It’s a very beautiful portrayal of a life. The story is an African-American man who came from very humble beginnings, and who climbed to the top of the fashion world. And spent 48 years in the chiffon trenches.
Q: So how do you think about collecting and arranging?
A: I don’t have things because they are of a certain quality. It’s just because I like them as beautiful objects. I’m trying to do an eclectic mix of references and influences.
Q: That painting of Diana Vreeland with a multicolored skull is unusual.
A: Bradley Theodore is a famous mural artist known for doing guerrilla art on the streets of Soho. I really admire his work. He has consistently built up his brand. Q: You know so many stylish people, do they ever give advice on art and décor? A: Oh, no. No! Nooooooo.
Q: Hah. Because they know not to go there?
A: Oh, no, no. Oscar de la Renta, who was a dear friend, came here once. I did learn from him, because he told me about the trees outside: pruning the canopies. And he did give me some tips on how to arrange furniture in the living room. Mica Ertegun has been here, and she is a great decorator. She approved.
Q: You have a large home and yard. Do you host fundraisers and the like?
A: Oh, absolutely not! Who could I do a fundraiser for? I believe in charity, but this is my sanctuary.