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"The Gospel According To Andre" - 2018 Tribeca Film Festival

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André Leon Talley, former US Vogue creative director, author and international fashion icon, has died. He was 73. Talley’s death was confirmed on his social media account.

Talley’s contributions to fashion are immeasurable. Described as a “larger than life” personality, Talley became Vogue’s first Black creative director in 1988. During his time under Anna Wintour and the golden years of the fashion Bible, he used his seat at the table to advocate for Black designers, models and stories, highlighted by Rolling Stone.

Anna Wintour : Photo Session

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Prior to Vogue, he worked alongside Andy Warhol at his Interview Magazine before venturing to WWD where then EIC Diane Vreeland took him under her wing. While working in Paris, he formed relationships with Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld — a close friend until his death in 2018.

One visit to Talley’s social media page is a tome portal to his earlier days in the fashion world. From portraits of him posed beside designer Manolo Blahnik, Halston, or walking Beyoncé up the Met Gala stairs.

In 2020, Talley released the best-selling memoir, The Chiffon Trenches.

Image architect Law Roach tributed Talley in our July 2021 digital issue.

Talley passed away Tuesday at a hospital in White Plains, NY, TMZ reports. The cause of death is unknown.

Trailblazing Fashion Icon André Leon Talley Dead  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com