The Secret Life of André Leon Talley: What an Auction Reveals About the Late Fashion Legend
If you're on the hunt for a pair of Manolo Blahnik snakeskin evening slippers trimmed with a crimson satin ribbon, then February 15 could be your lucky day. At an auction at Christie's in New York of the personal estate of Andre Leon Talley, the former creative director of American Vogue who died last year, they could be yours for an indicative price of £400. A navy silk-faille Chanel opera coat could be had for around £3,000 (scattered 'sun damage' is noted), while two extra-large Birkin bags look a steal at £4,000. No less than 29 Louis Vuitton trunks are up for grabs (including one that made an appearance in the 2008 film Sex and the City), as well as a Prada coat in white crocodile and a Hermès bicycle in orange livery that Talley did not have. never mounted but which he kept. storage at the Ritz in Paris.
Upon Talley's death, the garish inventory of his possessions and tales of unpaid rent and a painful exile at the hands of Anna Wintour seemed to paint a bittersweet, lyrical portrait of an overdressed, overworked figure. But Talley was a more creative, more interesting, smarter, and kinder person than all that. Growing up poor and black in the still segregated South of the United States, he won a full college scholarship and earned a master's degree in French from Brown University. He blazed a trailblazing path to become the first person of color to reach the top ranks of Vogue, and his death at the age of 73 left a huge void at the top row. And, in a stylish twist that Talley would have loved, it's the luxe wardrobe he's splashed his fortune on that will serve to paint him in a more flattering light.
Proceeds from his estate sale, expected to exceed $1 million, will go to two historically black churches close to Talley's heart: Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. The gift reflects Talley's deep faith and generosity of spirit, which was not always evident in a lifestyle marked everywhere with logos and monograms.
If you're on the hunt for a pair of Manolo Blahnik snakeskin evening slippers trimmed with a crimson satin ribbon, then February 15 could be your lucky day. At an auction at Christie's in New York of the personal estate of Andre Leon Talley, the former creative director of American Vogue who died last year, they could be yours for an indicative price of £400. A navy silk-faille Chanel opera coat could be had for around £3,000 (scattered 'sun damage' is noted), while two extra-large Birkin bags look a steal at £4,000. No less than 29 Louis Vuitton trunks are up for grabs (including one that made an appearance in the 2008 film Sex and the City), as well as a Prada coat in white crocodile and a Hermès bicycle in orange livery that Talley did not have. never mounted but which he kept. storage at the Ritz in Paris.
Upon Talley's death, the garish inventory of his possessions and tales of unpaid rent and a painful exile at the hands of Anna Wintour seemed to paint a bittersweet, lyrical portrait of an overdressed, overworked figure. But Talley was a more creative, more interesting, smarter, and kinder person than all that. Growing up poor and black in the still segregated South of the United States, he won a full college scholarship and earned a master's degree in French from Brown University. He blazed a trailblazing path to become the first person of color to reach the top ranks of Vogue, and his death at the age of 73 left a huge void at the top row. And, in a stylish twist that Talley would have loved, it's the luxe wardrobe he's splashed his fortune on that will serve to paint him in a more flattering light.
Proceeds from his estate sale, expected to exceed $1 million, will go to two historically black churches close to Talley's heart: Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. The gift reflects Talley's deep faith and generosity of spirit, which was not always evident in a lifestyle marked everywhere with logos and monograms.
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