Volume 3, No. 25 May 23, 2003
Talley’s memoir takes a personal path A Review By Angela Hendrix In his memoir “A.L.T.” Vogue magazine’s editor-at-large André Leon Talley takes the memoir to the next level. Instead of writing a gossipy book about those in the fashion industry, he pays tribute to the two women who shaped his dreams, vision and character: his late grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, and the late Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor-in-chief of Vogue and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in North Carolina by his grandmother, Talley was exposed at an early age to the simple luxuries in life — pressed sheets, white church gloves and savory family meals. His grandmother, who cleaned the men’s dormitories at Duke University, instilled a sense of strong values and unshakable faith that served him well as he became an icon in today’s fashion industry. In the 1970s, without money, means or a job, Talley volunteered at the Costume Institute where he met Vreeland and had the opportunity to become her assistant. The two developed a unique relationship and remained lifetime friends. Vreeland’s guidance led to Talley working for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine and eventually to the pages of Vogue. Through lessons learned from his grandmother and Vreeland, Talley continues to give back to the community. The Savannah College of Art and Design has had the great fortune of working closely with Talley. In May 2000, the college honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was later renamed the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award and has been presented successively to Oscar de La Renta and Karl Lagerfeld and will be presented to Miuccia Prada at the annual fashion show May 24. Talley also is a member of the SCAD board of trustees. “A.L.T.” is an extraordinary story of Talley’s rise to eminence and his gratefulness to the two women that helped led the way. Hendrix is director of public information.
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