André Leon Talley, the former artistic director of Vogue, has passed away at the age of 73. According to TMZ, Talley passed away at a New York hospital as a result of a serious illness.
He was a very important figure in the fashion world. In a career that lasted almost 6 decades, Andre used his talent, position and work to become the champion of diversity on the catwalks and behind them in this industry.
"Goodbye dear Andre, no one saw the world in such a glamorous form as you saw. No one was as big and wide-hearted as you were," wrote the designer and his close friend Diane von Furstenberg.
His career began with an internship with former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 974. The latter was amazed by his talent and skills, thus giving her contacts to start work within the industry. His name would reach the pinnacle of recognition after working at US Vogue, where he became the magazine's news director and then artistic director until 1995, when he left.
The friendship and long work with Anna Wintour occupy a very important weight in the memories and narrative of his life. In 2008, Talley became the fashion adviser for the Obama family, where she cared for the former First Lady's wardrobe.
He never defined his sexual orientation and often referred to himself as "fluid". The public never learned of any of his relationships, and in this regard, Andre said that something like this "attributes to the abuses he received as a child."
In his two memoirs where he tells how his career and work in the fashion industry "saved" him from everything else.
Source: The Guardian
