The legacy of André Leon Talley, the pioneering Vogue Editor, designer, journalist, and artistic director, continues to stay on via his many decades-long relationships within the style world.
Final Friday, associates, household, and style royalty gathered at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church to pay tribute to the late style icon.
Talley died on Jan. 18, 2022, from coronary heart assault problems and COVID-19. He was 73.
PEOPLE reported that amongst these in attendance included the worldwide editorial director of Vogue and the worldwide chief content material officer for Condé Nast, Anna Wintour, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and designer Marc Jacobs. Each girls delivered emotional speeches. They spoke of Talley’s life story of being raised by his grandmother, a cleansing lady at Duke College, to changing into the primary Black man to carry his place at Vogue and changing into one of many style business’s greatest champions and boosters.
Campbell mentioned of her late pal, “Once we felt we couldn’t get via a door that was closed to us, he pushed it open for me and bought me to do issues I didn’t suppose I might,” based on Web page Six.
The style-studded memorial resonated with that of a Black Baptist church expertise with clapping and singing together with a gospel choir. Abyssinian Baptist Church was Talley’s home of worship.
Different well-known friends included Carolina Herrera, Gayle King, Kimora Lee Simmons, Claire Sulmers, and Zac Posen. Belgian designer Diane von Furstenberg was additionally in attendance and reportedly organized the occasion, as per Web page Six.
“You had extra class and class than anybody I’ve ever met. We laughed and typically fought, as you weren’t all the time simple,” von Furstenberg mentioned throughout her speech, the outlet reported.
Oftentimes, Talley was the one Black particular person within the entrance row at style exhibits. However he was a person revered for breaking boundaries whereas by no means forgetting about his humble beginnings. An alum of Brown College, Talley joined Vogue in 1983 as style information director and ultimately turned the journal’s first Black artistic director and, ultimately, its editor-at-large.
Could Talley’s trailblazing work proceed to encourage generations to return.
