André Leon Talley, Icon of Fashion Journalism, Dies at 73

A hugely influential figure, André Leon Talley, fashion journalist and former editor-at-large of US Vogue under Anna Wintour, has paseed away at the age of 73. He died at hospital in White Plaints, N.Y. Talley’s literary agent David Vigliano confirmed his passing on Tuesday. Other details, including the cause of death, were not released.

Beginning in 1974, he worked in New York for the Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. Talley began at Vogue as a news director from 1983 to 1987 and then as creative director from 1988 to 1995, where he worked with fashion‘s bible editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. Wintour and Talley became close and formed a formidable leadership team at Vogue. Talley moved to Paris in 1995 to work for W, but also continued as a consultant for Vogue. Since 1995, he has served on the Board of Trustees of the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 1998, he returned to his native magazine as editor-in-chief and remained in office until his departure in 2013. In 2013, when the Russian version of Numero was launched, Talley was appointed its editor-in-chief. In this position, he worked for a year, his departure was the end of the contract.

André Leon Talley was considered the main conduit for black models and emerging designers into the fashion industry. With his filing, many designers began to use black models in their shows. He convinced Karl Lagerfeld and Ralph Lauren to use black models in their fashion shows and advertising campaigns, shot a fashion story based on “Gone with the Wind” with a black Scarlett O'Hara, introduced Michelle Obama to young American fashion designers, and shot Naomi Campbell for the Russian Numéro. He has also been considered an LGBTQ icon, though he declined to define his sexuality, calling himself “fluid”. During his career, he has worked for Women's Wear Daily, W, The New York Times, and Vogue, where he has settled since 1983. The last years of his life, Telly hosted his own radio show dedicated to pop culture.