Fashion icon André Leon Talley is dead at age 73

André Leon Talley, the erstwhile longtime originative manager for Vogue and a manner icon successful his ain right, has died astatine property 73, according to a connection connected his authoritative Instagram account.

Talley was a pioneer successful the manner industry, a Black antheral successful an often insular satellite dominated by White men and women.

In 2017, astatine an lawsuit astatine the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Talley described the challenges of promoting diverseness connected the glossy pages of manner magazines.

"I worked down the scenes. I did it successful dulcet tones, and I was persistent and tenacious....I ever assumed a precise quiescent role. I didn't shriek and outcry and shout....That was the champion strategy, due to the fact that that was the satellite I moved in. After all, it was Vogue, darling," he told big Tamron Hall.

Talley was calved successful Washington DC but astatine 2 months old, his parents brought him to Durham, North Carolina, wherever helium was raised by his grandmother, Bennie Francis Davis, whom helium called Mama.

In his 2020 memoir, "The Chiffon Trenches," helium described his aboriginal joyousness of immersing himself successful books astatine the metropolis room successful Durham. "My satellite became the glossy pages of Vogue, wherever I could work astir Truman Capote's legendary ball, fixed astatine the Plaza, successful grant of Katharine Graham," helium wrote.

A signature infinitesimal successful his younker was the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy and the beingness of his glamorous woman Jackie Kennedy, describing her arsenic the "first influencer" of the modern world.

"I was obsessed with her pillbox hat, and her small snippet of fur astatine the collar, and her fur-edged boots, arsenic good arsenic the muff she carried to support her hands lukewarm during the freezing-cold January day," Talley wrote.

Talley arrived successful New York successful 1974, and recovered himself rapidly astatine the frenzied intersection of manner and art, moving and mingling with the likes of Halston, Karl Lagerfeld and Andy Warhol.

After a stint successful Paris with Women's Wear Daily, Talley joined Vogue successful 1983 arsenic quality director. He was promoted to originative manager successful 1988 and aboriginal served arsenic editor-at-large. Except for a play with W mag successful Paris, helium remained a fixture astatine Vogue for astir 4 decades.

At 6-foot-6 and with a booming voice, Talley was a towering fig successful each sense. He was often seen sitting successful the beforehand enactment of elite manner shows alongside editor-in-chief Anne Wintour, and his power implicit manner continued agelong aft his departure from Vogue successful 2013.

Talley appeared arsenic a judge connected "America's Next Top Model" and was the taxable of a documentary The Gospel According to André, which was released successful 2017, and was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French authorities successful grant of his publication to the manner industry.

On April 22, 2021, helium described the French designation arsenic the "best time of my life" successful an Instagram post.

"To beryllium successful the august and impeccable assemblage of Chevaliers: Diana Vreeland, Tina Turner, James Baldwin, Rudolph Nureyev and for a achromatic antheral educated successful nationalist schools successful Durham, North Carolina, I convey my French teacher, the precocious Cynthia P. Smith, who wrapped maine successful French: the language, the culture, style, past and literature," helium wrote.

Talley's published enactment includes "A.L.T: A Memoir" arsenic good arsenic illustrated books including "Little Black Dress," and "Oscar de la Renta, His Legendary World of Style."

He received his MA successful French studies from Brown and served connected the committee of trustees for the Savannah College of Art and Design for 20 years.

Last year, Talley touched connected the value of Vogue's screen featuring writer Amanda Gorman to the Black assemblage and wider manner world, describing it "a archetypal for truthful galore levels."

"We are continuing to ascent hills, hills of healing, hills of forgiving, and climbing hills and mountains of overcoming each adversity, systemic racism and inequity," helium wrote successful an Instagram post.

Tributes to Talley began pouring successful precocious Tuesday, with writer Roxane Gay describing him connected Twitter arsenic "a beacon of benignant for truthful many." Editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful, meantime thanked the precocious icon for "paving the way," writing connected Instagram: "Without you, determination would beryllium nary me."

"Rest successful bid @OfficialALT" tweeted manner decorator Diane von Furstenberg. "We volition miss you."