André Leon Talley, the pioneering American fashion journalist, has died at the age of 73. A giant in terms of persona, industry presence and height – he was 6 feet, 6 inches tall -Talley died after a heart attack, as was first reported by Air Mail, the digital publication founded by Graydon Carter.
Talley spent decades at Vogue, where he was the magazine’s fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, and then its first African-American male creative director from 1988 to 1995. Often regarded as a fashion icon, he was known for advocating for diversity in the fashion industry and championed many emerging designers, paving the way for other prominent black stylists and designers to make their mark.
Larger than life
“He was a dear friend, and maybe the greatest fashion historian of his generation. He was a giant of fashion and a walking dictionary,” Carter told Business of Fashion.
In an open-ed for the Washington Post in 2019 Talley wrote: “I quietly worked to bring more of that newness into the room: fashion editorials featuring young black models Naomi Campbell and…
