'Sewn and torn' (3/6). Love stories and friendships can sometimes end badly, even in the world of fashion. For nearly 40 years, the fashion journalist accompanied the rise of the woman who would become the all-powerful and influential editor-in-chief of 'Vogue.' Until he fell out of favor.
Lire en françaisSubscribers only
When André Leon Talley (1948-2022), Vogue's flamboyant fashion correspondent, arrived at the American magazine offices overlooking Times Square in New York one June morning in 2005, he had no idea of the upheaval that awaited him. When Patrick O'Connell, the head of public relations, led him into the conference room, he at first thought it was good news, as he recounted in his memoir, The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir (2020): "I must be winning an award!?"
Seated around the table were his church pastor; designer Oscar de la Renta and his wife, Annette; as well as the editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, accompanied by her then husband, telecom magnate Shelby Bryan.
The purpose of that morning meeting? "My weight was out of control," as he himself admitted. He was handed a first-class plane ticket to the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina, where a three-month weight-loss program awaited him. The entire cost was covered by Condé Nast, the media group that owns Vogue. Although Talley did not accept the offer at that time (he would undergo the treatment the following year), the scene perfectly captured the increasingly blurred boundaries between his personal and professional relationship with Wintour, which lasted nearly four decades.
You have 78.55% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
