First published 2020
André Leon Talley chronicles his ascent through fashion's elite circles in this candid memoir. Working alongside Andy Warhol at Interview magazine, Talley meets Karl Lagerfeld and begins a friendship that spans decades. His deep fashion knowledge propels him to Paris as bureau chief for Women's Wear Daily, where he befriends legendary designers like Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, and Oscar de la Renta. A racially charged incident at Saint Laurent's house forces his return to New York and Vogue, where he works under Grace Mirabella and forms an unexpected bond with Anna Wintour. As Wintour climbs Vogue's hierarchy, Talley rises alongside her to become creative director and fashion's most influential figure. Talley reveals the industry's brutal realities while sharing intimate portraits of icons like Diana Vreeland, Diane von Furstenberg, and Lee Radziwill. He confronts the racism, rumors, and cutthroat competition that marked his journey, showing how his Southern upbringing and enduring faith sustained him through decades of personal and professional struggles in fashion's unforgiving world.
Genres: autobiography, non-fiction, biography-memoir, fashion-designers, 21st-century, fashion
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-struggle, rise-to-success
Setting: New York, Paris
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
284 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: racism