Recapping a Conversation with Fashion Icon André Leon Talley

Recapping a Conversation with Fashion Icon André Leon Talley

A little over a week ago on Sunday, October 29th, I was in the midst of fashion royalty as I witnessed André Leon Talley being interviewed by  Audrey Smaltz at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC. The event complimented the new Ebony Fashion Fair Exhibition entitled “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair”, which covers the 50-year history charity fashion show from 1958-2009.  The traveling show featured glamour and redefined the concepts of beauty, style and empowerment of African-Americans.  Mrs. Eunice Johnson was the owner and visionary who enhanced the black community with this show, which mission raised funds for local charities.  Smaltz was the voice of show for seven years, and is also the founder of The Ground Crew backstage management corporation. The star of the conversation, Talley, who is originally from Durham, NC came back home to have the conversation which was a treat for the local fashion community.  Talley was raised by his grandmother, and began his career assisting Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute and later wrote for Interview Magazine and Women’s Wear Daily, before joining Vogue as an editor in 1983.  Early in his career, he was also fashion editor of Ebony.  During the talk, he shared fascinating and funny behind-the-scenes stories of his days as editor at Ebony.  He talked mostly about working with Mrs. Johnson traveling to Europe and New York, and how he also worked with the industry’s top fashion designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, etc. Later in the conversation Talley told us a funny story about working...