André Leon Talley: Style Is Forever

I know most people are annoyed by the Instagram timeline filled with people and pages they don’t follow, but occasionally it proves beneficial. Like about a week ago, I was doomscrolling and a post from Rizzoli’s popped up on my timeline about a new fashion book–André Leon Talley Style is Forever. I consider myself a collector of coffee table books, especially those about black people and culture. I already have a few fashion books, but since he was such a pivotal figure in fashion, it seemed appropriate to add this to my collection.

Although, I enjoy fashion, I wouldn’t call myself a fashion girl, especially not designer and haute couture. But I am familiar with Talley and a little bit about his story. In fact, I had the privilege of viewing the Superfine: Tailoring Black Style exhibit at The Met this summer and my favorite piece is one of his–the officer’s coat that’s deconstructed. It’s so fitting for black style and for him.

The book arrived yesterday. With coffee table books, I don’t generally read them like other books. Initially, I flip through the photography and explore them deeper with time. Last night, I quickly flipped through some of the photos and read a couple of the stories. There has been a lot said about his treatment by the fashion industry, but I can tell by the way in which people spoke of him, in the book, that he was a force. I hope that he knew that. There’s always the concern of posthumous praise.

I’ve read some of his biography, The Chiffon Diaries. What I find interesting about his story is that he seemed to fit very naturally into the world of fashion. Not that it didn’t require effort, but the way that he’s described it, it seemed almost effortless which is contrary to the way others have describe their entrance into the world of fashion. Of course, I love that he was Southerner and although he was “Manhattan, Paris and Rome” as someone in the book described him, it still came through in who he was. That’s so important in a world that demands we assimilate.

I wonder what he thought of plus size fashion? Considering his size and how often his presence is mentioned and the fact that none of it seemed to limit his fashion. I’m sure there’s commentary somewhere that I didn’t bother to search for, but I would have loved to hear a deep dive from him.

One of the things I noticed in flipping the pages is the range of his fashion which I hadn’t been privy to before. There are plenty of caftans and suits, but on a number of occasions there are references to street style in his attire–references to Harlem, Dapper Dan and even a gold chain. That surprised me.

The title of the book is really the lesson. Fashion fades, but style is forever.