At first glance, most people tend to assume that to be recognized as a public intellectual, one must be involved with what only general society deems to be important. However, in all actuality, a person can be defined as a public intellectual by the content they choose to discuss and the impact their words have on the world. The worth their words hold is what matters along with the influence they have on others. According to Stephen Mack in his essay “The Decline of the Public Intellectual”, he states “The measure of public intellectual worth is not whether the people are listening, but whether they’re hearing things worth talking about” (Mack). At the same time, Mack also explains that people must be more concerned with “the work public intellectuals must do, irrespective of who happens to be doing it” (Mack). As Mack states this, it is clear that many people are more interested in what qualifications a “public intellectual” has to their name rather than the content they produce which should not be the case. People should focus on what that intellectual inspires people to do and what boundaries they break down for others in society. As I debated who I wanted to discuss in this paper, my first instinct was to find someone in the fashion industry who exemplified a sort of public intellectual work that I would one day want to perform. I then found my inspiration from a man known as André Leon Talley; a man who moved the fashion industry socially and culturally in a way where people could never forget about him. Throughout this paper, I will uncover how André Leon Talley, an American fashion journalist and former editor of Vogue magazine, inspired not only the fashion industry as a whole but many people of color by breaking down boundaries in terms of race and extending the meaning of diversity in the industry.
As a primary introduction, it is critical to understand that most of Talley’s experiences have been uncovered in his two memoirs and in his documentary, The Gospel According to André. In all respects, his contributions to society are unveiled as spectators visualize the amazing life he has and continues to live. To begin, Talley’s first book A.L.T.: A Memoir which was published in 2003, discusses specific events and descriptive details of his childhood. The memoir also describes the utmost admiration and importance his grandmother and Diana Vreeland had in Talley’s life that allowed him to succeed and continue to be successful in the fashion industry, which will be uncovered further in this paper. To uncover his childhood, André Leon Talley was brought up in Durham, North Carolina in the 1960s and ’70s by his grandmother in a modest household. After his father and mother separated, Talley’s mother decided to leave him with his grandmother, who cleaned the male dormitories at Duke University in order to make a living for her and her grandson. Talley’s childhood mainly consisted of going to school and attending church, which he explains in many interviews as the place where he was first exposed to fashion as a child. He notes that as the women and men would pass down the aisle at church, he could not help but be mesmerized by all the intricate details within their outfits. Along with this, Talley explains his love for spending time at the library when he was a child because this is where he first laid eyes on Vogue magazine. Talley states in an NPR interview that when he was nine years old and first started reading vogue, it was not only what the women were wearing that fascinated him, but it was the magazine at hand that took his interest because it exposed him to something he had never seen before. In many interviews, he continues to tell stories about his childhood and adolescence in which he was bullied, beaten, and scrutinized for being African American, tall and skinny, and for wearing intricate clothing. As a young child, Talley put up with the unwarranted prejudice that came from being one of the few African American children in his district. Yet, he recalls never having the urge to fight back because he believed silence was the answer.
After he graduated high school, Talley moved on to attend North Carolina Central University for his undergraduate degree and received a scholarship to attend Brown University, obtaining both his master’s and undergraduate degrees in French literature. Shortly after graduating and early into his 20’s, Talley moved to Manhattan, New York, and received a job working for Andy Warhol at his interview magazine. This was the first place Talley witnessed a life that included gender and sexual fluidity without the criticism of the world that he generally experienced in North Carolina. Eventually through the help of a friend’s father Talley received a job working at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute, in which Diana Vreeland, Vogues’ previous editor in chief, came to be. His predestined future was about to unfold right in front of him. Talley’s life moved quickly after this. He and Vreeland developed a solid relationship and she had acquired full trust in him. He proceeded to receive interviews and opportunities at WWD and positions such as Paris fashion editor and Paris bureau chief. At last, Talley was offered a job at Vogue where he worked closely behind the magnificent Anna Wintour and went on to be the magazine’s fashion news director, creative director, and editor at large.
Throughout Talley’s career, he was put on a pedestal by many famous people such as Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford, Anna Wintour, Manolo Blahnik, Karl Lagerfeld, and much more. For example, Tom Ford stated, “André is one of the last great fashion editors who have an incredible sense of fashion history… My god when he sits in the front row, to know that he understands what you’re saying, what you’re trying to put into pop culture-- that is what you work for as a fashion designer” (Gross). In addition to this, Marc Jacobs believes that there are not many people like Talley left in this world who have experienced and understand the fashion industry as he has. It is extraordinarily clear that the most iconic fashion designers hold Talley to such a high standard of influence in the industry itself. Designers craved his opinion, staring at him in the front row at fashion shows to see if he looked interested and hoping for a detailed letter back -- one of Talley’s signatures that he sent to designers when he enjoyed what he saw at the shows. These examples demonstrate the influence Talley had on others through the outcome of his story and the work he produced. Further, this is when André Leon Talley’s second memoir and documentary come to play. His books and film narrative, display Talley’s memories of Vogue and expose the truths to his life, along with the barriers Talley broke down that have diversified the fashion industry as a whole, identifying him as a public intellectual.
In his second memoir, The Chiffon Trenches recently published in 2020, and in his documentary, The Gospel According to André directed by Kate Novak released in 2018, Talley discusses his long-standing career in the fashion world and how he had to survive and exceed the lack of diversity within that world. Talley looks back at his life and describes how he finally felt like he was in the place where he belonged, regardless of his skin color. The color of his skin was not of importance, his intelligence was. He commemorates this in his book as he states, “I was always seated in the front row at the couture and ready-to-wear catwalk shows, the only black man among a sea of white titans of style” (Carroll). Talley was aware of how people looked at him, however, he refused to let it affect him; he made an effort to stay away from discussing his race because he was focused on presenting his vision to the world. He never allowed himself to become victimized because he knew who he truly was and what values he grew up with. If things were said to him, he would brush them off or take care of them with ease because he was aware of what he had achieved. He was able to surpass history and be seated in the front row of top fashion shows amongst not one other person of color and that is what mattered to him. Talley never once felt alone because he knew that blackness was always around him in the industry, which allowed him to feel a sense of connectedness. However, after years of not discussing race, Talley eventually shared his thoughts in his books and documentary. He specifically discusses the racial slurs and comments that affected him. For instance, Yves Saint Laurent’s publicist would refer to Talley as “Queen Kong” around Paris while another editor inferred that Talley was sleeping around with designers and referred to him as “big black buck” (Lang). Further, Talley was also accused of stealing sketches from designers in order to show other brands the unseen developments of new garments. His response to these accusations supported the idea that it was not news for an African American man to be accused of something outrageous. These are clear examples of the racial injustices Talley continued to encounter throughout his decade-long career.
Through this and through all the experiences Talley had, not only growing up but also in the fashion world, he was able to influence and change the meaning of diversity in the industry. Talley himself states in his latest memoir that he has made “great strides for black folks in fashion” (Carroll). For example, while he was creative director of Vogue, Talley alongside Wintour, set up a meeting with the presidential advisor in hopes of convincing her to allow Michelle Obama to be on the cover of Vogue in 2009. The meeting was deemed successful, and Talley was able to take charge and write the entire shoot. This is one example of a great cultural stride Talley made for the world. Having the first African American first lady on the cover of Vogue Magazine gave light to the world when it comes to understanding what can be defined as beautiful in society. In the past, Vogue has been scrutinized for having very few people of color on the cover, therefore when this editorial was published, millions of people of color were able to connect and resonate with the beautiful first lady of America. Along with this, Talley prepared a shoot for Vanity Fair in which he asked to shoot a scene from Gone with the Wind, an original big picture winner. With that, his request involved having people of color cast as the aristocrats and all the non-people of color cast as the servants. His wishes were honored and the shoot debuted Naomi Campell as Scarlett O’Hara, Manolo Blahnik as a gardener, and Josh Galliano as a house servant. The nature of Gone with the wind as a movie surrounded the idea of the civil war and the outrageous cruelty and prejudice that slaves had to endure. In this shoot, Talley wanted to change perspectives, open spectators’ eyes, and allow Vogue’s audience to visualize a new story. He strived to change meanings and provide diversity to an industry that was in dire need of it.
Ultimately, the outcome of Talley’s contributions is what continues to last in our society today. His career started and ended with fashion being the main inference, yet the conversations he engaged in and what he did for the industry mean much more than just his name. When referring back to Mack’s declaration of how a public intellectual should and can be defined, it is notable here that Talley sparked many conversations that reside with importance about race in society. He inspired and showed the planet that the world can only be interesting if diversity is part of it. Not only do his books and documentary demonstrate the racial injustices of the world, but his contributions also demonstrate how people who come from nothing have the ability to become the person they want to be, regardless of color or status. Now, diversity in the industry has extended to include much more than just different cultures and races, but people who are a part of different communities, such as the LGBTQ community.
In conclusion, there is no one clear definition of a public intellectual that should exist.
Many people can be regarded as public intellectuals if they provide an intellectual and enriched conversation that embodies significance and value. If more people realize the worth their words can have and if these conversations deem to be impactful, the world will be surrounded by public intellectuals and the spread of intelligence and education will be ever-increasing. With that, the impact André Leon Talley brought to the world has continued to survive. He provided many with an inspiring story that encompassed the realities of racial bias in which he teaches and shows the world how one can beat those truths, tear them down, and create a new reality.
References
Barker, Andrew. “‘The Gospel According to André’ Inside Look at Former Vogue Editor.” Inside Look at Former Vogue Editor - West, 2018,
Carroll, Rebecca. “Anna Wintour Is Not the Star of André Leon Talley's Memoir. He Is.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 May 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/15/books/review/the-chiffon-trenches-andre-leon-talley.html.
Givhan, Robin. “'Race Does Define Me,' Says André Leon Talley - and Now the Fashion Icon Is Ready to Talk about It.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 June 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/06/08/race-does-define-me-says-andre-leon-talley-and-now-the-fashion-icon-is-ready-to-talk-about-it/.
Grigoriadis, Vanessa, and Photography by Jonathan Becker. “André Leon Talley on His Friends' Fashion, His Love Life, and the Shameful Lack of Gloves.” Vanity Fair, 12 Aug. 2013, www.vanityfair.com/style/2013/09/andre-leon-talley-fashion-profile.
Gross, Terry. “For 'Vogue' Titan André Leon Talley, Fashion Was a 'Gateway to the World'.” NPR, NPR, 31 May 2018, www.npr.org/transcripts/615752676. https://time.com/5837372/andre-leon-talley-the-chiffon-trenches/
Lang, Cady. “André Leon Talley Talks 'the Chiffon Trenches' Memoir.” Time, Time, 18 May 2020, time.com/5837372/andre-leon-talley-the-chiffon-trenches/.
Mack, Stephen. “The ‘Decline’ of the Public Intellectual.” Thinking Freely on Democracy, Culture, and the Law, 17 Jan. 2016, www.stephenmack.com/blog/archives/2016/01/if_theres_any_t_4.html.
Nadia - I love this essay and the fact that you chose to highlight Andre Leon Talley. I love fashion and have admired him for quite some time. However, I never learned about his life in detail nor studied his background. This was such a unique and interesting choice for the public intellectual piece. It's no secret that the fashion industry has done so much to discourage, misrepresent, and neglect people of color, people of various sizes, people with disabilities and more, so for him to have persevered throughout all of that is incredibly admirable. I loved the line in which you stated, “he made an effort to stay away from discussing his race because he was focused on presenting…