Synopsis -
During André Leon Talley’s first magazine job, alongside Andy Warhol at Interview, a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship with the enigmatic, often caustic designer. Propelled into the upper echelons by his knowledge and adoration of fashion, André moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild’s Women’s Wear Daily, befriending fashion's most important designers (Halston, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta). But as André made friends, he also made enemies. A racially tinged encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella.
There, he eventually became creative director, developing an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour. As she rose to the top of Vogue’s masthead, André also ascended, and soon became the most influential man in fashion.
The Chiffon Trenches offers a candid look at the who’s who of the last fifty years of fashion. At once ruthless and empathetic, this engaging memoir tells with raw honesty the story of how André not only survived the brutal style landscape but thrived—despite racism, illicit rumors, and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry—to become one of the most renowned voices and faces in fashion.
Woven throughout the book are also André’s own personal struggles that impacted him over the decades, along with intimate stories of those he turned to for inspiration (Diana Vreeland, Diane von Fürstenberg, Lee Radziwill, to name a few), and of course his Southern roots and faith, which guided him since childhood.
Fresh Air Interview - Originally aired May 31, 2018.
The Chiffon Trenches is described as a memoir. It is that and so much more. First is Talley's fascinating personal story. He rose in the fashion world at a time people of color had little opportunity to work as models, fashion designers, or as fashion media. It was legendary editor Diana Vreeland who first took note of this young, talented and very drive young intern. His journey in fashion began by learning from the very best, and for that he was incredibly grateful.
I love reading memoirs, so his personal story was what I was most drawn to. He shares openly about his family, childhood trauma, struggles to rise in a difficult industry, his deep friendships with iconic designers, the backstabbing that went on behind the scenes, and his struggle with weight later in life. Along the way he shares how intricately racism was woven into the fabric of the fashion industry. Talley moved in elite circles, but still did not escape it's impact.
The Chiffon Trenches also lets us experience fashion history unfolding. I have never looked into how the industry as we know it today came to be, or the designers that became household names. Talley takes readers behind the fashion scenes on his journey. He brings to life the personalities, the eccentricities, and the struggles of the people of those he met. He shares about favorite runway shows and events he attended with incredible detail - everything from décor, to who was there, to insider stories.
And of course Talley offers from his vast knowledge a gift for those in love with all things fashion - from the past to the present. He regularly writes in great detail about what everyone was wearing at events, at parties, and while just hanging out. While I know this will be of deep interest to many, for me it was Talley's honest and open sharing from his personal life that I most enjoyed.
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