Photo: Patrick McMullan / Getty Images
For André Leon Talley, the Met Gala must have felt like a homecoming. In 1974, just two years after graduating from Brown University, he interned at the Costume Institute under Diana Vreeland, who became his “surrogate mother.” In his 2003 memoir, ALT, Talley described his first-day outfit at the Met: “I arrived bright and early, wearing a lemon-yellow V-neck lambswool sweater—a high school gift from my grandmother that I adored. Back then, I hadn’t yet discovered six-ply cashmere. Paired with navy-blue alpaca trousers, the kind my grandmother favored for church, I looked as proper as could be.”
Always a striking presence, Talley joined Vogue in 1983 and soon became the magazine’s first Black creative director. His early Met Gala ensembles sparkled with diamond brooches. By the mid-’90s, he embraced bold statements, topping his black-tie looks with lavish custom capes and coats in the finest fabrics.
Later in his career, Talley interviewed arriving guests for Vogue online. His influence is deeply felt in “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”—spiritually, historically, and through his wardrobe. The exhibition features pieces from his iconic collection, including a Patience Torlowei caftan, a Morty Sills suit, and Louis Vuitton luggage. As Anna Wintour once wrote, “André was a dandy among dandies, and he radiated joy.”
### A Look Back at André Leon Talley’s Met Gala Moments
1983, “Yves Saint Laurent: 25 Years of Design”
Talley with Iman. “The dress was flown in from Paris just for the evening,” he wrote on Instagram. “Its chiffon panels had glitter that shimmered as she moved. And no, that floor-length fur I’m holding was hers, not mine.”
(Photo: Rick Guidotti / Penske Media / Getty Images)
1989, “From Queen to Empress: Victorian Dress 1837–1877”
Talley in a fur-lined trench coat.
(Photo: PL Gould / Images Press / Getty Images)
1993, “Diana Vreeland: Immoderate Style”
Talley with Anne Bass.
(Photo: WWD / Getty Images)
1995, “Haute Couture”
Talley with Karl Lagerfeld.
(Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images)
Talley with Gianfranco Ferré.
(Photo: Nick Haddow / Penske Media / Getty Images)
Talley with Christian Lacroix.
(Photo: Nick Haddow / Penske Media / Getty Images)
1997, “Gianni Versace”
Karl Lagerfeld, Cher, and André Leon Talley.
(Photo: Sonia Moskowitz / Getty Images)
1998, “Cubism and Fashion”
Talley at the Met Gala.
(Photo: Steve Eichner/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
1999, “Rock Style”
Talley in custom Gucci by Tom Ford, with Anna Wintour in Christian Dior couture.
(Photo: Rose Hartman / Getty Images)
2003, “Bravehearts: Men in Skirts”
Talley in black-tie and diamonds.
(Photo: Penske Media / Getty Images)
2003, “Goddess: The Classical Mode”
Talley in a metallic striped court coat.
(Photo: Evan Agostini / Getty Images)
2004, “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century”
Talley in frilled sleeves and taffeta.
(Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images)
Talley with Renée Zellweger.
(Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images)
2005, “The House of Chanel”
Talley with Patricia Altschul.
(Photo: Penske Media / Getty Images)
A sharply tailored Talley.
(Photo: Michael Loccisano / FilmMagic)
2006, “AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion”
Talley in a cape by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.
(Photo: Patrick McMullan / Getty Images)
Talley with Naomi Campbell.
(Photo: Evan Agostini / Getty Images)
2007, “Poiret: King of Fashion”
Talley in navy with Jennifer Hudson.
(Photo: Fairchild Archive / Getty Images)
Talley, ever the showstopper.Here’s a more natural and fluent version of your text:
2008, “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy”
André Leon Talley with Venus Williams.
Photo: Michael Loccisano / FilmMagic
Talley and Williams pose in his striking red Chanel Haute Couture cape by Karl Lagerfeld.
Photo: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images
2009, “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion”
Talley wears his heart on his sleeve—literally.
Photo: Patrick McMullan / Getty Images
2010, “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity”
Talley with Whoopi Goldberg.
Photo: Patrick McMullan / Getty Images
2011, “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty”
Talley looks regal in royal blue.
Photo: Larry Busacca / Getty Images
2013, “PUNK: Chaos to Couture”
Talley carries an embroidered coat with flair.
Photo: Michael Stewart / Getty Images
2014, “Charles James: Beyond Fashion”
Talley blends panache and politics.
Photo: Rob Kim / Getty Images
2015, “China: Through the Looking Glass”
Talley in red, white, and blue.
Photo: Andrew Toth / Getty Images
2018, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”
Talley with Edward Enninful.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / MG18 / Getty Images
Talley, right at home at the Met.
Photo: Kevin Mazur / MG18 / Getty Images
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