André Leon Talley, who rose to prominence as an editor at Vogue magazine, has died. For years, Talley was a one-of-a-kind figure in the fashion industry, working as a Black editor. He formed close friendships with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue.

Talley grew up in North Carolina and became interested in fashion at a young age, watching women parade in and out of the church. He was raised by his grandmother, who encouraged his interest in art, style, and creativity, and went on to study French literature at Brown University.

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After college, he interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Diana Vreeland, the legendary Vogue editor. He was employed at the Costume Institute. He went on to work at Andy Warhol’s Interview Magazine and then at Women’s Wear Daily, an industry trade publication. He moved to Paris and became the Paris bureau chief while at WWD, putting him in constant contact with the industry’s most powerful designers. His reviews kept him in the spotlight, and he formed close friendships with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent.

He eventually went to Vogue, where he met Anna Wintour, another editor at the time. Talley and Wintour became friends, and after Wintour was promoted to editor in chief, Talley became creative director, a position he held from 1988 to 1995.

Talley was Vogue’s editor at large after serving as the magazine’s creative director. He was also a top editor for Numero Russia. He claimed he left Vogue for Numero because the pay was higher. He stated that he left Numero after only a year because of Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

“The one thing that really impacted me last winter was Rachel Maddow’s reporting on Russia’s anti-LGBT laws,” Talley told WWD. “There are no civil rights for the people who live there. That’s one of the reasons I’m leaving.”

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Talley remained tight-lipped about his personal life for much of his career, but he did once identify as sexually fluid.

Following that, he continued to work for Vogue as well as for Zappos Couture, among other projects. For a few years, he was a fixture at the Met Gala, hosting the red carpet for Vogue. He also worked as a consultant, giving style advice to high-profile clients like Michelle Obama.

A.L.T.: A Memoir and The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir are Talley’s two memoirs. In addition, he was the subject of the film The Gospel According to Andre. This is on top of Talley’s work as a fashion historian for documentaries such as Valentino: The Last Emperor, Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards, and The First Monday in May.