André Leon Talley

(On TV, January 2022) The only good thing about the January 2022 death of fashion authority André Leon Talley is how it led to a brief and well-deserved uptick of interest in his life and achievements, including the rebroadcasting of The Gospel According to André, a 2017 look at the man’s life and his achievements. Set against the backdrop of the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath, it’s a look back at his life bolstered with archival footage, as well as candid interviews with him and his friends. The term “grander than life” seems unusually apt to describe Talley and his life—a big and tall man cutting an unusual figure on the worldwide fashion scene, Talley came from North Carolina with a degree in French literature and a fluent understanding of the language that helped him when he ended up in Paris (by way of New York) as a roving reporter beloved by fashion designers. His mystique grew over a nearly forty-year period when he was active in the industry, helped along with a grandiose sense of personal style that included numerous capes. The Gospel According to André may presume that its viewers are convinced about the importance of fashion, but it does a rather good job positioning Talley and what made him such a remarkable figure. It’s not without shortcuts and unsaid material (seeing him compliment the fashion sense of the newest First Lady in 2017 would be more interesting if the film remembered to point out how he served as her fashion consultant years before), but as a quick primer and reflection on the character, it’s entertaining enough. There’s a palpable sense, watching the documentary after his death, that the world is a little duller, a little less colourful without him—and that’s the best epitaph he could have hoped for.