Reflecting on legacy of fashion legend Andre Leon Talley as his collection hits auction
He was, to me, what I don't think he was to most people. We laughed, we cried, we argued. I was the sister he never had. I have brothers, but he was like the big brother that I also had, but another big brother. And I can't tell you how many amazing moments we spent. When he passed away and we started to go into closets and into the attic, and we were just overwhelmed. I'd say the first month of going through his things, we were overwhelmed.
And we had about 14 or 15 people helping to try to get everything in order. And the biggest, the biggest, biggest shock and surprise was the Hermes bike. I mean, that, we thought, was just the height of decadence. That bike, here it is, Hermes, the frame of course, wrapped in leather. And in classic tally fashion, he never wrote it. I feel his presence in ways I was unexpected to feel it. The exhibit is large, it's full, it's Andre, it's everything that he represented.
Because Andre loved luxury. And I feel now that I'm surrounded by all of that, that he loved. And I'm hoping that people walk through here and know that there was a person who was from the day, from the time he was maybe six or seven years old, reading Vogue magazine, thinking that he could be somebody in fashion, even though he was from a little small town in North Carolina. But he had huge aspirations from the very beginning. So I think when people walk through here, they'll feel his presence because I feel him. I just feel him all over this exhibit. Last summer, I had the privilege of being able to visit Mr.
Tally's home in White Plains and see all of these wonderful items. I had a wonderful conversation with Alexis and we talked about the care and the respect that we had to bring to telling this story. And we both agreed it kind of had to happen in February during Fashion Week and during Black History Month. If he were to see this, what would he think? Oh, he would be screaming. Andre loved to scream. Oh, gosh. Oh, it's so fabulous.
And then he would find a chair and he would sit there because whenever we go out, he'd always say, he'd never walk the room, never. He would always sit down. He said, Miss Vreeland said to me, just take a seat and they'll come to you. And it was true. And I would be flutters around. And we said, Alexis, sit down, sit down. I said, Andre, no, I want to see what's going on in the room.
I want to see who's here and what's going on. Sit down, sit down because they're going to come to us. Just wait, just wait. And it happened. And it happened all the time. I don't think there's a black professional around the globe who hasn't been influenced by Andre Lantali. The man was a genius.
He was fluent in French. He was a historian. He was sophisticated. I think we all in a way strive to be Renaissance people just like Andre Lantali. And he really spoke and I think empowered many of us who are perhaps the first in our companies or in our position or the onlys within our companies. So many of the items were designed for him by his friends, whether they be Mark Jacobs, Ralph Rucci, or Diane von Furstenberg. So every item tells a story that's very personal and also really kind of marks a moment in time of fashion history.
It's a new day. I think, you know, with these sales, we really hope that we're going to reach new collectors and that people who may be in the past and see a place for themselves here at Christie's will see themselves reflected back. One year he took me to the couture fashion show in Paris and he told me, pack everything, everything. So we had so much luggage that we had to get an SUV to follow us with the luggage. And at that point he even took a trunk. Of course nowadays you can't even travel with the trunk. I know.
No. No. And look at this. I mean like, who has. I know, this is just a little bit. Yes. All the other stuff.
I'm like, it's in and around the corner down there. I'm like, it's. This is just. Because he surrounded himself with luxury. Andre, he loved. He just loved. You've got ski bags with skis and stuff.
You have a ski tote. Yes. He didn't ski. This is a game changer for churches. His home church is so beautiful. It has its own cemetery and these. The proceeds of this will allow the churches not only to honor him, but also to be able to enhance the work that they do through the contribution that they'll receive as a result of this.
What did the world lose when Andre passed? I think that the world lost a fashion genius. Andre could go to a fashion show, take no notes and go back and recount everything down to the smallest detail. Andre was a kind and philanthropic person. Money was not important to Andre. Money was a means to express himself, to help other people. For example, he would give money to up-and-coming artists and tell them, go to Paris and just walk around. Or just take this money and take some of the pressure off of yourself in terms of that.
We lost an icon. For the African-American community, I don't know that this will ever happen again. I don't know that we'll ever see this type of a person again. But for us, we revered Andre.
andre leon talley, auction, bhm, black history month, collection, fashion, nyc, new york city, christie's auction, fashion week, vogue, news