Fashion queen André Leon Talley says he has only loved women, rejects gay ‘label’

In an interview with Vanity Fair, larger-than-life “fashion landmark” André Leon Talley talks about growing up with his grandmother in Durham, North Carolina, in the 1950s and ‘60s. As a bullied outcast, Vogue was his solace, as was John Fairchild’s The Fashionable Savages, which he read so many times he “practically memorized it.”

When Vanity Fair asked Talley whether he knew he was gay in high school, he responded, “No, no, no. I was just into my magazines and the drawings. I had a very strict upbringing, almost puritanical. I lived there all the way through college. I was in my grandmother’s house, and I respected that!”

Although he has engaged in homosexual acts, he rejects the gay “label” and says he has only ever been in love with two females: a fellow college student in Providence and a Manhattan society woman. “[While I’ve] had very gay experiences, yes, I swear on my grandmother’s grave that I never slept with a single designer in my life,” he insists. “Never, ever desired, never was asked, never was approached, never, ever bought, in my entire career. Never. Not one. Skinny or fat. Never.”

Talley recently left his post at Vogue, where he worked for 30 years and was credited as being “the only man who could see Anna [Wintour] in her underwear.” He is currently the editor of Numéro Russia.

Keep Reading

The United States Capitol appears in front of Trans Flag colours; hands holding a smartphone with the TikTok logo on it are shown in front, under a blue filter.

How a U.S. TikTok ban would censor trans people

ANALYSIS: Conservatives are trying to leverage censorship to promote their own anti-trans agenda

In ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt,’ Brontez Purnell balances on a knife edge between hilarity and despair

Purnell's new memoir turns heaviness into humour, and exposes the bleakness under what seems silly and light

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 power ranking: Designing women

Who among our top five will fall short of the finale?

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 16, Episode 12 recap: Bathroom babes

The infamous room design challenge returns, this time with … restrooms?