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A.L.T.: A Memoir
One of the most striking figures in international style offers a unique and unforgettable memoir of the two women who shaped his dreams, tastes, and character.
“My grandmother and Mrs. Vreeland had similar ways of appreciating luxury,” writes André Leon Talley, “because they both believed in the importance of its most essential polish.” In A.L.T., Vogue’s editor at large explains how a six-foot-seven African-American man from North Carolina became the influential fashion figure he is today, learning life’s most enduring lessons from two remarkable his maternal grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, a woman who worked back-breakingly hard as a maid, yet taught him to embrace the world with a warm heart and an open mind; and Diana Vreeland, the inimitable editor in chief of Vogue and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, who became his peerless professional mentor. In a rich, eloquent voice that resonates with both small-town wisdom and haut monde sophistication, Talley tells of the grandmother who encouraged his dreams and ambitions while instilling in him an abiding sense of dignity and style, and of the legendary fashion doyenne who took him under her wing as he rose to fame in the wild New York of the 1970s. Threaded throughout are stories of the man himself, who has survived thirty years in the “chiffon trenches” with eminent grace and style.
Clear, elegant, and often magical, A.L.T. shines like a rare jewel as it illuminates three extraordinary lives.
“My grandmother and Mrs. Vreeland had similar ways of appreciating luxury,” writes André Leon Talley, “because they both believed in the importance of its most essential polish.” In A.L.T., Vogue’s editor at large explains how a six-foot-seven African-American man from North Carolina became the influential fashion figure he is today, learning life’s most enduring lessons from two remarkable his maternal grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, a woman who worked back-breakingly hard as a maid, yet taught him to embrace the world with a warm heart and an open mind; and Diana Vreeland, the inimitable editor in chief of Vogue and director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, who became his peerless professional mentor. In a rich, eloquent voice that resonates with both small-town wisdom and haut monde sophistication, Talley tells of the grandmother who encouraged his dreams and ambitions while instilling in him an abiding sense of dignity and style, and of the legendary fashion doyenne who took him under her wing as he rose to fame in the wild New York of the 1970s. Threaded throughout are stories of the man himself, who has survived thirty years in the “chiffon trenches” with eminent grace and style.
Clear, elegant, and often magical, A.L.T. shines like a rare jewel as it illuminates three extraordinary lives.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2003
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1247 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 26, 2015
Was so disappointed by this book. I admire Andre a lot and have enjoyed reading his columns in Vogue and seeing his appearances on TV. This book didn't really give me much information about his life. The majority of the book was about his mentors and family, especially his grandmother. It took almost 100 pages to hear about anyone besides his grandmother and aunt. I get that you need to know the people around a person to understand them, but I felt there was very little about Andre. I also wish there would have been more photos to help understand the people and stages of his life.
November 3, 2012
I quite liked this book. It took me a while to get through it, but it was worth it. A.L.T did what any good autobiography or memoir should do. It should educate you about the internal life/private life of that person. All I knew of Andre Leon Talley was his public persona and the fact that he was one of very few African-American men in the upper echelons of fashion. It was interesting learning about his early life and how he got into fashion.
I really enjoyed how much time and effort he put into his relationships outside of work. That's a lesson lots of people need these days. It's important to have a successful career, but it's even more important to have a rich personal life, full of good relationships with people. People matter, goodness and kindness matter. Who would have thought that would have been reinforced in the memoirs of a fashion insider? But A.L.T. always did do his own thing.
I really enjoyed how much time and effort he put into his relationships outside of work. That's a lesson lots of people need these days. It's important to have a successful career, but it's even more important to have a rich personal life, full of good relationships with people. People matter, goodness and kindness matter. Who would have thought that would have been reinforced in the memoirs of a fashion insider? But A.L.T. always did do his own thing.
July 26, 2017
If you don't know who Andre Talley is, don't worry, I didn't either until very recently. I was googling "Migos fashion" as one tends to do, and came across this video from Vogue:
Red Carpet Night with André Leon Talley: The Met Gala Edition
So many amazingly bedecked celebs in attendance-- Rihanna, Future, Migos etc-- yet the person I was most intrigued by was the corpulent and dignified man, dressed in a black robe, who sat and regally greeted all the celebs. He conveyed a deep knowledge of fashion and all the celebs responded to his questions with affection and respect. Who was this guy?!
Turns out he's Andre Talley, former editor at large for Vogue. His memoir is well-written and it's naturally interesting to learn how a large church-going black man from the impoverished rural South ended up running a global high fashion mag, without ever losing his religion. He talks a lot about his beloved grandma, whose innate sense of luxury and style left a deep impression on him. There's discussion of Studio 54, NYC in the late 70's early 80's... of course a bit of name dropping... but you know, if I hung out at Karl Lagerfeld's house I'd drop some names too.
Red Carpet Night with André Leon Talley: The Met Gala Edition
So many amazingly bedecked celebs in attendance-- Rihanna, Future, Migos etc-- yet the person I was most intrigued by was the corpulent and dignified man, dressed in a black robe, who sat and regally greeted all the celebs. He conveyed a deep knowledge of fashion and all the celebs responded to his questions with affection and respect. Who was this guy?!
Turns out he's Andre Talley, former editor at large for Vogue. His memoir is well-written and it's naturally interesting to learn how a large church-going black man from the impoverished rural South ended up running a global high fashion mag, without ever losing his religion. He talks a lot about his beloved grandma, whose innate sense of luxury and style left a deep impression on him. There's discussion of Studio 54, NYC in the late 70's early 80's... of course a bit of name dropping... but you know, if I hung out at Karl Lagerfeld's house I'd drop some names too.
October 16, 2018
Full disclosure--not being any kind of fashionista, I'd never heard of this man before seeing the memoir on a list of suggested books. He has written a mild memoir of growing up in North Carolina and some of the influences his upbringing has made in his life. I would not call it dishy at all, although he does drop quite a few names of clothes designers and artists. One word that kept coming to mind while reading it was "gentlemanly." Given today's political and cultural climate, he doesn't talk smack about anyone; he seems to take the time-honored position that "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." And boy, is that refreshing!
The other word that came to mind was "Epicurean". He doesn't reveal enough about himself to use the word "hedonist," but he definitely enjoys fine things and waxes poetic about ironed sheets and the polished soles of shoes. And this book may have the highest word count of "bespoke" of any book I've ever read.
The other word that came to mind was "Epicurean". He doesn't reveal enough about himself to use the word "hedonist," but he definitely enjoys fine things and waxes poetic about ironed sheets and the polished soles of shoes. And this book may have the highest word count of "bespoke" of any book I've ever read.
February 4, 2024
This book is heavily focused on stories about the author’s childhood in Durham, NC. As someone who works in Durham this was perhaps more interesting to me than it would be to some. This is a much less gossip-y, less salacious memoir than one might expect from someone in the fashion industry. It’s also not at all self involved. Instead it in many ways is just Talley talking about the strong women in his life, both the famous like Diana Vreeland; and the unrecognized like his grandmother who raised him.
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January 26, 2023This memoir covers ALT's life up until 2002. I think I was expecting more of an inside look of the fashion world, but this was truly a love letter to the women he describes as having helped defined his identity and his way of life: His grandmother and Diana Vreeland. I did feel like he glazed over some significant moments of racial and class tensions. That being said - it made a significant argument about the importance of service, duty, and hard work.
October 25, 2020
I really started out enjoying Talley's family reminiscences, but then the early memories just kept on going to the point that I felt I was intruding on a family reunion I wasn't a part of, leading me to lose interest. I don't like admitting my failure to better appreciate this memoir as there were some beautiful moments.
July 25, 2021
To understand a person, you must understand what shaped them. As the last line of his memoir states, “My life is one long continuous prayer.”
The Amen is not yet uttered. We are all better for it.
The Amen is not yet uttered. We are all better for it.
September 15, 2021
Talley turned differences about himself, which could have kept him out of fashion, into assets that made him a Paris essential. An inspiring story about someone reaching the pinnacle of his profession with a life well lived and well styled.
May 2, 2022
Interesting take of the beginnings of Andre Leon Talley's life and the most important people that influenced his career.
January 2, 2023
Interesting, but a bit of a let down. Worth reading if you are a fan of Talley. Details the two women who influenced him most in life, his grandmother and Diana Vreeland.
June 11, 2008
an especially important moment from this book that resonated into the core of me is him as a child, watching his grandmother in her gown/robe, with pincurls in her hair, throwing on an overcoat and boots to go out in the freezing cold to chop wood at 5am so their place would be warm when he woke up to go to school. she worked from can't-see in the morning until can't see at night, as the old folks down south would say, all the while thoroughly scouring her place (boiling and pressing her bed linens!) -- and she still managed to maintain an air of polish and elegance at all times.
an interesting picture from the book is all of them, surrounding this matriarch on the porch of the family home back in the day (the 50s i think): every single one of them were so painfully well dressed and unaffected and stunning, it kind of made my teeth hurt to look at it -- especially in contrast to the house itself, which looked like a glorified shack.
to always look your best, to maintain a strong sense of self, to let that self shine through your personal style, in spite of your circumstances, in spite of whatever you don't have, in spite of whatever the world says you are. what a massive lesson for anyone to learn -- but most especially a black child from the middle of nowhere in pre-civil rights north carolina.
it's astonishing that he's accomplished all that he has. but with a grandmother like that, it's totally understandable.
i grew up surrounded by a host of black women who worked that hard and maintained themselves with an air of feminity and grace and flat-out natural beauty that i was (and still am) in awe of. connecting to my childhood memories through his descriptions reminded me of how green my valley actually was, how much i learned from them, and how (thankfully) their influence still hovers over my world.
an interesting picture from the book is all of them, surrounding this matriarch on the porch of the family home back in the day (the 50s i think): every single one of them were so painfully well dressed and unaffected and stunning, it kind of made my teeth hurt to look at it -- especially in contrast to the house itself, which looked like a glorified shack.
to always look your best, to maintain a strong sense of self, to let that self shine through your personal style, in spite of your circumstances, in spite of whatever you don't have, in spite of whatever the world says you are. what a massive lesson for anyone to learn -- but most especially a black child from the middle of nowhere in pre-civil rights north carolina.
it's astonishing that he's accomplished all that he has. but with a grandmother like that, it's totally understandable.
i grew up surrounded by a host of black women who worked that hard and maintained themselves with an air of feminity and grace and flat-out natural beauty that i was (and still am) in awe of. connecting to my childhood memories through his descriptions reminded me of how green my valley actually was, how much i learned from them, and how (thankfully) their influence still hovers over my world.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2014
Andre Leon Talley is one figure from the fashion world that people who don't really follow fashion might know, if for no other reason than that he's 6'7" tall and often dresses flamboyantly in capes and flowing robes. Fashion is considered by many people to be a trivial and superficial endeavor, so you'd think a memoir by one of the leading figures in fashion journalism would also be full of shallow nonsense and catty gossip. But "A.L.T.: A Memoir" is nothing like that.
Talley does name-drop in the book, but not as much as you might expect. There are no scandalous revelations in the book unless you were unaware that Halston like cocaine and that people had sex in public at Studio 54. Talley does not tell tales out of school, and the names he does drop he always drapes in praise and respect.
While this book does present scenes from Talley's life, it is less about him than it is about the women in his life who mentored, shaped, influenced, supported, and befriended him. And though these women include Anna Wintour, Miuccia Prada, Lee Radziwill, Paloma Picasso, Mica Ertegun, Baroness Liliane Rothschild, Beatrice de Rothschild, Diana Vreeland, and his cousin Alice, pride of place in the book is given to his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis.
Mrs. Davis, a lifelong domestic servant, raised Talley, taught him to be a gentleman, a devout Christian, a loving family member, and a loyal friend, allowed him the space to become the person he truly was and wanted to become, and taught him that the love of beauty and refinement and grace has less to do with wealth than it does to an attention to the details and a selfless desire to make the world a lovelier, more friendly and hospitable place to the people around you. Indeed, in a book full of celebrities and jet setters, it is Andre Leon Talley's amazing grandmother who will remain most in the reader's mind.
Talley does name-drop in the book, but not as much as you might expect. There are no scandalous revelations in the book unless you were unaware that Halston like cocaine and that people had sex in public at Studio 54. Talley does not tell tales out of school, and the names he does drop he always drapes in praise and respect.
While this book does present scenes from Talley's life, it is less about him than it is about the women in his life who mentored, shaped, influenced, supported, and befriended him. And though these women include Anna Wintour, Miuccia Prada, Lee Radziwill, Paloma Picasso, Mica Ertegun, Baroness Liliane Rothschild, Beatrice de Rothschild, Diana Vreeland, and his cousin Alice, pride of place in the book is given to his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis.
Mrs. Davis, a lifelong domestic servant, raised Talley, taught him to be a gentleman, a devout Christian, a loving family member, and a loyal friend, allowed him the space to become the person he truly was and wanted to become, and taught him that the love of beauty and refinement and grace has less to do with wealth than it does to an attention to the details and a selfless desire to make the world a lovelier, more friendly and hospitable place to the people around you. Indeed, in a book full of celebrities and jet setters, it is Andre Leon Talley's amazing grandmother who will remain most in the reader's mind.
August 27, 2017
As a Vogue fan, more specifically the September edition of Vogue fan, I have read Andre Leon Talley's musings about fashion in the magazine's glossy perfumed pages for years. So I was very excited when this book was released. I wanted to know more about a black man, of a different generation, firmly entrenched in the magical world that is Vogue.
The book read more like an autobiography then a memoir. It began with his ruminating on the women in his life who inspired his fashion sense and desire to always do his best: his grandmother and Diana Vreeland. What I really enjoyed was discovering how much of an academic Talley is.
Here's a takeaway for me:
“One of the most important things that I learned while pursuing my graduate studies at Brown was the art of research, which is a very important thing to know how to do in this world. I do not think it’s affectation to hunger after knowledge in one’s chosen field. Rather, I think it’s a responsibility.”
The book read more like an autobiography then a memoir. It began with his ruminating on the women in his life who inspired his fashion sense and desire to always do his best: his grandmother and Diana Vreeland. What I really enjoyed was discovering how much of an academic Talley is.
Here's a takeaway for me:
“One of the most important things that I learned while pursuing my graduate studies at Brown was the art of research, which is a very important thing to know how to do in this world. I do not think it’s affectation to hunger after knowledge in one’s chosen field. Rather, I think it’s a responsibility.”
January 24, 2017
A friend was getting ready to donate a stack of books to a local bookstore and I picked this one out just to look through it, having little interest in the world of High Fashion. Ended up reading all of it in one day and found it to be a warm and vivid description of growing up in Durham, N.C. as a young, and very different, black boy. Fascinated by Vogue magazine at an early age, the author followed through and eventually became a mentee of his idol, Diana Vreeland. The best part of this memoir is Talley's remembrances of the beloved grandmother who raised him. This is not a kiss-and-tell book, but I was disappointed that the author chose to not reveal certain aspects of his life and journey, leaving some questions unanswered.
September 15, 2016
The great Andre Leon Talley has been a part of my consciousness for years. Growing up, my mother had a Vogue subscription, so the “Life with Andre’ dispatches were requisite reading. Mr. Talley is more than a fashion insider, he’s a fashion epicenter. He has worked with everyone in the fashion world and possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the industry’s players, references and history. Initially, I assumed this book would be a tell-all of the debauchery of the seventies fashion scene in New York and Europe. What I found instead was much more satisfying.
Read the rest on my blog: http://prettypageturner.com/andre-leo...
Read the rest on my blog: http://prettypageturner.com/andre-leo...
October 30, 2009
Andre Leon Talley is a gifted storyteller, reared in North Carolina and raised by his grandmother and Diana Vreeland, a former Vogue editor. Before I read this book, I really didn't know what to make of him, but I loved that he was so tall -- 6'8'' -- and seemed to lack any self-consciousness. His attention to detail, hustle and commitment to seeing the beauty in all things comes through in his memoir, and it's clear to see after reading the book how he came to be the uniquely stylish man he is. Now I have to go find out who Pat Cleveland is.
February 19, 2011
Very different from what I expected, this is Talley's masterful portrait of who he is-- largely influenced by his Southern grandmother and the incomparable Diana Vreeland. There is also a glimpse at the human beings behind the biggest fashion houses, and there's nary a hint of elitism in sight. A very enjoyable read.
June 5, 2013
Will reread this book shortly. I so much enjoyed it when I first read it, shortly after it was first published. I love ALT for his integrity and style. It also amazes me that we - although we have hugely different lives in opposite parts of the world - share so many values and experiences from our upbringing. Intriguing but also encourageing. Beautiful book.
January 6, 2016
The storytelling got a little repetitive. I enjoyed aspects if the book, I thought it came alive the most the first time we hear about the grandmother and Mrs. Vreeland and when he discusses moving to New York. The rest is a rehashing of his life through the influences of these two women, which is integral to who he is, but I wanted more gritty detail of his work in fashion; more anecdotes.
November 18, 2012
Talley is a 6-foot-6 inch black man from rural North Carolina who ended up going into fashion, befriending Diana Vreeland and working for Vogue magazine. This memoir covered his childhood in loving detail but was disappointingly short on later years and celebrities/gossip for my taste.
December 17, 2008
Did you know that Andre Leon Talley is not just a taste-maker but a deeply religious man? Did you know that he, like Proust, completely idolized his grandmother? Well now you know.
March 1, 2010
A great descriptive read chronicling Talley's life from being raised by his grandma in Durham, North Carolina to becoming one of the most respected names in the fashion industry.
May 18, 2010
I learned what it means to work hard. Got to see Andre speak about this book in person and he is a man who writes as he speaks. Appreciating the finer things while remembering simple luxuries.
February 17, 2013
great read...very inspirational. loved to read Andre's tales of life in the city and country.
August 17, 2013
AMAZING! DAZZLING! I am utterly impressed, whilst simultaneous inspired. Talley's memoir paints a vivid portrait of his lush life in the world of fashion. A must read
June 14, 2007
sucked. i didn't even finish it. he needs to stick to fashion -- he is not a writer.
September 28, 2017
I was an avid VOGUE reader and subscriber for a full decade of my impressionable late teenage/young adult years. So I am very familiar with Andre Leon Talley and the column he wrote for the magazine. His memoir was very touching - it focused on the important women in his life - and he did share some amazing experiences that he had in the fashion world. All that said, his book is also a little boring!
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August 10, 2018What a good book,Andre tells it like it is or was in the south long ago.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews