THE fashion industry icons had a close but very complex relationship, but by the end of Talley's life, the duo eventually fell out over creative and personal differences.
Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour shared a friendship that spanned decades, but their working and personal relationships weren't without their ups and downs.
What happened between Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour?
Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour first met in 1983 and quickly became friends.
They formed a close bond, with Anna describing him as "an intrinsic part of both my family life and my personal life."
The couple started working together at Vogue in the 1980s until Andre left the magazine in 2013 for an Editor in Chief position at Numero Russia.
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He ended up resigning from the magazine after just 12 issues due to Russia's anti-LGBT laws.
Andre was set to host the 2018 Met Gala, but his close friend and co-worker replaced him with YouTube personality Liza Koshy.
And it was shortly after that Met Ball shake-up that the fashionistas' friendship would dissolve completely.
In a 2020 interview, Andre told Gayle King of Anna: "When things go south, I understand changes are made in a corporate institution such as Vogue."
He continued: "When she decides that I am no longer working on the red carpet for the Met Gala, just call me and say 'Andre we're moving in a new direction'."
Andre told King: "Now we're going with the young influencer who knows nothing, but they have 20 million followers on YouTube."
He added: "No one ever told me why I was taken off of the red carpet."
While promoting his memoir, the fashion maven said: "My relationship is in an iceberg with her, I hope it doesn't stay like that forever."
What did Andre Leon Talley say about Anna Wintour in his book?
Andre spoke about his relationship with Anna in his 2020 book, The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir.
He candidly spoke about their long-time friendship, in which the fashion guru shared his feelings about the Met Gala incident.
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He wrote: "She is not capable of simple human kindness. I would love for her to say something human and sincere."
The memoir continues: "If Anna had called and said, ‘André, we’re thinking of going in a different direction [for the Met Ball], it’s important for our brand,’ I would have said, ‘Fine. That’s great.’"
He revealed how betrayed he felt, saying: "It felt like I was just thrown under the bus. It hurt!”
Talley also wrote about his hopes that the former friends would rekindle their friendship before it was too late.
“My hope is that she will find a way to apologize before I die, or if I linger on incapacitated before I pass, she will show up at my bedside, with an extended hand clasped into mine, and say, ‘I love you. You have no idea how much you mean to me.'”
How did Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour meet?
Andre and Anna met when he was hired as Vogue's Fashion News Director in 1983.
Andre briefly left Vogue for W Magazine in 1995 and returned to Vogue in 1998.
He assumed the position of Creative Director until he left the publication in 2013.
During his tenure, Talley advocated for the fashion world to incorporate more diversity in their runway shows, brand campaigns, and magazine editorials.
He notably styled both Melania Trump for her 2005 nuptials to Donald Trump, and Michelle Obama for her first Vogue cover.
Despite his departure, Andre and Anna remained close friends – or at the very least, frenemies – until 2018.
What did Anna Wintour say about Andre Leon Talley's death?
Following Andre's death on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, Anna released a statement via Vogue.
In a tribute published on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, Anna said of her former friend: “The loss of André is felt by so many of us today: the designers he enthusiastically cheered on every season, and who loved him for it..."
"The generations he inspired to work in the industry, seeing a figure who broke boundaries while never forgetting where he started from; those who knew fashion, and Vogue, simply because of him."
"And, not forgetting, the multitude of colleagues over the years who were consistently buoyed by every new discovery of André’s, which he would discuss loudly, and volubly — no one could make people more excited about the most seemingly insignificant fashion details than him,” Wintour wrote.
“Even his stream of colorful faxes and emails were a highly anticipated event, something we all looked forward to,” she added.
"Yet it’s the loss of André as my colleague and friend that I think of now; it’s immeasurable."
"He was magnificent and erudite and wickedly funny—mercurial, too."
The Editor in Chief continued: "Like many decades-long relationships, there were complicated moments."
She disclosed: "But all I want to remember today, all I care about, is the brilliant and compassionate man who was a generous and loving friend to me and to my family for many, many years, and who we will all miss so much."
An insider close to the duo claimed that Wintour and Talley had squashed their beef months before his death, and were back on speaking terms.
“I do know they did make up, that their relationship was repaired recently — after everything that happened,” a source told Page Six.
