If you’ve ever had the privilege of seeing André Leon Talley roaming the streets during Fashion Week, you’ll know that he’s a larger-than-life personality who has a penchant for wearing majestic robes. The Vogue Editor-at-Large seems like a caricature of the fashion industry (and Lord knows he’s not too far from it, especially on America’s Next Top Model), but his newly crowned gallery at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s museum shows a quieter, more intellectual side of him as a philanthropist and curator.
To break the space in, Talley curated twelve gowns from twelve designers to whom he’s presented the ALT lifetime achievement award on behalf of the college. Included in the show are Christina Ricci’s Zac Posen gown from this past Met Costume Gala, the Manolo Blahnik shoes Mr. Big proposed to Carrie with in the Sex and the City movie, and one of Tom Ford’s “string” dresses from his debut Womenswear collection.
While reports erroneously suggested that he would have perfume pumped through the ventilation system (although it is a feature he’d consider in the future), the exhibition is a multisensory experience, with a video of shoe designer Manolo Blahnik making milkshakes with domestic goddess Martha Stewart on a loop and the eerie soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey playing in the background.
We’ll see where he takes the future of the gallery, but his inaugural exhibit may be worth checking out. If you happen to winter in Georgia, that is.
SCAD’s Museum of Art is locate at the 601 Turner Blvd. in Savannah, Georgia. And the exhibition continues until mid-February.
Andre made some great comments in the September Issue. So is he going to be curating all the shows himself? And, what exactly does he do at Vogue anyway?
It seems at this point he will curate all of the shows, as he’s already throwing out ideas for the future. In terms of his work at Vogue, he’s the Editor-at-Large, which runs the gamut from vanity title to heavy involvement in all aspects of the magazine. Beyond that, I’m not really certain what he does. Like, stuff?