Why Are You Being So Lowkey?
This past Wednesday evening, I was part of the first New York City audience to have a screening of André Leon Talley's documentary, "The Gospel According to André." A man who has no problem wearing flowing capes and colorful caftans as his signature pieces (and propoerly citing his sources for where they come from via men in Morocco), Mr. Talley is a force to be reckoned with. After getting his start with tutelage under the historic Diana Vreeland, he moved from Interview Magazine then to WWD before landing at Vogure and truly making a name for himself, dominating the fashion scene both in New York and in Paris, speaking fluent French mind you, building a name for himself as someone "in the know," and being every kind of unexpected.
Not only does he have a personality and aura all his own, his representation within the industry and expansive knowledge of fashion history make him an invaluable icon. He stresses originality over all else and fully encourages you to do "the most" at all times. There's no such thing as "too much" when it comes to André. "I project originality and create miracles every day," he said during the talk held after the film. And he truly does. There is nothing about him that you've ever seen before.
One particularly appreciated aspect of this documentary was both his reaction to the 2016 election, a day no one is soon to forget, and his reliance on religion due to his Southern Christian upbringing. Mr. Talley is, in his own words, is able to look effortless because that is what he projects. "I'm blessed with grace," he flatly stated during his Q&A.
Lots of audience members came up during the Q&A and, before asking their questions, expressed heartfelt gratitude and reverence for a man with such style and class. It was truly inspiring to hear how much he had affected other people's lives. Using his platform as a source of representation without feeling the need to expressly say, "I am a tall, proud, gay, black man and I'll do as I please," like some. Instead, he simply was. He let his presence and his excellence speak for themselves and let his being required in the room work towards representation in an industry that's notorious for excluding anyone who isn't European-esque and thin as a rail. He further encourages us to do the same, just be who you are and they'll have no choice but to accept you. One word of advice however would be not to get so caught up in your career that you end up aging in solitude. Friends are wonderful and fashion feeds the soul but Mr. Talley did express, if only for a moment, slight regret at letting love pass him by. He also said, if you have the opportunity to turn yourself into a marketable brand, by all means do it. Residuals are a wonderful thing (my words, not his).
In closing, with all his know-how and joie de vivre, André really just wants us to do one thing:
"Create your own universe. And share it with the people you love."
xx
 |
| Polaroid of André taken in the 80s while he was at Brown during a dress-up-with-no-place-to-go house party with his RISD friends |
Not only does he have a personality and aura all his own, his representation within the industry and expansive knowledge of fashion history make him an invaluable icon. He stresses originality over all else and fully encourages you to do "the most" at all times. There's no such thing as "too much" when it comes to André. "I project originality and create miracles every day," he said during the talk held after the film. And he truly does. There is nothing about him that you've ever seen before.
 |
| The man, the myth, the legend |
One particularly appreciated aspect of this documentary was both his reaction to the 2016 election, a day no one is soon to forget, and his reliance on religion due to his Southern Christian upbringing. Mr. Talley is, in his own words, is able to look effortless because that is what he projects. "I'm blessed with grace," he flatly stated during his Q&A.
Lots of audience members came up during the Q&A and, before asking their questions, expressed heartfelt gratitude and reverence for a man with such style and class. It was truly inspiring to hear how much he had affected other people's lives. Using his platform as a source of representation without feeling the need to expressly say, "I am a tall, proud, gay, black man and I'll do as I please," like some. Instead, he simply was. He let his presence and his excellence speak for themselves and let his being required in the room work towards representation in an industry that's notorious for excluding anyone who isn't European-esque and thin as a rail. He further encourages us to do the same, just be who you are and they'll have no choice but to accept you. One word of advice however would be not to get so caught up in your career that you end up aging in solitude. Friends are wonderful and fashion feeds the soul but Mr. Talley did express, if only for a moment, slight regret at letting love pass him by. He also said, if you have the opportunity to turn yourself into a marketable brand, by all means do it. Residuals are a wonderful thing (my words, not his).
In closing, with all his know-how and joie de vivre, André really just wants us to do one thing:
"Create your own universe. And share it with the people you love."
xx
 |
| Fin |
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