Style legend Andre Leon Talley is everything you would want him to be during a live talk: over-the-top, ostentatious and a subject matter expert on the glamour and opulence of the most famous fashion houses – and the minds behind them.
The former Editor at Large for Vogue name-dropped his personal friends – which are also names that are synonymous with the field – Oscar De La Renta, Diana Vreeland, Tom Ford, Andy Warhol and plenty of others.
But when he sat before the crowd at the Saint Louis Art Museum Saturday afternoon to share his thoughts on the new exhibition “Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015,” it was easy to see that becoming a household name in the industry in his own right was because of more than just his personal connections.
“One of the great things about ‘Reigning Men’ is that you realize that through the history of the show is that men are equally important and can be as individualistically dressed as a woman,” Talley said as they went through a few slides from the exhibition, which is on display through September 17.
“That’s what makes this show very poignant.”
As he talked with Eric Johnson, executive director of the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator, and Genevieve Cortinovis, Saint Louis Art Museum’s assistant curator of decorative arts and design and co-curator of the St. Louis presentation of ‘Reigning Men,’it was clear that Talley had a depth of knowledge that spanned the three centuries that the exhibition covered.
His memory and recall were amazing.
When Cortinovis asked him about how he initially connected with Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he remembered the outfit she was wearing the day they met as if it were earlier that morning as opposed to more than 40 years ago.
“She had this wonderful navy blue Yves Saint Laurent pea coat. She had a fabulous Gucci bag and these extraordinary red boots inspired by Mick Jagger,” Talley said.
As the discussion returned to the exhibition, he knew the type of silk with which the 18th century jacket was spun – and was within the decade of when the garment was produced.
He owes his knowledge of the 1700s to Karl Lagerfeld, creative director for Fendi, Chanel and his own eponymous fashion house.
Talley met Lagerfeld as a reporter for Interview Magazine.
“This is the way that the men in the 18th century dressed – and this is the way Karl Lagerfeld dressed in his everyday life,” Talley said, pointing to the slide.
Talley took it upon himself to learn everything he could about 18th century France to prepare for his interview with Lagerfeld, and became obsessed with the era himself.
Talley was well-versed in every century covered by the exhibit.
“I so love the fact that there is a rich variety of things,” Talley told The American in an interview the afternoon before his talk. “We see how men can be as creative in their way of dressing.”
One of his favorites was the Zoot Suit from the 1930s.
“This is a great example of black culture that transcends into fashion – and a shining example of the show,” Talley said of the suit. “A sterling example of how a man can be as fabulous as a woman.”
Talley pointed out black culture as a major style influencer in contemporary fashion. Sean “Diddy” Combs, Drake, Jaden Smith and Kanye West seem to be in the forefront for Talley.
“Kanye’s music is genius,” Talley said. “Kanye’s marriage was genius.”
The first black president and first lady are also important style influencers for today – and will be for generations to come.
“President Obama is one of the best-dressed men in the world. He was elegant in the old school movie star kind of way – like a Cary Grant or Gary Cooper.” Talley said. “And Mrs. Obama singlehandedly gave lessons on fashion. She mixed high and low and had a sense of style that was affordable and approachable. She was the most influential First Lady after Jackie Kennedy.”
Outside of the Obamas, the disrupters of fashion are the influential ones of today according to Talley.
His favorite piece in ‘Reigning Men’ is the gold G-string bathing suit Tom Ford created for Gucci in 1997 – which is anything but traditional – second to a white suit jacket paired with a matching white skirt.
“It’s 2017, why shouldn’t a man wear a skirt?” Talley asked. “Men in Africa and India wear skirts.”
Whatever a man wears, he must own it – which an audience member with a question learned the hard way when he asked about the intersection of architecture and fashion.
“What’s architectural about this outfit?” Talley asked. “What building inspired this in your mind? What building inspired those flip flops?”
It was all taken in good fun.
“Your clothes must make you feel fabulous,” Talley said. “Everyone might not like the way you dress, but with everything you put on you must feel that you are absolutely the most fabulous thing walking down the street.”
Saint Louis Art Museum’s presentation of “Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear, 1715-2015” is currently on display through September 17 at the Saint Louis Art Museum. For more information, visitwww.slam.org.
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