An Epic Homecoming: The Return of Andrè Leon Talley

Spectacular Magazine Guest Columnist Lesleigh Mausi sat down with Andrè Leon Talley and Mrs. Wanda Garrett (her grandmother) for a chat about his beginnings, his influences, and the motivation behind this anticipated community event.

Durham, NC – Durham’s famed native son and fashion icon Andrè Leon Talley returns home for an exclusive movie screening and Q&A of his acclaimed documentary The Gospel According to Andrè.  

His childhood was filled with Sunday morning memories at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, where his family worshipped. There is where his fascination with fashion was fed: from the church hats and the dress and swing-coat ensembles, to the gloves and pointed-toe stilettos. 

Directed by Kate Novack, The Gospel According to André takes viewers on an emotional journey from the style pioneer’s roots growing up in Durham during the segregated Jim Crow era, to become one of the most influential tastemakers and fashion curators of our times.  The film also includes a candid conversation with Talley’s high school teacher and Durham resident Wanda Garrett, who was one of his influences early in life.  Afterwards, the audience will enjoy an exclusive Q&A with Talley as he shares anecdotes and wisdom from his travels and experiences as an African American man in the global world of couture and culture.  

Talley credits his rearing by his beloved grandmother and influences of the Black church for his introduction to style and fashion.  “Being raised in the Black church was the core of my existence. My grandmother was a woman of great faith. She began preparations for church on Saturdays, and church is where I first saw style”, Talley recalls.  His childhood was filled with Sunday morning memories at Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, where his family worshipped. There is where his fascination with fashion was fed: from the church hats and the dress and swing-coat ensembles, to the gloves and pointed-toe stilettos. “The women AND men were stylish. The men were dressed in impeccable white shirts and groomed, polished shoes.  Appointment was everything.”

This attention to appointment and detail helped develop the curatorial eye that has earned Talley the coveted rank as one of the most gifted fashion writers of modern day. But having an eye is only one side of the dimensional genius of Andrè Leon Talley.  Another is creativity, a quality that was recognized in him almost immediately by Wanda Garrett, a young Hillside High School teacher who, in 1964, saw the need for an expressive outlet for her students. Garrett lobbied then principal Mr. John Harding Lucas, and after receiving approval from the superintendent, Garrett inaugurated the school’s first drama class, where Talley’s engaging spirit thrived as a thespian. “Andrè was an excellent student; creative… with his own distant drummer somewhere in the background. You knew Andrè was an individual and that he would do well.  He certainly has not disappointed.”

Attendees of Sunday evening’s (Feb. 17) event will learn how Talley’s life skyrocketed from there, taking him from NCCU to Brown University, from Andy Warhol’s New York Interview Magazine, to Paris under Diana Vreeland’s tutelage at Vogue. Ultimately it would be Talley’s own tenure as Creative Director of Vogue that would catch my attention as a young college student and fashion show organizer at The University of Michigan in 1994. 

I’d always been intrigued by Mr. Talley’s voice and work in the fashion world, particularly as a Black man leading an industry NOT usually marketed by or for women of color.  That juxtaposition interested me; and as images on the pages of fashion magazines began to look more like me, my intrigue grew into admiration.  When I learned that my grandmother taught him in high school, and later that she was being filmed for his documentary, the idea to bring the film screening back to Durham for a celebration and dialogue was born.

I am honored to present Sunday’s event with Andrè Leon Talley, which is a unique opportunity to consider many things during this month of Black History reflection.  For the community, his story is a reminder of the rich heritage and resilience that Durham fosters within its citizens.  For our youth, his life proves that preparation through education can open doors, bust stereotypes and command respect.  For us all, Talley’s spirit reinforces that we too can forge our own paths, and that anything… and maybe everything, is possible.

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“An Evening with Andrè Leon Talley: Movie Screening and Q&A” is presented by The DOME Group LLC.

• Donations of $10.00 in advance for the event should be made through Eventbrite at AndreLeonTalley.Eventbrite.com.
• Cash Donations of $10.00 can be received at the door, but entry is subject to capacity.  
• Proceeds will benefit student programs at Hillside High School and endowments at NCCU.

The event culminates the Hillside Legacy Alumni Weekend where Talley, Garrett, other notable Hillside graduates and civic leaders will be honored. The weekend runs February 15 – 17, 2019. 

The event is an official Durham150 event, celebrating the sesquicentennial anniversary of the city’s incorporation.