The Metrograph movie theater recently hosted a screening of “The Gospel According to André,” where filmmaker Kate Novack deep-dives into the career and life of fashion journalist, stylist, and creative director André Leon Talley. The screening coincides with the Met’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition, which provides an insightful experience through the history of dandyism.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is based on the book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,” published in 2009 and written by Monica L. Miller, Columbia University’s and Barnard College’s chair of Africana Studies and acclaimed scholar.
Fashion designer Marc Jacobs described Talley as “larger than life.” “I don’t live for fashion; I live for beauty and style,” Talley says in the opening line of the film. As a youth, Talley’s escape from reality was fashion magazines, specifically “Vogue.” “I loved seeing Black people in ‘Vogue,’” says Talley in the film.
French was Talley’s favorite subject and language to learn; he graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French literature. Knowing French came in very handy for him as he found his way into the fashion world. “When you wear a cap, you’re going to behave differently, walk differently, stand differently,” said Talley. He loved the world of Paris, fashion, and the runway. He was also knowledgeable and talented. “You have to see the world from the kaleidoscope lens of a child and be in awe of everything,” said Talley.
Talley’s southern and racist experiences made him unique. “He’s like a Black superhero,” Tameron Hall says in the film.
Brenika Banks photos
Talley’s West African piece, “Caftan,” was made by his friend Patience Torlowei and is still on display in the Met’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” exhibition.
Toward the end of the film, Talley revisits his childhood church and old neighborhood after he “made it.” The film ends with his closest friends speaking about how Talley’s dreams did indeed come true.
Miller, co-curator of the Met’s “Superfine” exhibition, conducted a conversation with fashion model and activist Bethann Hardison after a late-September viewing of the film. From the after-film chat, it was clear that Miller thought Talley would be proud and happy about the representation of Black culture in the “Superfine” exhibition.
Talley’s vulnerability was on full display throughout the film. “Any documentary film, when I think about an iconic figure, is both about setting up a narrative and peeling back that vulnerability,” said Miller. She mentioned how that narrative and vulnerability go together in this film, especially people from Talley’s early life.
Hardison talked about how conservative Talley was, although he loved the fashion world. “There will never be another [André],” she said. “André [was] such a genius human that it’s true: the things he would say, the way he would speak about things and how he would become so sensitive about things. What I loved about him the most is that he knew himself.”
Talley died on January 18, 2022, from complications of a heart attack.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the Met closes on October 26.