The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir
- Downloads：3717
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-04 11:31:10
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：André Leon Talley
- ISBN：059312927X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Amy
，
Interesting read （I knew the name but not his career）。 Bit too much name-dropping and a bit of cattiness， but worth the time。
peppersocks
，
Reflections and lessons learned:“Get up everyday and just keep going。。。”Any waiting room ever that I’m in: “Ooo， a copy of Vogue！！！ Gimme！”。 Despite spending a large chunk of teen/twenties social time loving and buying clothes， shopping and having subscriptions to various magazines， I’ve not had a subscription to Vogue as it was a luxury and always felt like a world away from being a West Midlands girl cooing at patterns and design at Birmingham rag market。 It could have been seen as the same by Reflections and lessons learned:“Get up everyday and just keep going。。。”Any waiting room ever that I’m in: “Ooo， a copy of Vogue！！！ Gimme！”。 Despite spending a large chunk of teen/twenties social time loving and buying clothes， shopping and having subscriptions to various magazines， I’ve not had a subscription to Vogue as it was a luxury and always felt like a world away from being a West Midlands girl cooing at patterns and design at Birmingham rag market。 It could have been seen as the same by Talley， but he didn’t see any hurdles that were going to get in his way， despite acknowledging the societal odds that were stacked against him。 Sharing his love for Jackie O style， it was his drive and interest in being a part of it that got him to the top level。 A difficult read in parts for the abuse and resulting confusion in romance， and the eating habit for comfort and a connection to the past， but these are littered between fabulous anecdotes of Warhol， Lagerfeld， Winter。 His adult life has essentially revolved around parties， photography and clothes， and the friendships and relations surrounding these - what’s not to admire？ “Is my luggage ok I asked him- your car is totalled he said - the car is a rental， my luggage is Louis Vuitton！” 。。。more
Tamerra
，
Oof。 I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about the fashion industry from the perspective of one of the few high-powered black figures in it。 When I read the introduction， which was basically an ode to Beyoncé’s 2018 Vogue cover， I was excited by the unapologetically black stance André Leon Talley appeared to be taking， and assumed the rest of his memoir would be written through the same lens。Unfortunately， what followed was 260-something pages of ALT still trying to convince us Oof。 I picked this book up because I wanted to learn more about the fashion industry from the perspective of one of the few high-powered black figures in it。 When I read the introduction， which was basically an ode to Beyoncé’s 2018 Vogue cover， I was excited by the unapologetically black stance André Leon Talley appeared to be taking， and assumed the rest of his memoir would be written through the same lens。Unfortunately， what followed was 260-something pages of ALT still trying to convince us — and really， I should say “them，” because I do not think I was his intended reader as a black woman — that he was worthy and deserving of all that he accomplished throughout his career， rather than reflecting on how it all actually affected him。 I appreciated his reflection on the way his life and eventually career were affected by periods of grief。 But I was shook by his capacity to continually show up with politeness and reverence for people who， yes， supported him at times， but also treated him so poorly， like Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld。 He didn’t hesitate to shade them in the book， but what was missing， for me， was a deeper introspection of these dynamics， ideally through the lens of his racial and sexual identity。 It just did not feel authentic to me。 （Or maybe this is his authentic self， still desperately vying for the approval of these white fashion gatekeepers。 In which case， it was simply hard to read。）Lastly， in one of the last chapters where he goes on a trip to Nigeria with Naomi Campbell， he refers to the airport in Lagos as， I kid you not， “primitive。” So there’s that， too 🙃 。。。more
Andrea Barcia
，
Me ha encantado la sinceridad de André， y toda la explicación que hace de su vida。 Me ha parecido una biografía perfectamente estructurada， y sin ninguna cosa que quitaría。 Un 10 la verdad。
Christine Hopkins
，
4。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this though I wish he'd spent more time speaking about himself than the people around him。 4。5 stars。 I really enjoyed this though I wish he'd spent more time speaking about himself than the people around him。 。。。more
Gus Pattinson
，
Everything I needed。 Entertaining and reassuring。 Talley's writing is like a warm nostalgic hug about the dream of Fashion so few of us can only imagine。 Everything I needed。 Entertaining and reassuring。 Talley's writing is like a warm nostalgic hug about the dream of Fashion so few of us can only imagine。 。。。more
KarnagesMistress
，
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways。
Tessa White
，
There was some interest in confirmation of perceived personality traits by an insider of influential fashion industry names I have always admired but I was looking for a more personal story rather than a whole host of either bitching about others or blowing smoke up others both of which felt very entitled and both unnecessary and of no value to the reader。 IMHOI adore ALT and still do。 I just didn’t think the book was as good as it couldn’t have been
Sonia
，
The book is superficial and wonderfully pretentious。 The description of the events back in the heyday of fashion were wonderful。 I enjoyed it all。 You have to temper your expectations concerning Leon Tally; once you do， you will enjoy his account of his life。
Natalie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I enjoyed the insider’s point of view of the fashion world in its heyday。 I appreciate Mr。 Talley’s raw honesty about his struggles with his weight and his feelings about his mother。 Sometimes， I thought， it just seemed that he has felt unappreciated and I hate that his talent has not always been seen :（ He came so far！ Recommended read if you are into fashion at all！
Liz
，
Felt like listening to an extended gossipy chat， in both a good and a bad way？ But I always enjoy a glimpse into how the other half live。
Pradeep Syamala
，
As somebody else said， "Shallow" is the only word I would like to describe this book。 I have a very high opinion of Andre during his time at Vogue and Americas Next Top model。 He definitely is the treasure house of knowledge in the fashion world， and I also learned a lot about various designers and their muses from this book。 But many times， it felt like the pity party for himself and an excuse for name-dropping。 The writing is not coherent， especially when he tries desperately to mention everyb As somebody else said， "Shallow" is the only word I would like to describe this book。 I have a very high opinion of Andre during his time at Vogue and Americas Next Top model。 He definitely is the treasure house of knowledge in the fashion world， and I also learned a lot about various designers and their muses from this book。 But many times， it felt like the pity party for himself and an excuse for name-dropping。 The writing is not coherent， especially when he tries desperately to mention everybody he knows in the fashion world。 For the love of God， I cannot fathom why he still goes to Anna's fittings if he loathe her that much。 Also， there are places where he is factually wrong。 Him mentioning Liza Koshy， his replacement at the Met Gala， as an "African-American Women" is one of the biggest gaffes I have come across recently （she is of Indian origin）。 Especially， in a book which discusses racial injustices he encountered， this is unacceptable。 Nobody expects him to be the sole crusader for Black people in the fashion world。 He himself mentions in the beginning of the book that he couldn't do much due to his own struggle in the industry to survive。 But then， on other parts of the books， he goes on and on glorifying each of his minute activity as the next Civil Rights movement。All in all， I am deeply disappointed。 This book had immense potential， as Andre is one of the treasure troves of the fashion world still alive。 But it seems to be written in a haste for quick buck。 Finally， for someone who was in the writing and editing business for decades， I found the style too simple and non-elegant。 。。。more
Susen
，
Wonderful！
Marjorie
，
I enjoyed this book。 In fact I found it a page turner。 Andre would be the first to say he led a wonderful life in a world very different from which he was born。 Few even glimpse this world。 I was amazed at some of the stories he told。 Stories about the travel， the clothes purchased on a regular basis， the homes of the "rich and famous"。 The book reads much like life。 The life of any living thing， a tree for example， a resilient sapling， then the strong oak and on to the broken bent husk。 Andre g I enjoyed this book。 In fact I found it a page turner。 Andre would be the first to say he led a wonderful life in a world very different from which he was born。 Few even glimpse this world。 I was amazed at some of the stories he told。 Stories about the travel， the clothes purchased on a regular basis， the homes of the "rich and famous"。 The book reads much like life。 The life of any living thing， a tree for example， a resilient sapling， then the strong oak and on to the broken bent husk。 Andre gave a wonderful example at the beginning of his story， the craft sailing forth， now the broken galleon slowly making harbour。 Andre is disappointed with the way he was treated by Vogue Magazine and how others have been treated。 I doubt it would comfort him to know that in the entire world the workers are just numbers and there are more where we/they came from。 It is a well written book which is not surprising because he wrote what he saw and knew and doing it well。 And he is smart and educated。 I liked the journey。 。。。more
Ampersand Inc。
，
I would love to spend some time with this man and just listen to his stories about his life and the remarkable career he had in fashion。 He is so eloquent in his descriptions of fashion and the people in the industry and so elegant in his style of dress。 From humble beginnings in Durham， North Carolina， Andre earned a masters degree in French literature and was preparing to attain a PhD when an invitation to visit New York City with friends came his way and his life changed forever。 He soon skyr I would love to spend some time with this man and just listen to his stories about his life and the remarkable career he had in fashion。 He is so eloquent in his descriptions of fashion and the people in the industry and so elegant in his style of dress。 From humble beginnings in Durham， North Carolina， Andre earned a masters degree in French literature and was preparing to attain a PhD when an invitation to visit New York City with friends came his way and his life changed forever。 He soon skyrocketed to fame in the fashion world。 He was mentored by Diana Vreeland and worked at Vogue under Anna Wintour’s leadership for decades。 Andre was best friends with Oscar de la Renta， Lee Radziwell and Karl Lagerfeld – just to name a few - can you imagine！ The book includes a photo insert。 A really enjoyable read。 。。。more
Lauren
，
A poetic sashay through the annals of modern fashion history 。。。 Andre has seen so much！ It’s almost hard to tell how much is real， it seems impossible， but I’ll believe it。 I loved how he mentioned the clothes that he and others wore。 To remember that level of detail！ It was not all dresses and gilt。 He shares the struggles， too: weight， family， deaths， belonging。 It does not sound like an easy world to be in。 I also learned a ton about the foundations for the modern high fashion world， before A poetic sashay through the annals of modern fashion history 。。。 Andre has seen so much！ It’s almost hard to tell how much is real， it seems impossible， but I’ll believe it。 I loved how he mentioned the clothes that he and others wore。 To remember that level of detail！ It was not all dresses and gilt。 He shares the struggles， too: weight， family， deaths， belonging。 It does not sound like an easy world to be in。 I also learned a ton about the foundations for the modern high fashion world， before designer logos were everywhere。 Even things like that names of sheets， or how different Houses were called in for things like embroidery。 Very cool。 If anything I now want to move on to some of the Rizzoli books with all the images of the clothes！ 。。。more
Nicole S
，
Andre is a pioneer in his field。 Well written and engaging memoir。 Great ending chapter。 Andre has a unique story to tell。
Mariana Pérez-Maldonado
，
3。5: Pu👏ro👏 Chis👏me👏
Dianne Landry
，
If you want a gossipy little book by a prissy little （okay not so little） social climber， this is it。
Cherie In the Dooryard
，
A lot of reviewers complain that this book is shallow and look， I did have to keep my phone nearby so I could look up all the names that Talley drops regularly。 He wants you to know that he knows every model， socialite， and "muse" that has been even peripherally involved in fashion over the last 4 decades。 He often sounds like Tahani from The Good Place， dropping little "my good friend。。。" in like seasoning everywhere。 But Talley is shallow like drag is often shallow: using flash and drama to co A lot of reviewers complain that this book is shallow and look， I did have to keep my phone nearby so I could look up all the names that Talley drops regularly。 He wants you to know that he knows every model， socialite， and "muse" that has been even peripherally involved in fashion over the last 4 decades。 He often sounds like Tahani from The Good Place， dropping little "my good friend。。。" in like seasoning everywhere。 But Talley is shallow like drag is often shallow: using flash and drama to cover up just an unbelievable amount of pain and trauma that he refuses to deal with。 And he knows he's refusing to deal with it。 He's an unreliable narrator who knows he's unreliable。 The tales themselves are interesting， but what's even more interesting is watching him spin them。Also: forget Anna Wintour。 Karl Lagerfeld is the monster in this story。 。。。more
Elli
，
It provides an interesting perspective of the fashion industry， which appears quite frivolous and sometimes lame。 Given his education， cultivation， and wide and deep knowledge of fashion， I would expect him to write in a deeper and more insightful way。 Sometimes it reads like a magazine and not like a book。 But it is still frank and sensitive。
Erin Horrigan
，
While I enjoyed learning about the history of fashion and the impact of these major Houses， I feel like this autobiography was missing something。 Andre glides over what is actually going on inside his head and instead delivers facts about what happened。 I can Google what happened - I wanted his insights， his experiences as a black， overweight man in this field。 I wanted this to be deeper， but he never let the reader in further than surface level。Also， what Andre does with his time and money is u While I enjoyed learning about the history of fashion and the impact of these major Houses， I feel like this autobiography was missing something。 Andre glides over what is actually going on inside his head and instead delivers facts about what happened。 I can Google what happened - I wanted his insights， his experiences as a black， overweight man in this field。 I wanted this to be deeper， but he never let the reader in further than surface level。Also， what Andre does with his time and money is up to him， but I found it sad that he doesn't seem to use his status to elevate other POC trying to break into the industry。 He's proud of his accomplishments as a black man - and bravo for him - but it sounds like he could be using his status to platform others。。。That said， this was an interesting and quick read。 。。。more
Emma
，
3。75 stars I think？ Super fascinating but started to feel a little long toward the end。
Jess Kubis
，
Very entertaining， but also rambling， repetitive， and all over the place at times。 Fascinating insight into Vogue and fashion， which I really enjoyed， but the stories of old rich folks and their grandiose wealth get to be a bit excessive， even with the eccentricities。
Mariah
，
This is a fairly straightforward conveyance of Andre Leon Talley's experiences in the fashion world。 Raised by his grandmother in near poverty during the Jim Crow era， it's truly impressive that Talley was able to reach the level of notoriety he has。 He really is the blueprint for a lot of fashion analysis， critique and trends。 It was really interesting to get this inside look at how one person can affect a whole industry。 That being said while I liked the book well enough it was not overall esp This is a fairly straightforward conveyance of Andre Leon Talley's experiences in the fashion world。 Raised by his grandmother in near poverty during the Jim Crow era， it's truly impressive that Talley was able to reach the level of notoriety he has。 He really is the blueprint for a lot of fashion analysis， critique and trends。 It was really interesting to get this inside look at how one person can affect a whole industry。 That being said while I liked the book well enough it was not overall especially enjoyable。 It was very heavy on specificity。 On the one hand this was good because I was getting the full breadth of a situation。 On the other hand， outside of a choice handful I found it difficult to keep track of all the people or events referenced。 I listened to the audiobook and would follow along with the physical copy as well to try to keep track。 Eventually I had to just let it all wash over me and figure out who was being talked about using context clues instead。 Also be prepared to have a lot of nasty behavior hand waved away because of antiquated standards of etiquette in the community and the toxic idea that genius justifies misconduct。 It’s arguably not anything serious， however， there is a near endless parade of people doing casually crummy things。 "That's just the way they are！ It's not personal。 They're really very sweet underneath all the blatant misuse of power" was an underlying theme throughout。While Talley does not exactly condone it he is not particularly admonishing either。 I understand that these were his friends and this was the culture at the time， but it did make me rather disappointed in him as a person regardless。 Admittedly， what I know of Andre Leon Talley is learned from America’s Next Top Model so it’s not like I knew a lot about him or cared all that much anyways。 It still was rather off-putting to read about someone I thought was pretty cool only to discover some not so nice parts of their personality。 I would have felt a lot differently if there was more denunciation rather than fond reminiscence。 I thought this book was fine。 I know for a fact I would have gotten more out of it if I were actually into clothing。 Despite that I’m glad I read it。 Andre Leon Talley has lived a fascinating life and for that alone I’d recommend checking this out。 。。。more
Kathy
，
Not the kind of book I’d normally read， but it was interesting。
Allya Mormont
，
Raw， emotional and insightful about the fashion industry。 Talley introduces us to the golden age of fashion we could never imagine; an elite fashionable crowd of sycophants who competitively fight and sabotage their way to the top。 When we think of this golden age， our mind reveres Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel， Yves Saint Laurent， Oscar de La Renta and so on。 However， we think less of their personal lives and the benefactors of their artistic success。 And that was what I wanted to get out of Talley Raw， emotional and insightful about the fashion industry。 Talley introduces us to the golden age of fashion we could never imagine; an elite fashionable crowd of sycophants who competitively fight and sabotage their way to the top。 When we think of this golden age， our mind reveres Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel， Yves Saint Laurent， Oscar de La Renta and so on。 However， we think less of their personal lives and the benefactors of their artistic success。 And that was what I wanted to get out of Talley's book which I was very pleased to find that I did get everything I wanted from it。 It was interesting for me to see how these people with all the power and influence in the world still claw at each other due to their own insecurity about their position。 They know that their superficial upper class title is not permanent and rather than accept that maybe this type of instability is not worth it， they engage in a rough tug of war to maintain their status。 Talley sanctimoniously describes this using the metaphor of a French royal court; he doesn't mention how this type of atmosphere has really impacted his own downfall from grace。 CW: SPOILERS （sexual abuse， eating disorder） I left the book feeling an immense sadness for Talley。 From his sexual abuse at a young age， his toxic relationship with his mother， the deaths of his grandmother and surrogate mother， Diana Vreeland， his obesity and subsequently， his irrevocable friendship with Karl Lagerfeld。 Like any underprivileged person， we envision a life of luxury as the solution to all our problems。 Talley grew up in the segregated South in North Carolina where there was （and still is） such a huge wealth gap between people of colour and white people。 There were very few opportunities for his black family in the South， thus， why he was raised by his grandmother in the first place because his parents were up North looking for work and sending money back home。 This rendered Talley to escape to the opulence and glamour of fashion magazines where he would then develop an obsession with the upper class， specifically Jackie Kennedy Onassis。 And it is this obsession which allowed him to attract a life where he was surrounded by the people he surveyed in the magazines。 However， this was bittersweet because in hindsight， he name drops and calls these very influential people his friends yet none of them are here for him during his current legal battle and his bankruptcy。 Even when he describes his friendship with these people such as Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld， it was evident to me that there wasn't really a friendship。 Kaiser Karl and Dame Anna don't respect Talley。 Talley even describes how he couldn't criticise Karl or even for a small get together at Lagerfeld's house， he was insecure about what to wear around him in fear that he would be ostracised from the group。 That's not friendship。 It's clear to me that Talley prizes these friendships because of these people's statuses （hence， the incessant name dropping in the pages） rather than the content of their character。 He prioritises the proximity of importance and influence which is why he is where he is right now， sadly。 These friendships are all business， and where Talley misunderstood that， is where he went wrong。 Talley's story is a cautionary tale for most and possibly， one of my biggest fears。 People only like you for what you have， and not who you are。 All in all， it is a well-written book and is super informative。 Talley knows how to educate and entertain you about a world as fascinating as fashion。 Although I do feel that he does drone on about things that I particularly didn't find interesting （like Marc Jacobs' wedding， it just felt like this was included to name drop and not actually give any sort of information）， the book really put into perspective the type of culture that is rampant in fashion。 4。5/5 。。。more
Tammy T
，
I feel like Andre says more with what he doesn't say。 I feel like this book is a graceful recounting of his years in as he says， The Chiffon Trenches。 I was saddened that he recounts that he never found love。 But he seems to find fulfillment in his times in fashion。 I feel like fashion is so fickle， and I hope he truly feels like it's been all he says it was。 And after reading I still don't understand the hold of Anna Wintour and I'm ready to see her reign end。 I'm very happy to see his recounti I feel like Andre says more with what he doesn't say。 I feel like this book is a graceful recounting of his years in as he says， The Chiffon Trenches。 I was saddened that he recounts that he never found love。 But he seems to find fulfillment in his times in fashion。 I feel like fashion is so fickle， and I hope he truly feels like it's been all he says it was。 And after reading I still don't understand the hold of Anna Wintour and I'm ready to see her reign end。 I'm very happy to see his recounting of what he did for fashion and the many contributions he has made。 。。。more
Michieb
，
A fascinating and honest journey behind the scenes of the most fashionable。 #talleylove
Elise
，