The Chiffon Trenches
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- Create Date：2022-01-20 07:52:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：André Leon Talley
- ISBN：0008342342
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Summary
‘Honestly and candidly captures fifty sublime years of fashion’ Manolo Blahnik
Discover what truly happens behind the scenes in the world of high fashion in this detailed， storied memoir from style icon， bestselling author and former Vogue creative director André Leon Talley。
During André Leon Talley’s first magazine job assisting Andy Warhol at Interview， a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship and propelled Talley into the upper echelons by virtue of his shared knowledge and adoration of fashion。 He moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild’s Women’s Wear Daily， befriending fashion’s most important designers。 But as Talley made friends， he also made enemies。 A fraught encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella。 There， he developed an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour， and as she rose to the top of Vogue’s masthead， Talley became the most influential man in fashion。
The Chiffon Trenches is a candid look at the who’s who of the last fifty years of fashion， and proof that fact is always fascinatingly more devilish than fiction。 André Leon Talley’s engaging memoir tells the story of how he not only survived but thrived – despite racism， illicit rumours and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry – to become one of the most legendary voices and faces in fashion。
Discover what truly happens behind the scenes in the world of high fashion in this detailed， storied memoir from style icon， bestselling author and former Vogue creative director André Leon Talley。
During André Leon Talley’s first magazine job assisting Andy Warhol at Interview， a fateful meeting with Karl Lagerfeld began a decades-long friendship and propelled Talley into the upper echelons by virtue of his shared knowledge and adoration of fashion。 He moved to Paris as bureau chief of John Fairchild’s Women’s Wear Daily， befriending fashion’s most important designers。 But as Talley made friends， he also made enemies。 A fraught encounter with a member of the house of Yves Saint Laurent sent him back to New York and into the offices of Vogue under Grace Mirabella。 There， he developed an unlikely but intimate friendship with Anna Wintour， and as she rose to the top of Vogue’s masthead， Talley became the most influential man in fashion。
The Chiffon Trenches is a candid look at the who’s who of the last fifty years of fashion， and proof that fact is always fascinatingly more devilish than fiction。 André Leon Talley’s engaging memoir tells the story of how he not only survived but thrived – despite racism， illicit rumours and all the other challenges of this notoriously cutthroat industry – to become one of the most legendary voices and faces in fashion。
Reviews
Maddie
，
Beautiful writing。 ALT is a wonderful writer and has lived an awe inspiring life。
Gigi
，
Instead of being an insight into how Talley was able to climb up the ranks in the fashion industry， it read more like a bragging list of who he knows， who he's close to， who's praised him， who's gifted him something， etc。 It felt like not a chapter would go by without a detail about what expensive thing was given to him by someone in the industry （whether it be specific items of clothing or plane tickets）。 It came across as very shallow。 When Talley explains that he was to get involved at SCAD （ Instead of being an insight into how Talley was able to climb up the ranks in the fashion industry， it read more like a bragging list of who he knows， who he's close to， who's praised him， who's gifted him something， etc。 It felt like not a chapter would go by without a detail about what expensive thing was given to him by someone in the industry （whether it be specific items of clothing or plane tickets）。 It came across as very shallow。 When Talley explains that he was to get involved at SCAD （Savannah College of Art and Design）， I was hopeful that this meant that he would finally be giving back and educating the next generation， especially young African Americans perhaps。 Unfortunately his involvement in the school was by curating exhibits and giving lifetime achievement awards to his famous fashion friends such as Karl Lagerfeld， who more than likely was not in need of any more awards。 Why not award talented students instead， who haven't yet been able to prove their talents on a global stage？ If he did focus on the students at all while at SCAD， he didn't make that clear in the book and didn't show any charitable interests。 I also kept wondering whether his French degree helped his career， as it meant he was more easily able to communicate with fashion brands in France。 Why not encourage french lessons？ When speaking of the current state of fashion journalism， he admits that with the rise of the internet and social media， that his experience of publishing in magazines is no longer what it used to be。 But he describes it in such a bitter tone， again showcasing that he has little interest in helping the next generation， especially in this evolving way in which people source the news。 Overall I felt disappointed in the angle in which he decided to focus more on the material goods he's been able to collect and all his famous friends instead of a true lesson in what it takes to rise to the top in a difficult industry。 。。。more
Marcea
，
Had the makings of a great autobiography， but it ends up being a sad story with lots of fawning over people who had power。 The story is half told it seems。 He went into his childhood trauma but never mentioned the financial issues he has had that became so well known。 It’s also hard to take that he still helps AW after what happened。
Janet Rogers
，
Wonderful first hand story of one person's journey through High Fashion in 70's through present。 Interesting stories about many of the premiere fashion houses of the time in Paris。 Wonderful first hand story of one person's journey through High Fashion in 70's through present。 Interesting stories about many of the premiere fashion houses of the time in Paris。 。。。more
Kevin
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Mostly just lists of gossip。 I wish Andre Leon Talley had been a little more self-critical or spent more time the how and the why rather than the "what they wore"。。。 but it's a life in fashion so I guess that's what you get。 The gossip， when it's hot， is incredibly readable and I could have stayed all day at the buffet。 Strongly recommend the audiobook。 Both because Talley's voice and cadence are so delightful/unique AND because he often seems so hilariously bored at his own writing。 Mostly just lists of gossip。 I wish Andre Leon Talley had been a little more self-critical or spent more time the how and the why rather than the "what they wore"。。。 but it's a life in fashion so I guess that's what you get。 The gossip， when it's hot， is incredibly readable and I could have stayed all day at the buffet。 Strongly recommend the audiobook。 Both because Talley's voice and cadence are so delightful/unique AND because he often seems so hilariously bored at his own writing。 。。。more
Carson Meloche
，
Andre Leon Talley has been such an Influence in the fashion scene。 This book shows so much into his life and how much he really did
Linda
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entertaining listen about a world I am glad to know nothing about first-hand
Nancy Murphy
，
Anyone interested in fashion knows André Leon Talley--the big， Black， brilliant Vogue editor and spotter， shaper， and wearer of high fashion--including his signature caftans。 In this candid memoir， Talley describes his unlikely rise to the top of the cutthroat fashion world and the roster of powerful， iconic， and beloved friends he made along the the way: Andy Warhol， Anna Wintour， Diana Vreeland， Diane von Férstenberg and Karl Lagerfeld， among many others。 It seemed to be an impossible journey Anyone interested in fashion knows André Leon Talley--the big， Black， brilliant Vogue editor and spotter， shaper， and wearer of high fashion--including his signature caftans。 In this candid memoir， Talley describes his unlikely rise to the top of the cutthroat fashion world and the roster of powerful， iconic， and beloved friends he made along the the way: Andy Warhol， Anna Wintour， Diana Vreeland， Diane von Férstenberg and Karl Lagerfeld， among many others。 It seemed to be an impossible journey for a poor， Black， gay man from the rural south， but Talley's blend of intelligence， ambition， intuition， faith， and discretion made him into a powerful and devoted fashion influencer。 Deeply personal， honest and revealing about the fashion industry， The Chiffon trenches is a great read。 。。。more
haby b-rabbit
，
lovely & inspiring
reneeNaDaBomb
，
Read 9/15/2021。
Clare Russell
，
The tone was a bit frustrating but it was a wonderful glimpse into the world of lagerfeld， vogue and late twentieth century fashion， and an interesting account of racism in the industry
Janice
，
'Happier' podcast recommend。 'Happier' podcast recommend。 。。。more
Bolanle Joseph
，
Same per day
Destiny DeVooght
，
I picked up this book before the fall semester of my senior year got really hard because Andre Leon Talley is a vision of journalistic drive and persistence。 I had no idea of all he has accomplished in his life， or the struggles he endured as a black man in fashion and in journalism。 Of course， I imagined it would have been a difficult and racist environment， as it still is， but as a white person my imagination only stretches so far。 I found this book to be inspiring and enduring， and it gave me I picked up this book before the fall semester of my senior year got really hard because Andre Leon Talley is a vision of journalistic drive and persistence。 I had no idea of all he has accomplished in his life， or the struggles he endured as a black man in fashion and in journalism。 Of course， I imagined it would have been a difficult and racist environment， as it still is， but as a white person my imagination only stretches so far。 I found this book to be inspiring and enduring， and it gave me a lot of strength I didn’t know I needed to finish out my final exams。 This sounds silly， but， to future me who may be reading this back， you are about to go into an industry that is nationally hated， strictly binary and there is no room for error at all。 You’re scared， but Andre Leon Talley did it first and then wrote a book about it to put you back in your place。 It was a fun book。I will say， that the book seems a bit shallow and self absorbed， even as memoirs go。 I won’t pretend that Talley is a reliable narrator， but I think he deserves to tell his story his way。 After all， isn’t that what I paid to read？ I have read other reviews that say he left things out or complained a lot or what have you， and I agree but who am I to say how it should have been written。 That being said， I liked it because of the view into fashion journalism not because he was particularly vulnerable。 It felt like a long burn book at times， and it all read like a letter to a dear friend。 If your friend was an English teacher you wanted desperately to impress。 。。。more
Elena
，
I expected the book to open the world of fashion for me。 It did。 Sorts of。 In a form of superficial name-dropping and gossips as well as an abundance of unnecessary details about some personalities’ appearance。 I wanted to learn such insights from the world of fashion journalism like the ways Vogue is run。 Instead， there are a lot of accusations caused by life’s injustices and personal grievances which are deeply rooted in the soul of André Leon Talley。As a person who has over 15 years of experi I expected the book to open the world of fashion for me。 It did。 Sorts of。 In a form of superficial name-dropping and gossips as well as an abundance of unnecessary details about some personalities’ appearance。 I wanted to learn such insights from the world of fashion journalism like the ways Vogue is run。 Instead， there are a lot of accusations caused by life’s injustices and personal grievances which are deeply rooted in the soul of André Leon Talley。As a person who has over 15 years of experience in media and communications， I am sure that you should always exit in a dignified and graceful manner， whatever you are exiting - a room， a conflict， a workplace， or a professional market。 Meanwhile， this book is opposite to exiting gracefully。 The author should have honored the heights he has reached and proved his influence by providing insider’s insights。 Instead， he just makes me feel sorry for him。 。。。more
Linda Chrisman
，
I really enjoyed his book。 On one hand， it is full of vgossip and stories about nearly everyone well known in society and fashion。 Talley just doesn't drop names， he carpet bombs you with them！What sets this biography apart is the intelligence， love of fashion and sensitivity of his personality。 He is no afraid to tell of the hurt he experienced when people he liked and admired let him down。 He really cared about people who didn't deserve his admiration and respect。 I was never impressed with wh I really enjoyed his book。 On one hand， it is full of vgossip and stories about nearly everyone well known in society and fashion。 Talley just doesn't drop names， he carpet bombs you with them！What sets this biography apart is the intelligence， love of fashion and sensitivity of his personality。 He is no afraid to tell of the hurt he experienced when people he liked and admired let him down。 He really cared about people who didn't deserve his admiration and respect。 I was never impressed with what I had read about Karl Lagerfeld an MD I understand why now。Andre Leon Talley also talked the abuse he suffered as a child and how it affected his while life。 I admire his bravery in discussing the subject。 。。。more
R。J。 Gilmour
，
Talley's memoir is a fun romp behind the scenes of the world of high fashion。 While he drops lots of names they are all part of his meteoric rise to the top of the fashion world and makes for a delightful read。 Talley's memoir is a fun romp behind the scenes of the world of high fashion。 While he drops lots of names they are all part of his meteoric rise to the top of the fashion world and makes for a delightful read。 。。。more
Linza Torte
，
It was entertaining。 Such a cut throat industry， and everybody is clamoring to be on top， be seen with the power houses and have the best seats and tables， for functions。 It is wild that human beings are on top， because they think they've earned it。 No。 You get there with your connections。。。and dumped by the exact same people， when you no longer are in favor。 It was entertaining。 Such a cut throat industry， and everybody is clamoring to be on top， be seen with the power houses and have the best seats and tables， for functions。 It is wild that human beings are on top， because they think they've earned it。 No。 You get there with your connections。。。and dumped by the exact same people， when you no longer are in favor。 。。。more
Mr Gibbo
，
If you want to read about the who's who of fashion， their clothes and scandals， this one's for you。 Seemed like it was written as a memory book read just for those that feature and were involved in the events described within rather than the general biography reading population。 If you want to read about the who's who of fashion， their clothes and scandals， this one's for you。 Seemed like it was written as a memory book read just for those that feature and were involved in the events described within rather than the general biography reading population。 。。。more
Marta Marina
，
I guess I expected this memoir to be written in a way Grace Coddington did hers， filled with behind the scenes， fashion anecdotes and the alluring atmosphere of this unattainable world。 Here we get more of a diary of a social climber and his affluent "friends"。 I guess I expected this memoir to be written in a way Grace Coddington did hers， filled with behind the scenes， fashion anecdotes and the alluring atmosphere of this unattainable world。 Here we get more of a diary of a social climber and his affluent "friends"。 。。。more
Carmen Blakely
，
So much vulnerability。 I hope Andre heals mentality and physically。 One the best books I read in years！
MK Andersen
，
I’m genuinely confused how so many rated this so high， it was interesting in that I don’t know much about the fashion world， but it was just one big gossip book throughout time…。？
Kelly
，
Talley is best when he writes about fashion， as he has - with great genius- his entire life。 The sections in which he talks about clothes， and their role in high society， are as beautiful and evocative as his many essays and columns。 And while there is a fair amount of sycophancy and name dropping， it adds to the flavor of the books and gives the reader some idea of the bitchiness and double-edged “friendship” that is rife in the industry。 The book suffers， though， when Talley devolves into self Talley is best when he writes about fashion， as he has - with great genius- his entire life。 The sections in which he talks about clothes， and their role in high society， are as beautiful and evocative as his many essays and columns。 And while there is a fair amount of sycophancy and name dropping， it adds to the flavor of the books and gives the reader some idea of the bitchiness and double-edged “friendship” that is rife in the industry。 The book suffers， though， when Talley devolves into self-pity and revenge。 The lack of introspection about some of the major failings of his life - botched friendships， lost opportunities， failed projects - is painful， as Talley takes the position that all of this is the fault of others， summing up with a short rant on the BLM movement and the pervasiveness of racism in the fashion industry。It’s a fast read， full of gossip that fails to titillate and petulance that fails to draw sympathy。 Talley is one of the great fashion icons of the 20th century， but his memoir is unworthy of his genius。 。。。more
Katy （whatkatyreadnext）
，
3。5* rounded upI think it's difficult to review someone's life so I've ended up just going for how much I've enjoyed it。 ALT is known for being a fashion powerhouse at Vogue， and a judge on ANTM amongst other things and I did enjoy my trip into The Chiffon Trenches overall。There did seem to be a lot of name-dropping in this book; as someone who is interested in some of the fashion houses/designers this wasn't a problem for me as I thought this would be the main body of the book。 I do feel that 3。5* rounded upI think it's difficult to review someone's life so I've ended up just going for how much I've enjoyed it。 ALT is known for being a fashion powerhouse at Vogue， and a judge on ANTM amongst other things and I did enjoy my trip into The Chiffon Trenches overall。There did seem to be a lot of name-dropping in this book; as someone who is interested in some of the fashion houses/designers this wasn't a problem for me as I thought this would be the main body of the book。 I do feel that it did get a bit repetitive by the end though and people who he had fallen out with （Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour） were still mentioned frequently。 I also felt that at times he seemed resentful of new people coming into the world of fashion。 I was also a bit disappointed that there was no mention whatsoever about his time on ANTM， particularly because I was a big fan！I know this sounds like I didn't enjoy the book， when I did。 I really loved the level of detail in his descriptions about different outfits worn by himself and others as well as him describing his trips to Paris Fashion Week， the Met Gala and Marc Jacobs's wedding。Would I recommend this to everyone？ No， I wouldn't。 But if you enjoy fashion and memoirs then it was an enjoyable read！To note: ALT does discuss his troubled upbringing and his issues with weight/food which may be difficult for some to read。 。。。more
Jasmine
，
Loved it。 Loved him as a character。 I learned so many new references and I Google image searched so many times reading this。 There are some aspects of his world that are shallow but through it all is his deep love of fashion as an art form。 He’s a smart person and his writing is beautiful。 I read it every night before bed and it felt like I was cozying up to an extremely fabulous grandpa so he could tell me incredible stories from the 70s to today with some life lessons on the way。 Literally no Loved it。 Loved him as a character。 I learned so many new references and I Google image searched so many times reading this。 There are some aspects of his world that are shallow but through it all is his deep love of fashion as an art form。 He’s a smart person and his writing is beautiful。 I read it every night before bed and it felt like I was cozying up to an extremely fabulous grandpa so he could tell me incredible stories from the 70s to today with some life lessons on the way。 Literally no one else has a life journey like his and that is so valuable。 Did I like and approve of every character or of André’s every perspective？ Not at all。 But that didn’t stop me from learning from and enjoying the hell out of this wonderful book。 。。。more
Faye
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An interesting read， elegantly written with great details。 Some thoughts I had about this book:- I gave up trying to remember who everyone was after a few chapters because there were so many different people in it。 - I think he likes Diana Vreeland。 Just an inkling - If you are mega rich and/or really creative you can just treat people like shit and you’re just eccentric， and it’s FINE - Rich people love re-gifting their mega expensive gifts to each other
Diane Cogswell
，
I really wanted to like this book。 It does provide some insider info about the fashion industry， which was eye opening。 For an educated man， I found ALT to be an ego maniacal buffoon。 If he was so good at what he does， how come he spent most of his career being Anna Wintour's lackey？ Although she gifted him with numerous titles， he was nothing more than her glorified servant。 And when she was done with him， so went his career。 His friendships came and went or perhaps he chose his friends because I really wanted to like this book。 It does provide some insider info about the fashion industry， which was eye opening。 For an educated man， I found ALT to be an ego maniacal buffoon。 If he was so good at what he does， how come he spent most of his career being Anna Wintour's lackey？ Although she gifted him with numerous titles， he was nothing more than her glorified servant。 And when she was done with him， so went his career。 His friendships came and went or perhaps he chose his friends because of who they were and how they fit into his career。 To think what he could have achieved！ 。。。more
Frankie Torres
，
Entertaining look at the fashion industry from the inside。 A bit fluffy and sentimental， but that is to be expected。 The last chapter was poignant。 Worth getting in audiobook。
Mythili
，
I admire ALT a lot and the book is interesting but I do wish he had a better editor。 It was disjointed at times but could have really sung with the right hand。
Alexander Wilson
，
Biography of a senior writer to Vogue magazine。 From the cover， one can see the author's African American heritage。 He claims that this was a great handicap towards his march to nearly the top of the fashion publishing world。 The book is full of interesting stories about， publishing， parties， and goings on in the fashion world。 An entertaining read， although my prejudice remains against fashion persons and how I feel they massage the truth to fit a favorable narrative for themselves。 Who to trus Biography of a senior writer to Vogue magazine。 From the cover， one can see the author's African American heritage。 He claims that this was a great handicap towards his march to nearly the top of the fashion publishing world。 The book is full of interesting stories about， publishing， parties， and goings on in the fashion world。 An entertaining read， although my prejudice remains against fashion persons and how I feel they massage the truth to fit a favorable narrative for themselves。 Who to trust and believe in this world of its own is anyone's guess。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Chiffon Trenches
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Chiffon Trenches&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Chiffon Trenches&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0