Supermodels in bed and a Valentine from Andy Warhol: Stories behind André Leon Talley auction
When André Leon Talley died in January 2022 at age 73, the eccentric Vogue editor left behind two houses filled with fashion history — not to mention a leather Hermès bike which had been stored at the Paris Ritz.
Now, his horde of treasures — which includes designer caftans by friends such as Diane Von Furstenburg and Tom Ford, Chanel jewelry, correspondence with his BFF Karl Lagerfeld and even a photo of Talley with his frenemy Anna Wintour — will go up for auction at Christie’s next month.
Wintour. who talked of her grief at Talley’s passing, is expected at a glitzy event at the New York City auction house, to launch the sale on February 9, Page Six is told.
Among the items will be Talley’s famed Louis Vuitton trunks. “I came to Paris with 13 unmatched pieces of luggage. By the time I left, I had 34 matched sets,” he once said.
Experts say the sale, which also includes a small personalized Valentine by Andy Warhol, could earn over a million dollars for charity. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, NC, both of which were close to Talley’s heart.
The sale has been overseen by Alexis E. Thomas, executor of Talley’s estate, who was in charge of deciding what would go under the hammer from Talley’s homes in White Plains, NY. and Durham. Thomas met the editor while fundraising to build affordable housing at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the early 2000s.
“Looking at this collection reminds me so much of all the fantastic experiences I had with André — attending Paris fashion week with him, staying at the Ritz, having dinner with Karl Lagerfeld and the Rothschilds … shopping at Louis Vuitton and Chanel. I felt like Cinderella!” she said.
“This was probably André at his best — and, certainly, fashion at its highest.”
Bonnie Brennan, president of Christie’s Americas, said “very spirited bidding” is expected for the 450 lots.
“André really lived with these objects. The White Plains house was packed with books. he really loved these things – and he never wanted to part with anything,” said Brennan.
Added Thomas: “I didn’t have a chance to archive things with André, and it’s sad because he could done the narrative: what it was, how it was acquired. He loved luxury. He lived it!”
The Collection of André Leon Talley will be sold through a live sale at Christie’s New York on February 15 and two online sales ending on February 16 and 17.
Green and white printed caftan by Dianne Von Furstenberg
Auction estimate: $1,500-$2,000
Talley was renowned for his caftans, and there are many up for auction. This green, white and beige-printed number was designed by his close friend Diane von Furstenberg.
“It took a lot of courage to be him,” Diane von Furstenberg, who became friends with Talley in his Interview days, told the New York Times in 2018. “You have to work at being his friend. It is not always easy. Sometimes he doesn’t call for months.”
Bonnie Brennan, president of Christie’s Americas, told Page Six: “For me, the most over-the-top elements of the sale — simply because of the scale and style — are the caftans. André really thought they were his symbol. He loved them.”
Hermès leather bike
Auction estimate: $2,000–$3,000
André Leon Talley kept his gold leather Hermès Le Flâneur bicycle in Paris for many years after he was gifted it in around 1994.
Deidrea Miller, head of communications at Christie’s Americas, told Page Six: “André kept his leather bicycle in storage at the Paris Ritz for years and he only brought it home to America when the hotel was being renovated.
“He was truly one of Paris’ adopted sons.”
Andy Warhol Valentine
Auction estimate: $150,000–$200,000
Talley began his career working for Andy Warhol, at his NYC Factory and then at the artist’s Interview magazine.
Things could get uncomfortable, apparently. In his 2020 memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches.” Talley wrote of Warhol: “From time to time Andy would put his pale white hands on my crotch, and I would just swat him away.”
Christies’ Deidrea Miller told Page Six that Warhol gave Talley this painting, a “very small, almost pocket sized Valentine.”
Illustration of André Leon Talley by Karl Lagerfeld
Auction estimate: $800–$1,200
André Leon Talley had a close friendship with Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and considered him a mentor. They first met in 1975 in Paris. After Lagerfeld died in 2019 , Talley wrote: “Karl and I could speak for hours by telephone; he loved late-night marathons. Often when I lived in Paris, we would ring each other at the end of the day, around 11:00 p.m. And he would always say, “Mr. Talley, how are you?” And I would say, “Mr. Lagerfeld.” Sometimes the conversation ended near 4:00 a.m.”
This up-for-auction illustration of Talley is inscribed: “La Tsarina on her way back to the Winterpalace / Love Karl’ and ‘this is not a page from my diary.'”
Brennan said of the auction, “We have personal notes between André and Karl and a number of postcard notes between the two of them and sketches of André by Karl.”
Chanel Amethyst Geode pendant necklace
Auction estimate: $6,000–$8,000
This oversized cross, set with four amethyst geodes suspended from an oval link chain mounted in gilt metal, is just one of a number of pieces of Chanel jewelry up for auction from Talley’s estate.
“A lot of André’s jewelry is very religious, there are a lot of crosses and Christian symbols,” Brennan told Page Six. “[Talley’s] personality was very much affected by his faith.”
When asked how he dealt with racism, Talley once said: “When people have done racist things, my faith and my Christianity says to me: It is wrong, yet they can be forgiven. They have wronged me, it is wrong what they have done, but they can be forgiven.”
Signed photo of supermodels
Auction estimate: $700–$900
This image was captured by Karl Lagerfeld in between fashion shows honoring the 25th anniversary of Coco Chanel’s death in 1996. It was snapped when the models slipped away for a nap in Talley’s room at the Paris Ritz hotel.
Lagerfeld later inscribed it with “André, can we sleep in your bed / Happy Easter love Karl” framed and sent the work to his friend Talley as a gift.
