The André Leon Talley Estate Auction Goes Beyond the Clothes

The items routinely capture the uniquely large and expansive life Talley lived and how often it intersected with fellow renowned creatives. A personalized artwork by Andy Warhol, gifted to Talley in 1984, is expected to fetch over $150,000. (Talley worked at Warhol’s Factory and Interview magazine during the ’80s.) There are the straw boater hats immortalized in the Colin Douglas Gray portraits taken for his second autobiography, The Chiffon Trenches; a Norma Kamali sleeping-bag coat, which Talley wore in a 2021 Ugg campaign; the Chanel silk faille tiered cape he wore to the 2007 Met Gala. The grandeur and distinction of the pieces seemed to rise in accordance with Talley’s own, both within fashion and beyond. 

“This was really André Leon Talley’s legacy and something he always intended to share,” Brennan says. “He always said that to his friends, that he was acquiring these things to create a legacy.” The auction is not narrowly focused on big-ticket items, though. There are more personal and sentiment-filled items that will be available. For example, a pair of L.L.Bean totes embroidered with Talley’s initials and the Vogue logo represent a staple among the magazine’s editors. 

“The things that are more modest in value are equally representative and telling about who André was as some of the more valuable things that are in the live auction,” Brennan says. “We want to make sure we honor the full legacy of André Leon Talley with our buyer base.” 

Proceeds will go toward the Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and the Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, both Black-majority churches. Talley, who frequently extolled the community-minded virtues of Black churches, attended both throughout his life. 

And what edicts might the great ALT give to future owners of these pieces? “I think he really saw himself as a custodian and a curator,” says Deidrea Miller, head of communications at Christie’s Americas. “So if I were to envision what he might say, it would be to make sure whoever bought these had great respect and care for these objects and fashion as true art.” 

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. A global tour will begin this month, debuting in Palm Beach (January 18 to 31) and continuing in Paris (January 23 to 26).