Leoneda Inge
This is tested from WUNC, a look at how we're responding to the day's challenges in North Carolina and the South. I'm Leoneda Inge
Durham, North Carolina is known for a lot of things. City of Medicine, tobacco warehouses, basketball on both sides of the track. But my home for the past 20 years is also known for big bad André Leon Talley. The famed Vogue magazine editor who was also known in inner circles as the "pharaoh of fabulosity." Tally loved Durham, but he loved Vogue. That world was everything to this Black man, a six-foot-six fabulous fashion force. Here he is on NPR's Fresh Air in 2018.
André Leon Talley (Sound Clip)
The world of Vogue meant more to me than what the women were wearing as models. The issues of Vogue captivated me not only before the images of the fashion spreads, but it was the magazine itself that turned me on to a world that I did not know I had not been exposed to. It was a world of literature, what was happening in the world of art, what was happening in the world of entertainment. It was my gateway to the world outside of Durham, North Carolina.
Leoneda Inge
André Leon Talley, a graduate of Durham's Hillside High School, and North Carolina Central University was honored with the key to the city in 2019. He died last month at the age of 73.
When Talley wasn't in New York, Paris or Milan fighting to diversify the fashion world, he was often right here in his southern hometown, spreading his knowledge of the world. And he always intended to be worldly majoring in French.
Andre Vann
He was always out there to sort of make sure that there were others who were out there going into the fashion world, all the models that you know, here, it was a world that was closed off primarily to the majority of African Americans. And he's sitting there writing and talking and interacting with the people with the power.
Leoneda Inge
Andre Vann is the coordinator of university archives and instructor of public history at North Carolina Central.
Andre Vann
He's saying to them, here's some names of individuals. So what I love about him is the fact that he was able to write all this into this his narrative and into his story. And so therefore, he has to wide his footprint. And then and then just keep it all for himself, but shared it with others.
Leoneda Inge
Talley is on Vann's mind of lot these days.
Andre Vann
You just wonder, what that front porch and what stories that front porch could tell about what he said and most importantly he witnessed there. And I think that then impacts on what I call that purposeful driven life. And what did he do with that life and that great education he received, no less than French, and turn that into a career, French Literature. And then to eventually end up at Vogue. I mean, these are things, one just wonders about the imagination and what he must have conjured up to believe that he could go beyond this rural tobacco town.
But taking one's talent to that fashion world, to a space that was so rarefied, so limited for especially for an American man to be in that space. But then an American man who who are gay, who had a level of expertise that others did not have, but also had a southern flair and flavor that he didn't mind expressing and sharing. And I think that uniqueness is what sort of drew me. So I think it's very much the idea that you know, we think of the great André Leon Talley as this great iconic and international figure, right. But you have to also understand, you have to take all of André Leon Talley, all that came along with them. And that to me is a rare essence you know, just like as they say, like an onion you know, you peel back one layer, you find another layer, and how does someone get to where they are? And for me, I believe, based on all that I read, all that I knew about him, all that I had followed about his life is that home, Durham, this sense of place that he ran away from became a place of refuge for him when he needs to sort of. calm down and come here to visit.
Leoneda Inge
You know, we say he was from Durham and and how he attended historically Black schools, but I guess for people who are listening from other places do they know we're not, we're not talking about, there is a Durham in Great Britain. But so now we're talking about, you know, the American South, and it had its own challenges.
Andre Vann
And a south that may not, at that time, sort of have been prepared or ready to receive or even to have an African American, especially American male, in in such a powerful role and place. He always had a sense of style and sense of place, even as he walked down the hallways at Hillside High School, and junior high before that, and so so you can say that sense of self like a snowball just kind of picked up as he kind of grew and moved along. And so those teachers have an impact on him. No doubt the South and Durham impacted him and how he saw things, but also examples of something to do differently. And I think that's the other end of that spectrum that doesn't sort of get talked about the impact of that on his life.
Leoneda Inge
Andre Vann is the coordinator of university archives and instructor of public history at North Carolina Central University.
André Leon Talley (Sound Clip)
Well from an early age, I discovered fashion through the pages of Vogue. I went to the public library in Durham, North Carolina and I was about 10-years-old or maybe nine, and I discovered this magazine called Vogue. And in those days, it came out on the first and the 15 of every month. And the editor was Diana Vreeland. And this was my escape world. I grew up in my grandmother’s home in Durham, North Carolina, a modest home. She was a maid at Duke University. It was just my grandmother and myself. She was an extraordinary woman, she was a frugal woman. She watched her budget, she had a bank account. We had a wonderful life because I didn’t know anything but love, unconditional love.
Leoneda Inge
It takes a lot of love and confidence to produce something as bodacious and extra as an André Leon Talley. There was a good chance when he showed up at fashion shows and premieres around the world all eyes were on him and his one-of-a-kind wardrobe. The capes the caftans, the colors.!
Talley reminds me of this fabulous African American woman I met who grew up down the street from Durham in Chapel Hill. Turns out Mechi Holt is a fabulous stylist in her own right. She's the CEO and founder of Heiress House. Heiress, that's what she's called by clients, remembers designing her first outfit.
Mechi Holt
So I took my 15-year-old self to my room, sat down on the floor and actually cut out a top and bottom silk pantsuit. Now mind you, this is the 80s, around 83, 84, somewhere around in there. You know we’re still in that punk rock phase. So I sit and I make this outfit and I wear it to school the next day. And I was just so embarrassed! But everybody stopped me and asked, where did you get that outfit from. I love it, I love it! I’m like, I made it, kinda like with my head down. They were like, you made that! I was like yes. Can you make me one! I was like No! (laugh)
Leoneda Inge
Today, Heiress is what’s called a “wardrobe visionary” and fashion stylist. She has clothed TV reality stars, celebrities for the Grammys and other red carpet events.
Leoneda Inge
You sound like André Leon Talley. Those are the types of things I hear he did as a youngster, I mean, to the point where you know, he had this cape he would try to wear to church and all sorts of things. Oh my goodness, Heiress. I think you got it, honestly.
Mechi Holt
Well, thank you so much. And that's such a compliment, even just to be entitled with André Leon Talley. He's such an amazing force that cannot be reckoned with. I just have to put that out there, first and foremost, um, he's someone that I just truly admired so much, as far as the fashion industry. And you're right, he did wear a cape, and he did wear it to church and his mom actually was like, You're not going into church with me wearing that. And he's like, Okay, well, you go ahead, go down that aisle and I'm just gonna sit back here, but he kept that cape on later on not even knowing that that was going to be a huge fashion forward statement piece. He knew before it was even popular.
Leoneda Inge
He was a diva who put the D in Diva. He put the Q in Queen and I remember the last last time that I saw him in Raleigh, and I think I was trying to take a picture of him, he said, Oh, no, no, no, he blocked his face, he's like, you don't have permission to take a picture. I mean, he was there. But in a way, we kind of love that extra, didn't we? We love that extra. And in many ways, I think people have emulated him in that because it's like, if you don't stand your ground and let people know who you are, maybe they won't respect you, especially as a Black designer, where there's so few that have made it big, big, big. And then in his career, he was all about, you know, pushing designers of color pushing models of color, just making sure that presence was there. So maybe I give you permission to be extra, Heiress.
Mechi Holt
Well, it's so funny, because you would think that I am very extra. But you're absolutely right, André was to that extent, but I think I can understand why kind of he would put the hand up. Because I learned very early that nothing that you do should be for free. And it's so funny, because everyone wants your gift until they have to actually pay for it. And I learned that very early on in my career. And I think he got to the point where if you want a picture of me, I'm going to have to get a check for that. You know, and I get that I honestly do. Because you work in this industry, you work so extremely hard, super long hours away from your family. It entails a lot. And as a as a designer, as an artist, you just want to be respected for that craft. And unfortunately, a downside does come with that.
Leoneda Inge
So with all your knowledge growing up at the Triangle, you definitely knew who André Leon Talley was growing up. I mean, do you see yourself as a mentor for young girls and guys out there who, who want to be a designer?
Mechi Holt
I do mentor young ladies on how to get their businesses started. I actually take them to actual vendors, I don't give them a vendor list, which is extremely popular right now. I don't do that, I take them to the actual vendors. So they can build that one-on-one relationship with that vendor. Because it's extremely hard as a Black woman to try to build those business connects. So I don't try to do things by phone if we can. I like to take them and let them meet them in person because sometimes that person-to-person presence says a great deal more than a phone call. So I love it though, I love to mentor and I love to see these young ladies just blossom and just become these badass entrepreneurs. And it's so it's such the perfect time right now because women bosses are taking over. I don't care what industry it is. It could be clothing, marketing, law, you name it. We are killing it, like take your pick
Leoneda Inge
Mechi Holt is the CEO and founder of Heiress house based in the Triangle
That's it for this episode of Tested. Charlie Shelton-Ormond is the producer Dave DeWitt, the editor. I'm Leoneda Inge. Thanks for listening.
