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Title: A.L.T: A Memoir by Andre Leon Talley ISBN: 0-375-50828-7 Publisher: Villard Books Pub. Date: 08 April, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful, but mistitled
Comment: This is wonderful book, warmly written and lovingly detailed. That said, I think the tome is mistitled. Rather than a personal memoir, this is more of an ode to two beautiful women--Talley's grandmother and Diana Vreeland. This book is the story of how these two women influenced and shaped Talley's life, but there is little about his personal life outside of this subject. I hope that Talley will write more, another book about his personal experiences about race, relationships and culture. A.L.T. was such a wonderfully written book I would like to read more--please Andre, indulge us!
Rating: 5
Summary: A gentle tribute to two formidable women
Comment: I didn't know much of Andre Leon Talley aside from mentions in the Andy Warhol diaries and his occassional TV appearances providing commentary on celebrity fashions. A stereotypical shallow and superficial TV fashion personality, I thought.
Well this book set me straight. I was expecting a bitchy expose about Talley's career in the fashion world but it turns out there many more layers to the flamboyant Talley than he lets the public see. Lovingly recounting his childhood with his grandmother in North Carolina, Talley salutes the foundations which shaped the core of his personality. One can visualize his grandmother's sheets, feel themselves in Talley's home church and taste the after church dinners just by turning the pages.
After receiving degrees from North Carolina Central State and Brown University, Talley sets off to pursue his destiny in New York. His life and career are forever altered when he meets fashion legend Diana Vreeland. Talley remembers his grandmother and Vreeland with a great deal of love. His writing reveals a real fondness for women which doesn't always seem to be the case with males in the fashion business. So while I didn't get the expose I was expecting particularly about his Warhol days, I did learn that Talley is a man of spiritual and intellectual substance.
I would have liked to read more about his experiences as a Black male in the predominantly White fashion industry but that's only a minor quibble. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 4
Summary: A worthwhile read for any fashion follower
Comment: That luxury and style can be found in many places is the resounding message in this book. While the flow of the writing is occasionally choppy, the content makes reading this book an enjoyable experience. Every time I put this book down, I anxiously looked forward to the next time I could get back to Andre's remarkable story. How an African-American boy in 1950/60s North Carolina evolved from spending his 9-year-old's allowance on Vogue magazine to his critical break after college landing a volunteer position under the direction of Diana Vreeland at the Costume Institute is truly a page-turning read. This is a fast, easy read; suitable for anyone interested in fashion. Makes me want to go out and purchase a pair of buttery-soft Kislav gloves!
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Title: Diana Vreeland by Eleanor Dwight ISBN: 0688167381 Publisher: William Morrow & Company Pub. Date: 22 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $50.00 |
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Title: Always Wear Joy: My Mother Bold and Beautiful by Susan Fales-Hill ISBN: 0060523565 Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Pub. Date: 15 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: D.V. by Diana Vreeland, George Plimpton, Christopher Hemphill, Mary Louise Wilson ISBN: 0306812630 Publisher: Da Capo Press Pub. Date: 06 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Shocking! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli by Dilys Blum, Dilys E. Blum ISBN: 0300100663 Publisher: Yale University Press Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $65.00 |
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Title: Dwellings: Living with Great Style by Stephen Sills/James Huniford ISBN: 0821228463 Publisher: Bulfinch Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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