The collection of André Leon Talley nets nearly $3.6 million at auction

The sale of the collection of the late fashion icon and author André Leon Talley has netted nearly $3.6 million at Christie’s Auction House, according to numbers released Wednesday, which included custom-made Louis Vuitton trunks and art by Andy Warhol.

The live auction, which closed Tuesday, contained 66 total items, including pieces from the Vogue editor’s closet, art collection, and even furniture from his home, and netted about $1.4 million. There were an additional 350 items available in a separate online auction, which ended Thursday, and netted about $2.16 million.

Proceeds from the auctions will benefit the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, and Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, where Talley grew up, “both of which were close to Mr. Talley’s heart,” the auction house said.

The least expensive item sold was a lot of ten pairs of gloves, which went for $756. The most expensive three items, which sold for $94,500 each — included two pieces by the late Andy Warhol, and a set of three personalized pieces of luggage by Louis Vuitton.

Talley’s editorial career spanned nearly 50 years — from 1975 to 2013 — and included stints, among others, at Vanity Fair, W, and Vogue, where he was the first Black male creative director of the magazine. He died in January 2022 at the age of 73, less than two years after the publishing of his controversial memoir, “In the Chiffon Trenches.” 

Rihanna paid homage to Talley in her Super Bowl Halftime Show, sporting a giant red puffer from Alaïa that resembled Talley’s eponymous bright crimson sleeping back coat from Norma Kamali. The coat was a well-known fashion staple for Talley, and sold for over $25,000 in the live auction, vastly exceeding the $500-$800 estimate.

Talley’s Instagram account is still active, and posted on Monday the lyrics to Rihanna’s “Umbrella” — her second-to-last song in her Super Bowl performance — tagging the singer in the photo caption.

“Rihanna’s tribute made me teary,” commented socialite Patricia Altschul, a friend of Talley’s.