André Leon Talley, or A.L.T. as he is sometimes known, is a man whose life has been largely concerned with appearances, of every kind. His modern memoir, The Chiffon Trenches, is a story of someone—and in this he is not unusual in the fashion pantheon—who seems to exist primarily in the reflected glory of others, and in particular of Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour. His raison d’être was bestowed by them. And then removed … For anyone who judges the worth of a memoir by how prepared the writer is to dish on those around them, The Chiffon Trenches will not disappoint … Memoirs come in all shapes and sizes, just like fashion personalities. This one is a bumper edition of grievances about and glimpses into the personal lives of those who encountered the writer … It is, naturally, a mesmerizing read, and one which a reader unfamiliar with this febrile world might well imagine to be fiction … Leon Talley not only traveled far from the world of his upbringing, but his story is hugely influenced by how he feels about what it has meant to be a person of color. Throughout these pages, no matter how glamorous his days and nights, how renowned the milieu, how well paid he might be, the issue of race is as noticeable as the color of his skin … He loves his clothes, cares deeply about the innovative process, and is a brilliant cheerleader for talent. But overriding this is his concern with his and others’ standing and clout.
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