The treasures of André Leon Talley go up for auction: kaftans, photographs of Lagerfeld or Helmut Newton and personalized luxury suitcases

When you think of André Leon Talley, you're likely to imagine him clad in one of his voluminous coats.

After the death of the one who was the creative director of the American edition of

and one of the most influential African-Americans in the fashion industry, on January 18, 2022, these garments will now pass into the hands of a new owner.

On February 15, Christie's auction house in New York will put up for sale more than 60 lots with personal objects belonging to the one who was the right hand of Anna Wintour, powerful editor of the publication where Leon Talley worked, among other things, as creative director.

The selection of objects confirms that, in addition to being passionate about fashion, he also placed great value on art and owned pieces that also reflect ties of friendship, such as a portrait of Karl Lagerfeld by photographer Helmut Newton —which is going up for auction with an estimated price of between 1,800 and 2,800 euros—or another by Wintour, the work of Annie Leibovitz.

It also highlights a snapshot taken by Lagerfeld and signed by the German creator — “Happy Easter.

Love, Karl,” reads the dedication—in which models Kate Moss, Shalom Harlow, and Naomi Campbell pose on a bed.

The piece with the highest estimated sale price – between €18,000 and €28,000 – is a work by Andy Warhol titled

, in which Wintour's precursor can be seen in

on the back of a horse.

More information

André Leon Talley: «I prefer the good, but fashion can be very cruel»

A caftan and a kimono designed by Tom Ford are some of the garments that make up the selection of objects by Leon Talley.

SARAH MEYSSONNIER (REUTERS)

Another large part of the lots that go up for auction is made up of clothing and other pieces such as 29 sets of Louis Vuitton suitcases personalized with the initials of André Leon Talley.

Among the pieces for sale, there are also Manolo Blahnik slippers in snakeskin trimmed with satin ribbon, two Birkin bags or an Hermès bicycle that he never used.

With these accessories he toured the world on first-class trips, as reflected in his memoirs

(Superfluous editorial).

He also paraded through endless red carpets dressed in kaftans and coats, some of them also available for purchase by fashion lovers like him.

Among them, a bullfighter jacket by designer Jean Paul Gaultier and several coats from brands such as Chanel and Tom Ford stand out.

And it is that, as Leon Talley explained in an interview with

, for him dressing in a striking way was a way to hide his insecurities.

The money raised - which, as published by

may exceed $1 million—will be donated to two churches historically associated with the African-American community and also with Talley: Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina, the site of the He grew up with his grandmother.

In addition, some of the most relevant objects in the show were exhibited at the Paris haute couture shows held at the end of January, where they were greeted with champagne.

A tribute that Leon Talley would have loved to live, according to his close friend Alexis Thomas.

“André loved fashion and he loved luxury.

That was how he chose to live his life, and he did it beautifully, and this collection reflects that.

But our hope is that it also reflects a holistic sense of who André was as an activist, friend and man of faith."

One of the Louis Vuitton suitcases belonging to Leon Talley.

The estimated price at the auction is between 3,700 and 5,500 euros.

SARAH MEYSSONNIER (REUTERS)

Leon Talley died of a heart attack at the age of 73, having become one of the most influential African-Americans in the fashion industry.

In fact, he was the first to hold a relevant place in a sector that, according to him stated in the aforementioned interview, can "be very cruel."

Born in Washington DC, in the bosom of a lower-class family, he had to fight against the classism and racism that prevailed in fashion in the seventies and eighties of the last century to gain a foothold in it.

It was in 1988 when he achieved world fame by becoming the creative director of the American edition of

by Anna Wintour.

A position from which he was removed in 2018 for being "older and uncomfortable", as he himself said in his book.

It was not the only time Leon Talley saw how the relationship with his trusted people was lost.

His great friend Lagerfeld stopped picking up the phone when the designer reached the pinnacle of his career at Chanel.