André Leon Talley’s Collection Exceeds Expectations at Christie’s

André Leon Talley’s collection exceeded everyone’s expectations at Christie’s auction. Talley died in the age of 74, January 2022. He was a role model for many: he was a first black male creative director at Vogue. Also, he was a fashion icon, journalist, writer… And more. Christie’s organized a live auction in his honour, which contained 66 pieces from his collection.

Talley worked with many distinguished people from the fashion and art world. Those include Andy Warhol, Anna Wintour, and Diana Vreeland. This auction included his furniture, personal art collection, his closet and many more. Overall, his collection fetched $1.1m ($1.3m with fees). His collection also managed to exceed pre-sale expectations, estimated from $702,200 to $1.04 million.

There was an online and offline part of the auction. Live auction included 68 lots, with an estimated value of $445,900. The collection also managed to exceed these estimates, and thus fetched over $1.38 million. Online part of the auction includes 350 lots. This auction part took place yesterday and fetched about $2.16 million.

All money from the auction will go to charity and places where Tally grew up. The money will go to the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, and Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina. The auction house said they are an important part of the fashion icon’s life. Also, both of them were close to Mr. Talley’s heart.

André Leon Talley’s Collection: Most and Least Fetched Prices

During the auction, which took place at Rockefeller Center, the audience and fans were very enthusiastic. There were items for sale that combined Talley’s career and personal lives and emphasized his refined aesthetic. They greeted every lot and piece of the collection with applause. The first lot included Lock & Co’s set of three hats that fetched $4,800 ($6,048 with fees). This was way more than their estimated value of $800.

The top piece was a painting by Warhol depicting Vreeland riding a horse. She is a well-known Vogue editor and a special consultant to the Costume Department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Works name is Diana Vreeland Rampant. It managed to fetch $94,500, instead of the estimated $30,000–$50,000. Louis Vuitton suitcases also exceeded its value.

Once more, Talley’s trio of monogrammed luggage sold for $94,500. A pair of Stephen Sprouse “graffiti” luggage designed specifically for the runway, but rendered inoperable sold for $69,300, well above the $4,000–$5,000 estimate. The least expensive item sold was a lot of ten pairs of gloves, which went for $756.