If you’re looking for an unbiased movie review, you’ve come to the wrong place. I have no shame or regrets in saying I LOVED The Gospel According to André. It was an enlightening and entertaining look into one of fashion’s most influential minds.
It was a privilege to experience the character that was André Leon Talley so candidly and learn about his life’s work. I’m thankful this film was created to document his legacy especially since his passing was only in January of this year.
Is The Gospel According to André Good?
Yes!! Here’s why:
- André is hilarious: I laughed out loud multiple times during this movie. I don’t think I’ve ever done that while watching a documentary. André is so funny that he’s worthy of being my first documentary lol (in the literal sense). It was so much fun to see him in his element whether that be with his childhood friends or in the ”chiffon trenches”. He brought an understanding and reverence for fashion to every scene. Pair that with his quick sense of humor and I was dying!
- Valuable History Lesson: It’s important that we learn the stories of influential people of color in all fields. Their hard work and influence has a legacy that carries further their own lifespan. André had a hand in mentoring and uplifting many of today’s top fashion designers to the mainstream (e.g. LaQuan Smith, Jason Wu, Rick Owens). Even if he hadn’t done that, he was a Black man who was Editor-At-Large at Vogue for 15 years! That in itself is legend-level stuff. The man was a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Learning his history plus catching tidbits of his learnings were invaluable. André was an accomplished man in fashion who is necessary to recognize.
- Behind the Scenes: André was fabulous. And he had a lot of glamorous friends. It was a treat to listen to him retell anecdotes from his extensive travels, and to hear them from his friends! It was like getting a peek behind the curtain at those out-of-reach fashion shows and magazine shoots. Stuff of fashion dreams!
Film’s Plot
The Gospel According to André starts by detailing André’s youth in Durhman, North Carolina. He grew up in the Jim Crow south with his strict, but loving grandmother as his primary guardian.
It was from his grandmother and the rest of his stylish family that André was first introduced to fashion’s possibilities. His grandmother, specifically, had a penchant for grand hats which she wore every Sunday to church.
She was always impeccably dressed when she wasn’t working as a domestic maid at Duke Unviersity. As paraphrased by one of André’s friends in the documentary, Sundays were the rare opportunities Black people had to be themselves.
Like André’s grandmother’s experience, a lot of the Black community worked as cleaners requiring a uniform for the majority of the week. Sunday offered the freedom to dress how they wanted to dress; in a way that represented their personal style and spirit.
Clearly, André was surrounded with style from a young age. His interest in fashion was cemented when he first happened upon an issue of Vogue at the library. He was entranced by its pages.
Fanciful garments on beautiful models created a hyper-reality he wanted to be apart of. Little did he know he’d soon become Editor-At-Large of the very magazine that initially influenced him.
New York Changes Everything
After attending university in Rhode Island, André made a permanent move to New York City where he started his career in fashion as Diana Vreeland’s unpaid apprentice. At the time, Vreeland was a special consultant to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and André was her ever-present companion.
In the film it’s noted that André was the first Black man to be Vreeland’s apprentice. The ”debutantes” that preceded him were nothing like the knowledgeable, gregarious man who replaced them.
It was in New York that André gained many meaningful relationships with iconic designers: Valentino Garavani, Marc Jacobs, Manolo Blahnik, Tom Ford and Norma Kamali all make appearances in the film. (Although the full list of designers whom André considered friends is markedly higher.)
It’s no wonder he connected with so many big players in high fashion; he was fluent in the language! I mean fashion, but actually he was also fluent in French.
When he attended Paris or Milan Fashion Week, he could converse confidently with any designer. And his insights were profound.
André had a deep understanding of fashion: its history, its purpose and its impact. Anna Wintour even says his knowledge of fashion history was much more expansive than hers!
To Be a Black Man in Fashion
André was the first Black man to have his kind of influence and position within the world of high fashion. Not only that, he was a character who dressed sharply and spoke confidently. He was fashion in its highest form. His presence in a landscape reserved almost exclusively for wealthy white people was often unwelcome.
In The Gospel, André touches on the racist encounters he’s experienced. He’s been subjected to hateful nicknames and degrading exchanges within top fashion houses. He had the grace not to reveal the names of those who did him those wrongs.
It’s utterly shameful that he and anyone is victim to this racism. The fashion world owed André for being its biggest advocate and scholar. Instead, those in top fashion houses often demeaned him. It’s an unfortunate reality that many Black people face no matter their industry. Even André’s position as Vogue’s Editor-At-Large didn’t shield him from the racism within the luxury fashion scene.
Still, He Thrives
André has his own share of challenges that are discussed in the film: He lost his beloved grandmother before she could see all his incredible career’s achievements, he never found romantic love and he struggles with his weight. These are all pieces that make an aspirational, influential and legendary man.
He approaches everything in the film with humor and wonder. In fact, he says early on that it’s best to keep a child-like fascination for all things fashion. We see his passion in real-time when he re-visits Diana Vreeland’s historical garments or accompanies his friend in choosing the right special occasion dresses.
This man knows and adores fashion. We hope his nearly 40-year career in editorial fashion, creative directing and styling means fashion loved him right back.
