When Andre Leon Talley is not obsessing over the proper gloves a woman should wear, he is reminiscing on his childhood in Durham, North Carolina. Talley was sent to live with his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, while his parents took up residence in Washington, DC. Talley’s impeccable sense of style, character, and faith were shaped by the women that lived with him in that small house in North Carolina.

The grandiose Talley that we see in the fashion magazines and on television is somewhat toned down in A.L.T.. Talley’s charm can clearly be linked back to his southern roots. Talley’s grandmother was always well dressed and made sure that he was also. Having a sense of being properly dressed at an early age, it was no surprise that around age nine Talley began a lifelong affinity with Vogue Magazine.

After not quite fitting in throughout his school years,Talley fell right in with a group of stylish, WASPs that were attending the Rhode Island School of Design while he was attending Brown University. Soon Talley left Brown for New York and his rise up the fashion latter began.

While in New York Talley met Diana Vreeland, former editor of Vogue, she became Talley’s fashion mentor and lifelong friend. Talley cherished Vreeland’s friendship as much as he did his grandmother’s love. Other fashion luminaries were also scattered throughout the story such as Halston, Oscar De La Renta, Anna Wintour, Andy Warhol, and Karl Lagerfield. Of course the infamous Studio 54 was mentioned.

Talley played it safe in A.L.T.. There were no major revelations or scandals. Talley is really a down to earth southern gentleman despite his larger than life presence. He spoke fondly of his father but his mother was rarely mentioned. One could mistake this as a biography of Diana Vreeland because Talley made her ever present throughout the book. I found A.L.T. to be vague with no depth. ( )

A tribute to the two women who made André Leon Talley, his maternal grandmother, Bennie Francis Davis, and that queen of fashion, Diana Vreeland.

ALT was raised by his maternal grandmother, who worked as a maid at Duke University. He learned from her the value not only of hard work, family and faith, but of luxury, "the beauty of ordinary tasks, done well, and in a good frame of mind", like her "crispy, crispy, clean clean, clean white sheets".

At the age of twelve, ALT was reading Vogue magazine and dreaming of a life in fashion, and at twenty-five he was working for Diana Vreeland (HER sheets were Porthault), and later for Vogue itself.

This is also the story of how an African-American boy, growing up poor in the southern United States, became a man of influence in the world of fashion. Curiously, while he mentions in passing the dearth of black faces in that world, he doesn't discuss in any real depth the issue of discrimination. In the same way, he never discusses sexuality, although he is openly gay. For instance, describing an incident at his high school prom when "one of the smartest guys in the class" asked if he'd like to dance, Talley says: " . . . I sat there frozen in fear. Why did he ask that? I wondered. Out of boredom? Politeness? Because he didn't know what else to say? . . . I knew for a fact that Willim was too much of a jock to get out there and cut a rug with me. Even if he'd meant the offer seriously, it would have been the scandal to end all scandals had it actually come to pass. Now, looking back on the event as an adult, I think Willim might just have been trying to express some kind of admiration for me, but at the time, I was too confused to think about it clearly." Well, duh.

It's as though Talley gives these issues a glance and then shies away from them. I'm not sure why. It's not as though he's likely to shock anyone.

By the same token, there's an odd mix of depth and superficiality. Talley's religion is clearly important to him. He stresses throughout the book the importance his faith and chuch play in his ife. Yet when he talks about the pastor of his church (Abyssinian Baptist in Harlem, Adam Clayton Powell's church), he puts as much or more stress on Dr. Butts' bespoke suits and spit-shined shoes as he does on his eloquence in the pulpit.

And one expects, for instance, name-dropping. Considering Talley's line of work, it's unavoidable. But while Karl Lagerfeld's friendship is certainly relevant at points, it makes no sense to say, "Three years ago, when I was staying at Karl Lagerfeld's house in Biarritz, I called my mother . . ." There's no connection.

Now, this sounds as though I didn't like the book. But that's not true. It's really fascinating to see the comparison between the two women who made ALT. They never, apparently, met, and died the same year. Yet I think they would have liked each other. They shared many of the same values, though they led very different lives. And they both clearly thought highly of André!

Talley is also an excellent story-teller. Of course, he makes his living as a writer, but writing a fashion column is not the same as writing a book. He draws you into his story, and if there is a flaw here, it's that one is left with the feeling that there is much that he is not saying.