With her trailblazing career as the first Black supermodel to win a major cosmetics contract and her fearless voice as a writer and cultural commentator, Veronica Webb has long been one of fashion’s most influential figures. Now, Webb turns her discerning eye toward the late André Leon Talley, offering a deeply personal reflection on In the Spirit of André Leon Talley, the landmark exhibition that has just opened at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah and Atlanta. Conceived with the creative direction of Stefano Tonchi—Editorial Director of PALMER magazine and a curatorial leader at SCAD—the exhibition celebrates Talley’s outsized role as editor, tastemaker, and champion of beauty in all its forms, ensuring his legacy resonates with a new generation.

 

Witnessing the André Leon Talley exhibition at SCAD FASH was nothing short of awe-inspiring. I knew André well—Bethann Hardison introduced us in 1985—and I owe much of my career, including introductions to Karl Lagerfeld, Manolo Blahnik, and Anna Wintour, to André.

Bethann Hardison, Veronica Webb

Walking into the exhibit felt like entering a modern-day tomb of a fashion pharaoh. Six-foot-six mannequins with onyx heads, sculpted in André’s exact likeness, stood like monuments to his genius. Every ensemble—cut, craft, and material—radiated his supernatural sense of style.

When André first hit the scene in 1974, fresh out of Brown University, he landed in the fashion jungle with a tactical intellect—equal parts flamethrower and machete—and he carved the way for so many talented people to follow.
His clothes were his armor—his superhero suits. They let him walk through walls, command rooms, and claim his place in history.

André built his life on dignity and discipline—virtues his grandmother taught him—and from that spine of strength, he created a world of unrelenting beauty.

The night was unforgettable. SCAD President Paula Wallace and the university’s artisans, working at the height of their powers, created an extraordinary tribute to a man who turned getting dressed into an act of art.

The only thing missing?
A final panel that reads: “P.S.—This was real life.”