André Leon Tally’s, memoir “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir,” was supposed to come out in September but when clips of his thoughts on Anna Wintour surfaced from his memoir, Talley’s publisher, Ballantine, bumped up the book’s release date to May 19 from September.
While the ex-creative director of Vogue expressed an ample amount of animosity toward Wintour, there are also numerous references to how integral Wintour has been to his career and his life. “I lived through the golden age of fashion journalism. Vogue gave me a great life, a great memory of richness. I saw the best in people, along with the worst, when you feel, you are no longer of value,” Talley writes.
Of course, there are two sides to the story and the real tea may lay somewhere in between. The book isn’t entirely an Anna Wintour bashing. Talley told WWD that his memoir “is not a vengeful, bitchy tell-all.” It’s dishy, but the memoir also delves into racism, binge eating, weight discrimination, sexual abuse and ageism, among other issues. It takes a certain amount of humility to admit to unsuccessful Lap Band surgery under the alias of “Dolly Longstocking.”
Talley is also unabashed in describing how totaling a rental car had left him with one concern — whether his Louis Vuitton luggage was OK.
I’m ready for all the tea.