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Talley was “an accumulator,” said Muffie Cunningham, Stair’s director of decorative arts, as she walked through his custom couture robes, books, ceramics and furniture a few days before the auction catalog went live online. Stair Galleries hosts about 25 to 30 auctions a year, and these behind-the-scenes looks at well-known people’s stuff are always a draw. “Brand names have such strong recognition in America,” she said.

Talley may not be a brand name to the unstylish, but in the fashion world, he was a giant — and not only because he was 6 foot, 7 inches tall. Born in the Jim Crow South, against long odds Talley earned a master’s degree in French literature at Brown University, snagged an unpaid apprenticeship to Diana Vreeland at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, and made his way through hard-to-snag jobs at various publications including Interview and Women’s Wear Daily’s before eventually landing as creative director at Vogue, becoming the first Black man to hold that position.

When Talley died of a heart attack in 2022 at 73, his Vogue obituary called him a “pharaoh of fabulosity” and extolled his unparalleled enthusiasm for designers. He inspired generations of people to work in the not-overly-friendly industry, especially, Vogue noted, as a “figure who broke boundaries while never forgetting where he started from.” True to form, the beneficiaries of the Stair auction are the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem and the Mt. Sinai Mission Baptist Church in Durham, N.C. Talley always said his faith guided him since childhood.

An earlier auction of Talley’s items took place in February at Christie’s — 66 lots that sold for nearly $1.4 million combined. Stair successfully bid on the right to auction the remaining items from Talley’s homes in Westchester County and Durham. The Durham home was initially purchased for Talley’s grandmother who raised him. She was a cleaning woman at Duke University.

“This is the last chance to get anything from André,” Cunningham said.

The items for sale are all over the map: a dizzying array of books (both fashion-related and Francophile), over-the-top couches in floral chintz (starting bid a reasonable $500) and cotton candy pink, platters and swag items from the many events he attended over the years, including a giant white sweatshirt from the designer Marc Jacob’s 2019 marriage to Char Defrancesco.

Talley owned the largest Victorian papier-mâché tray Cunningham has ever seen, high-end handbags galore, so many shoes (mostly Manolo Blahniks in a range of sizes from 13 to 15, but don’t miss the custom knee-high John Galliano mukluks with fur interiors), Venetian glass collectibles, multiple mohair throws in mint condition, parasols, throw pillows from Versace and Hermès and also English Staffordshire ceramic dogs.

Talley collected ceramic chickens, including a terrine with a removable head for serving soup. He amassed copious amounts of D. Porthault Parisian linens. He had monogrammed items from sneakers to pedestrian LL Bean Totes, hats for any occasion, Bottega Veneta luggage, triangle Prada beach towels, scarves and ties from any designer you can think of and a very heavy Versace metal vest with matching pants.

Left: Gianni Versace silver oroton metal mesh vest and pants. Right: A pair of Christian Dior by John Galliano fur boots. (Stair Galleries)
Top: Gianni Versace silver oroton metal mesh vest and pants. Bottom: A pair of Christian Dior by John Galliano fur boots. (Stair Galleries)

Stair Galleries has worked empty boxes and bags from purchases or gifts in signature Hermès orange and Tiffany blue throughout their displays. It’s hard to know what to make of hangers and a lint brush from the Ritz Hotel where Talley lived for a time while working at the Paris bureau of Women’s Wear Daily.

Nestled among the numerous giltwood mirrors, giant foot sculptures, a Victorian mahogany throne chair and silver pieces from Joan Crawford’s estate, there are multiple awards Talley won, including as a trustee of the Savannah College of Art and Design.

“It’s such a celebration of his career,” Cunningham offered.

And then, of course, there’s Talley’s clothing. He notoriously befriended designers at uncountable studios from New York to Paris. He proudly wore their clothing daily and to events like the Met Gala and was especially known for his extravagant capes. On display at Stair is everything from XXL Juicy Couture tracksuits to actual couture to bespoke wool suits from the 80s. Not everything is XXL, either, though Talley described his struggles with his weight and how his Vogue boss Anna Wintour attempted to make him shed pounds in his tell-all bestselling memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches.”

Left: A floor-length Todd Oldham silk patchwork robe. Right: A Chado Ralph Rucci red silk moire robe. (Stair Galleries)
Top: A floor-length Todd Oldham silk patchwork robe. Bottom: A Chado Ralph Rucci red silk moire robe. (Stair Galleries)

Stair ordered special-sized mannequins to display Talley’s clothing in its full glory: the capes plus robes and coats and more from designers including Jean Paul Gaultier, Ralph Rucci, Balenciaga, Todd Oldham, Christian Dior, Tom Ford, Gianni Versace, Perry Ellis, Fendi, Diane von Fürstenberg and Mary McFadden. Don’t miss the custom Charvet shirts or the enormous black T-shirts from the NAACP with Talley’s name bedazzled on them.

There’s no obvious organizing principle to any of this divine madness, though Cunningham, who has spent many months now immersed in Talley’s world, said, “There was a lot of red and black in his life. I wish he could tell me where he bought some of these things.”

Maybe he could also share the story of a painting he created himself in shades of blue, or what the deal is with several curious items from Sylvester Stallone: a naked autographed portrait as well as a pair of Georgio Armani boxer shorts with handwritten words on the front: “To Andre — Keep pumpin out those hits! Best, Sylvester Stallone.”

Stair priced the items based on actual worth. You can’t add value to those boxer shorts (starting bid $1,000) or the sunglasses or any of the stemware just because Talley owned it. Stair Galleries estimates the sale will bring between $193,000 and $302,000.

But auctions can be tricky. Items can take off during the bidding process.

“You can never put a number on what someone is willing to pay,” Cunningham said.