Celebrated fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley has died in New York at the age of 73, his literary agent has confirmed.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, fellow fashion journalist Derek Blasberg said Talley was “original, funny, biting, ornate, and utterly fabulous”.

Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenberg wrote on Instagram: “Good bye darling André… no one saw the world in a more elegant and glamorous way than you did… no one was more soulful and grander than you were”.

Beloved by industry insiders and readers alike, the charismatic, six foot seven editor and stylist rarely pulled his punches, spilling on the designers and celebrities he deemed not Vogue-worthy, or whose personal style he detested.

“I scorched the earth with my talent and I let my light shine,” Talley told the Guardian in 2020, an accurate assessment of a career that spanned decades, and changed the fashion world forever.

Diversity trailblazer

Born in Washington DC in 1948, after graduating from Brown University in French literature (his thesis was on the influence of black women on Charles Baudelaire), he interned under famed Vogue editor Diana Vreeland before moving to Paris to work for Women’s Wear Daily.

Soon befriending the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, Talley encouraged designers to use more black models in their fashion shows, and became the first black male creative director at US Vogue in 1988.

In a Guardian interview in 2018 he said: “I wouldn’t have been at Vogue in the Sixties, because they wouldn’t have had a black male editor at a fashion magazine the way they did in 1983. In the Sixties, you rarely had a black model. It was very elitist.”

Paying tribute following Talley’s death, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful wrote on Instagram: “Without you, there would be no me. Thank you for paving the way.”

Designer champion

Passionate about discovering and supporting young design talent, in his creative director role, Talley championed fledgling designers, many of whom – such as Diane Von Furstenberg, Oscar de la Renta, and Marc Jacobs – became close friends.

In 2008 he brought Chinese-American designer Jason Wu to the attention of soon-to-be First Lady Michelle Obama, who enlisted Wu to create her inauguration gown.

Writing on Instagram, Marc Jacobs said of Talley: “You championed me and you have been my friend since my beginning. Our chats, the moments we shared… oh my friend. You and your passions were larger than life.”

Muse and confidant

Returning to American Vogue in 1998 after three years in Paris, Talley was Anna Wintour’s right hand man for more than a decade, working behind the scenes and hosting the magazine’s Met Gala coverage.

He documented his tumultuous relationship with the famously frosty editor-in-chief in his magnificent memoir The Chiffon Trenches, saying that he fell out of favour with Wintour because he had “suddenly become too old, too overweight and too uncool”.

Style icon

Famed for his impeccable taste, as a stylist, Talley dressed countless celebrities – among them Mariah Carey, Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Hudson and Naomi Campbell – for magazine covers and red carpet appearances, and became style adviser for the Obama family in 2008.

Talley was also known for his flamboyant personal style, favouring bespoke suits and billowing capes and kaftans on the red carpet.

Following his death, author Roxane Gay said: “He was a beacon of style for so many”, while actor Kerry Washington wrote: “You blessed us with your charm and wit and your taste for the exceptional. You will shine so brightly from the heavens that we will know what true stardom looks like.”