André Leon Talley Recalls Generous Karl Lagerfeld Moment in Final Interview Before Death (Exclusive)

The former 'Vogue' editor, who died in January, had an episode eerily reminiscent to one in 'The Devil Wears Prada.'

André Leon Talley recalled in his final filmed interview the generosity once bestowed upon him by the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld

The former Vogue editor and creative director, who died in January, sat down for the Apple TV+ series, Dear..., and, in an exclusive preview clip, Talley reminisced during his last interview before his death about an encounter with Lagerfeld, who ultimately became his longtime best friend and mentor.

"Mr. Lagerfield looked at me and he was very dramatic. He says, 'Come with me, my dear. Follow me into my room,'" Talley recalled. "I went. I said, 'Ok. What do you want me in the bedroom for?' But I went. And I got in the bedroom and then he started throwing things at me -- shirts and scarves and things. 'Here, take this, take this...this will look good'...and these were all his clothes he got tired of and he was giving them to me because I was, like, a person making 75 dollars a week at Interview."

Thanks to Lagerfeld, Talley had become the owner of silk shirts custom-made in Paris with matching scarves and mufflers. As he put it, they "made my wardrobe for New York." For fans of The Devil Wears Prada, the story may evoke the movie's beloved makeover scenes when Nigel (Stanley Tucci) gives Andy (Anne Hathaway) designer clothes and shoes directly out of the fashion closet at their fictional magazine, Runway.

Among his many roles in fashion, Talley's career at Vogue spanned decades, including as fashion news director, creative director and editor-at-large.

For his part, Lagerfeld, who died in February 2019 at 85, was hailed as a genius and visionary designer who is largely credited with helping Chanel reach renowned success across the globe. The German fashion designer was Chanel's creative director and served in the same capacity for Fendi.

In addition to Talley, Viola Davis, Sandra Oh, Billy Porter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ava DuVernay are more groundbreakers featured in the second season of the AppleTV+ series. The show aims at showcasing the social impact these prominent figures have made within their own communities and across the world through letters from their fans. 

All episodes of Dear… Season 2 premiere March 4 on Apple TV+.

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