Postcards from André

A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF A STYLE GURU

Literally as well as figuratively, Andre Leon Talley cuts a wide swath through the fashion world. Like his friend and mentor Diana Vreeland before him, Talley is as big a fan of the grand gesture and the sweeping statement as of fashion itself. His new book, A.L.T. 365+ (PowerHouse Books), designed by Sam Shahid, documents a year in Talley's life through the lenses of dozens of disposable Kodak cameras. It's a year of insider fabulousness: Kate Moss and her baby; Selma Blair discussing her wedding dress with Karl Lagerfeld; and lots of frocks, fur, shoes, models, and debutantes of different descriptives. Style may be the book's stock, but names are its currency. First and foremost are the big three A's: Anna Wintour, who publishes Talley's monthly "Life with Andre" column in Vogue;Aretha Franklin, whom he describes as a "great, wonderfully polished schooner"; and, not to be overlooked, Andre himself. Still, there's one who surpasses all others: Reverend Renee, wife of the late Bishop Preston Washington, is a woman known for "her extremely over-the-top style" who recently became senior pastor at the Memorial Baptist Church, in Harlem. Last year she organized the bishop's lavish funeral in what Talley likens to the fashion of the French nobility of the 17th and 18th centuries—a flawless confluence of style, tradition, and God. Says Talley of the ultra-glamorous reverend: "If you aim high, you can reach the stars, the moon, and your dreams With style."

EDWARD HELMORE