Andre Leon Talley Quotes

You come to Paris, you get true originality, and it's wonderful.

I have 4 bedrooms in my house. 1 is for guests, the other 3 are for closets.

Luxury is ... to be able to take control of one's life, health, and the pursuit of happiness in a way that is joyful.

I watch Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, and Chris Matthews. That's what I watch every night. By the time I've watched them, I don't have time to watch reality TV shows.

First Ladies have always been held like specimens under a media microscope.

Money isn't everything, but it is when you start thinking about putting money away for your retirement days.

Like Hillary Clinton before her, Mrs. Obama has always been a working woman. She is a lawyer turned hospital administrator turned political right hand. It is a unique resume.

When I do entertain, in the summer, which is rare, I receive my guests on the front porch, set up wicker trays found at Pottery Barn, and serve iced beverages. Anytime I do welcome friends, it's always a tray of canapes or Planters peanuts, jellied candy from Paris, and a good bottle of Sancerre.

Some days are good; some days are not so good. Some days are really exciting. Some days are just tedious. You just have to get up out of bed.

The happiest moments of my childhood were spent on my grandmother's front porch in Durham, N.C., or at her sister's farmhouse in Orange County, where chickens paraded outside the kitchen's screen door and hams were cured in the smokehouse.

Fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez was a major part of my early career.

I love sitting through long things. I mean, 'Gone With the Wind' I will sit through; I love sitting somewhere for four hours, for anything. I love being on a train. I love sitting down for four hours. I think it's the most wonderful thing to be able to sit somewhere and concentrate on something for more than two hours.

I personally go to the airport looking like a homeless person, because I think people will leave me alone. But I dress myself with my luggage - all my luggage matches.

What's that show? 'TMZ'? They stand there and say, 'I've got this on this person.' The focus on celebrities can be detrimental because people could be thinking of other things, but it's a part of the culture and it's what sells.

I love Russian culture. I don't know the young Russia, I'm not at all familiar with young Russia, but the old school Russia is good enough for me for the moment.

You can never have too many black pumps. Never!

I suppose the most daring thing I've ever done is try to water ski. And that was not successful.

I love people - it is not the fashion, it is the people in fashion I love.

The little black dress expresses a moment of freedom and individuality every time.

I only watch MSNBC for the news.

Valentino made my day suit for the wedding of Paloma Picasso in Paris.

The most luxurious item is a beautiful bed and beautiful, simple sheets.

One my favorite things is to go to the provinces of Russia and see the 18th century wood churches with the onion dome architecture. These humble wonders of incredible imagination of architects that were obviously not living in places like Paris or London, but they've created these amazing churches.

People love fashion exhibits because they can fantasize. They can respond to a dress even if they can never wear a dress like that.

On 9/11, that morning, I was in a Christian Dior Couture appointment at the Hotel Pierre.

Stella McCartney, not only is she a designer, she is a mother of four, and she lives for practicality. She understands what a woman needs to wear to work and what a woman needs to wear when it's time to go out and put on the Ritz!

'Drekitude' is the lowest point in the lowest ebb. It could be your look. It could be your shoes. It could be that you're standing wrong. 'Drek' is a total, total, total hot mess.

In my day you didn't speak until spoken to.

I have always admired stylishly confident women who dress with great authority. This lifelong love of elegance began with the humble wardrobe of my late grandmother Mrs. Bennie Frances Davis.

People need to be edited; life needs to be edited. I need to be edited.

I think people look great in black. I love that what stands out is the person, especially. Black just conveys a kind of drama, even if it can be quiet drama. It does lend to the wearer a sense of confidence.

I will sit in the car on the way to a meeting and just smile. I really mean that. It helps you get through life. If you have nothing to say, smile. Look up at the sky and smile. Just be grateful.

There are no more Elizabeth Taylors. You could be fascinated by her, she lived so many lives, she lived far, she loved the jewels; she had gaudy taste but she had extraordinary talent.

When I have interns, I always say, 'Handwritten thank-you notes can make a difference.' People remember that - not an e-mail, a handwritten note in an envelope.

The zenith of elegance in any woman's wardrobe is the little black dress, the power of which suggests dash and refinement.

The late Estee Lauder says you can never wear white shoes after Labor Day. But of course, in today's world, that does not exist.

I'm so sick of mermaid dresses, trains, borrowed bling-bling, and a pose.

I went to Brown to be a French professor, and I didn't know what I was doing except that I loved French. When I got to Paris and I could speak French, I know how much it helped me to establish relationships with Karl Lagerfeld, with the late Yves St. Laurent. French, it just helps you if you're in fashion. The French people started style.

Wearing clothes should be a personal narrative of emotion. I always respond to fashion in an emotional way.

I only take risks in couture, but I don't take risks in athleticism.

Uggs are comfort shoes, and it's important to have a shoe that gives you a sense of comfort. I have about 15 pair of Uggs - the same shoe, the same color. And I also have the bedroom slippers.

I'm not going to go to the local theater to spend $12 ... when I can get a screening copy of a film. I don't get screeners myself, but I can borrow from my friends or go to their house to watch.