André Leon Tally’s Little Black Dress at SCAD
In honor of André Leon Talley, who we lost in 2022. Madge revisits this post on the SCAD “Little Black Dress exhibit originally published in 2012.
Madge recently got a chance to view “The Little Black Dress” exhibit at the SCAD Museum of Art (the Savannah College of Art and Design), curated by André Leon Talley in Savannah, Georgia. Luckily, gal pal, Kathy had a business trip in Savannah so Madge motored over from Atlanta to meet up and see the show.
André Leon Tally
André Leon Talley born in 1948, was an American fashion journalist, stylist, creative director, and editor-at-large of Vogue magazine. He was the magazine’s fashion news director from 1983 to 1987, its first African-American male creative director from 1988 to 1995, and then its editor-at-large from 1998 to 2013. A true fashion icon, he was known for supporting emerging designers and advocating for diversity in the fashion industry.
Courtesy of David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
The Little Black Dress
The little black dress, the term believed to be coined by Coco Channel, has been the go-to outfit in every woman’s wardrobe from the 30’s onward. This show not only featured this fashion design icon but also the most important fashion designers from the 1900s to now.
Talley design vividly red walls to set off the 73 different dresses and almost as many different designers. It’s quite a mashup to see so many styles all in a row. The photo police were not on duty this time so Madge happily snapped away without the threat of arrest!
Stella McCartney’s Column Dress from 2011 leads the way
A showstopper ball gown by Oscar de la Renta held the place of honor and it’s a real beauty.
Talley’s selections were mostly from the last 15 years but there were a few vintage gems in the bunch. The oldest was an absolutely gorgeous gown from 1907 by Fortuny. Pleated silk, cording, and glass beads.
Check out this Balenciaga number from 1957. A lace cage dress.
Madge loved this Pierre Cardin look from the 1960s.
There were also many fabulous vintage-inspired designs. This 2012 Tom Ford looks like it’s right out of the 50s. A white version of this dress was worn by Gwyneth Paltrow to last year’s Academy Awards. If you google it the dress looks completely different in white.
Two Ralph Lauren dresses from 2011 really caught Madge’s attention, one an art deco masterpiece and the other a demure 50s-style gown.
Yves St. Laurent even did a take on his own famous Le Smoking Jacket from the 1970s with this gown that had Madge absolutely panting.
Talley displayed some wit with this louche lineup who look like they are waiting for next the bus. and tossing some blue and red into the mix.
The Takeaway
Madge’s only quibble was the very confusing numbering scheme that left this old broad constantly flipping through the brochure trying to figure out at which dress she was gazing.
It was hard to pick a favorite. André Leon Talley showed an amazing range of styles and eras in this SCAD exhibit and certainly, the Fortuny was the most beautiful and the YSL the most sophisticated. But in the end the Madame Gris Stingray dress won the day as Madge’s fave at this show.
P.S. Love vintage dresses? Check out Madge’s tribute to Pierre Cardin.
Photos copyright © 2026 Madge’s Hatbox Vintage. Join our Facebook group, Mad About Vintage, for weekly specials.