The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir

Leigh says: ALT was a force to be reckoned with, an irrepressible personality and a font of fashion history. The first half was a dishy delight, going into the who’s who of the fashion world and displaying the fullness of his wit and knowledge of the industry. He moved through a lavish world that I can only imagine and I enjoyed living vicariously through him. The second half was more somber and searching as he experienced loss and delved into the rifts with Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld. With each story, he seeks acknowledgment and affirmation that his contributions mattered, that he mattered. He gave his all to his career but the fashion industry never fully loved him in return. While he wasn’t perfect, my heart ached over the way he was treated by some of the most important figures in his life. And that’s not even getting into the racism and microaggressions he experienced as a gay Black man within the largely white halls of the fashion industry. I would have loved a companion coffee table book with all of the clothes ALT mentioned but there were enough photographs to keep me satisfied.