Beyoncé Covers September Issue of “Vogue” Shot by Tyler Mitchell
Beyoncé’s September 2018 Vogue Magazine cover is officially here and it’s just as stunning as we could have imagined. Donning a floral headpiece by Rebel Rebel as the main focus of the image, the stunning look is completed with a high-neck white ruffled gown from Gucci. The inside spread features everything from a Louis Vuitton sequin dress to a tulle and silk toile gown by Dior.
Beyoncé was said to have been given unprecedented control for her cover, which is a huge shift in and of itself. For the issue, the icon was not only featured, but she was the creative director on the shoot and her cover story is written entirely in the first person (as told to writer Clover Hope). What is it that Beyoncé can’t do, you ask? It's unclear at this point because it’s basically her world and we’re just living in it. No complaints here, though!
The cover hit several other major milestones outside of its star. The images were shot by Tyler Mitchell who is the first black photographer to ever shoot a cover in the magazine’s 126-year-history. Tyler, who—at 23!—Vogue reminded us “is among the youngest photographers to have shot the cover of Vogue; Irving Penn was 26 when his first image appeared on the cover, in 1943; swinging-sixties documentarian David Bailey was also 23. Tyler further told the magazine about his experience shooting Beyoncé, sharing, “When she sat down for me there was immediately the kind of comfort level you’d have with a friend, which was quite unexpected,” adding, “You’d imagine someone as famous as Beyoncé to be protective of her image, but she was really an open book—and that’s exactly what you want as a photographer.”
Beyoncé’s piece is open than anything we've ever read from the performer. It opens: “After the birth of my first child, I believed in the things society said about how my body should look. I put pressure on myself to lose all the baby weight in three months and scheduled a small tour to assure I would do it. Looking back, that was crazy. I was still breastfeeding when I performed the Revel shows in Atlantic City in 2012. After the twins, I approached things very differently.” And so it continues. Through body image, breaking barriers, her family, her career, and even the legacy she hopes to leave for those who follow behind, you can read the full essay here.
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