One of the greatest things about the month of September, apart from the start of the fall season, brand new clothes in the shops, fashion month and the beginning of a new fashion year is all the September issues of our favourite fashion magazines coming out.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Vogue devotee or prefer the more relaxed take of Marie Claire, the September issues always attract the biggest names, best clothes and most amazing shoots.
Ever since American Vogue started the trend of putting celebrities on its covers in the nineties and early noughties, who lands a cover of a prestigious fashion magazine is a big deal. While not everyone does get the ultimate cover, American Vogue, other magazines have managed to attract some pretty big names too in the intervening years. So seeing who a magazine has chosen as their cover star and what they’re wearing tells you a lot about the identity they’re sending out into the world and can really help make that star into a fashion icon. So let’s see who they’ve chosen for this year’s honour.
Marie Claire UK
The first one up is Marie Claire UK, and they’ve selected American actress and all-round fun person Anna Kendrick as their cover star. This is not that surprising; she’s an actress who doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously and fits in well with Marie Claire’s more relaxed take on fashion. She’s also wearing Miu Miu, who this year are getting a lot of attention in regards to covers, in a relaxed denim coat and blue floral print dress underneath. Their cover stories cover everything from Hillary Clinton to the ballerinas of Rio de Janiero’s Favela slums. It’s very in keeping with Marie Claire’s stance as the fashion and lifestyle magazine of the career-driven woman.
- Cover girl – Anna Kendrick
- Wearing – Miu Miu
LOVE
British fashion magazine’s bi-annual editions are always a huge deal, and while this one may have come out at the end of July, I think it should also count as a September issue because of its emphasis on the latest trends. Not to mention editor Katie Grand always goes all out in choosing a new theme for every issue.
For this season’s cover LOVE has given us two cover options, Cara Delevingne and Margot Robbie, co-stars in DC Comics’ Suicide Squad and new BFFs. And what better than to dress them up looking like over-the-top Debbie Harry and Madonna from the 80’s. Absolutely fabulous! I’m also digging that this issue’s theme is Fame, Goths and Toffs!
- Cover girls – Cara Delevingne and Margot Robbie
- Channelling Debbie Harry and Madonna in quintessential 80’s gear
Elle UK
For Elle UK’s September issue they’re going for the ‘I-don’t-give-a-F***’ vibe of Kristen Stewart and her evolution from the epitome of teenage-angst in Twilight to indie actress with serious cred. This fits in well with Elle’s header of ‘Rise of the Rebel’. But let’s talk about the clothes shall we, because Kristen is wearing Chanel. Of course she’s wearing Chanel. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t know she’s a face of Chanel? She’s practically an ambassador for the brand by this point. At this stage it would have been truly rebellious if they dressed her in anything but Chanel for the cover, but you can’t get everything, I’m afraid.
- Cover girl – Kristen Stewart
- Channelling fashion rebels in bleached hair and relaxed attire
- Wearing – Chanel (of course)
Elle US
Oh look it’s Cara! Surprises aside, this is an obvious choice for an American fashion mag constantly competing with Vogue. It purports to give an insider’s view of the model/actress’ life. But we don’t really care about that, do we? We’re interested in the fashion and we’ve got 530 pages to keep us entertained. Yay!
- Cover girl – Cara Delevingne
- Wearing – Saint Laurent
Cosmopolitan UK
Cosmo UK have foregone the usual actress choice for their September issue cover and instead chosen Rita Ora, all around sex symbol and lady who-cannot-really-be-called-a-singer-anymore. But she’s the new host of America’s Next Top Model, which I’m pretty sure you thought got cancelled years ago. But she’s gorgeous and she’s wearing a baby pink Max Mara knitted playsuit, so how can you go wrong? Out of all the fashion mags, I have to say Cosmo UK’s got the best headlines! ‘Hooked on Selfies’ and ‘After Dark in Magaluf’? Do tell me more!
- Cover girl – Rita Ora
- Wearing: Max Mara
Glamour UK
Ah Chloe Moretz; how fast you’re growing up on us. With a famous boyfriend (in the form of eldest son of Victoria and David Beckham) a successful transition from child star to actress in her own right and she’s just managed to bag herself a decent September issue cover too! Choosing Chloe Moretz as Glamour UK’s cover star is an intriguing choice as she’s generally a bit younger than the demographic of this magazine, but she’s managed to stay cool in the eyes of the twenty-something crowd, not only for her good choices in movies, but also for dating a Beckham and not making a hash of it! She is decked out in Gucci and looks quite adorable for it, but then again she’s only 19 and we should probably be celebrating that she’s not going the way of a Kardashian or Jenner child right now. So this issue promises 638 fashion looks, beauty on a budget and it also promises to talk about orgasms; though if you feel it’s not being talked about in your magazines, you should probably be reading Cosmo instead.
- Cover girl – Chloe Grace Moretz
- Wearing – Gucci
Harper’s Bazaar US
Ah Kimye. The American’s version of a royal family, or their nightmare of one, depending on who you ask. It doesn’t matter whether you love or loathe them, after a good 6 years of non-stop Kardashian drama and news we’ve all somewhat come to accept they’re not going away. Ever since Anna Wintour learned from her mistake of putting them on the cover of American Vogue, it’s been up to other fashion magazines to have to feature our most insane duo. The magazine promises us Kim and Kanye in bed for an exclusive shoot styled by Carine Roitfeld (because that’s all she seems to do nowadays, is style shoots for other magazines), the 10 key pieces to buy and 937 new looks in their fashion pages. We might all have arrived for the Kim and Kanye cover, but I think I might stay for the fashion inside.
- Cover couple – Kim Kardashian and Kanye West or Kimye as their ubiquitously known
- Wearing – presumably nothing. It is Kim Kardashian afterall!
Marie Claire US
It’s strange to see Sarah Jessica Parker, or SJP to my generation and above, back on the cover of a fashion magazine. It feels so 2008 to see her face again, and it took a bit of digging to figure out why she was covering magazines and doing promotional work again. But to the readers of Marie Claire, the older and more business-orientated of the fashion readers of this list, the choice to put SJP on the cover is a natural one. She speaks to the 40 year old women in a way that Rihanna and Kim Kardashian speaks to my generation. In a weird way it is nice to see her back again; there was a time when you couldn’t find anything fashion related without seeing her face on it, so I think we all needed a few years of a breather. I imagine so too did the woman herself, so it is nice to see her back once again wearing a lovely tulle Gucci dress. The issue also promises genius ideas to refresh your style, an in-depth interview with the lady herself, on the rich people of Instagram and how they make their money (hint, hint, it’s all advertised posts!) and how a reporter spent a year on the Trump campaign. Out of all the magazines, these are definitely some of the more intriguing ones.
- Cover girl – Sarah Jessica Parker or SJP to all ‘Sex and the City’ era peeps
- Wearing – Gucci
Porter magazine
Porter magazine, which in many ways is one of the last true fashion magazines left has bucked the trend once again and for this Fall issue have decided not to put a famous person on the cover of the most important issue of the year. Instead of the usual actress/model/It girl, they’ve gone for the beautiful and rather unknown (at least to the general public) Edita Vilkeviciute. She is wearing Prada and even more adorably, holding a baby kitten in one hand. The cover headlines promises a new decadence in fashion, an 18 page beauty innovation special and lots of other famous people inside the issue. I for one, love Porter magazine, not only for their unusual and high-octane editorials, but also for little decisions like putting an actual model on the cover once again. Long like Porter magazine!
- Cover girl – Edita Vilkeviciute
- Wearing – Prada
W magazine
Ah Rihanna, you’re not promoting a new album, tour or even fragrance, yet you’re so ubiquitous you don’t need any of that nonsense to cover a major fashion magazine for their September issue! You gotta love her balls, in life and in this cover. She is dripping in diamonds, all of which Cartier and we can’t see a scrap of clothing to promote on her body, but she’s still amazing and this cover is probably one of the best as a result. But then would we really expect anything less from W magazine? You even gotta love their title for the editorial. It’s “Rihanna: The Baddest Bitch of the Post-Apocalypse”. the accompanying images are definitely worth a perusal, as they’re the type of shoot I only dream about pulling off. If you’re curious, you can see them here.
- Cover girl – Rihanna
- Wearing – lots and lots of diamonds (Cartier, if you’re curious)
Harper’s Bazaar UK
I love the British version of Harper’s Bazaar, I truly do, but can I be honest and say this is a little boring? It’s so pretty and pastel-coloured, with Rosie Huntington Whiteley on the cover in frothy, girly clothes. Could this be any more predictable? I mean this is like her third September cover in three years for the magazine. Could you really not have picked anyone else for it?
Frustration aside, Rosie is a safe choice for Harper’s Bazaar UK. She’s gorgeous, has name recognition in the UK and the fur stole and Alexander McQueen embellished dress is beautiful. Thankfully I’ve seen the fashion spreads inside and they’re both exciting and in keeping with their ability to create spectacular editorials. Next time though, can you put one of those on the cover, maybe?
- Cover girl – Rosie Huntington Whiteley (for the third year running)
- Wearing – Alexander McQueen
Elle France
This is a cover that actually excites me quite a lot. Now the French Elle is a bit different than your usual fashion magazines as it comes out weekly instead of monthly, but it still produces a special for the first week of September. For this year’s special they’ve chosen Celine Dion, who is THE perfect choice for this magazine and the honour. Ever since her husband died, she seems to be having a bit of a fashion renaissance. She’s wearing iconic bags, bright colours and fabulous prints and for a woman who is almost 50, she’s wearing them with a confidence you don’t see in other actresses or singers. So I’m glad they’ve chosen her for their cover as it screams happiness and energy and putting her in a hot pink Gucci gown was a brilliant idea.
- Cover girl – Celine Dion, reborn as a style icon
- Wearing: Gucci
Elle Canada
I find the inclusion of Demi Lovato in this list as a result of her Elle Canada cover a bit disconcerting. She seems like a lovely person and her songs seem like fun, but this to me seems like an odd choice for a September issue cover. Is it that Elle Canada literally couldn’t get anyone else, or is Demi Lovato about to go global with her music? No matter what, she is wearing embellished and badged Miu Miu and it suits her very well. I’m in love with the idea of embellishing my denim jackets with diamond brooches. How very hip. The magazine covers everything from life hacks o supercharge your situation, fast track beauty advice and the new fall styles.
- Cover girl – Demi Lovato
- Wearing – Miu Miu and plenty of brooches and badges
Cosmopolitan US
okay can I be the first to say that Gwen Stefani looks weird here! What have they/she done to her face? I love this woman; No Doubt was the band to follow as a kid in the nineties and she was such a feminist icon back then, so seeing her on the cover of Cosmopolitan US is a bit jarring. This magazine is not exactly known for looking past women’s sexuality. But she does look somewhat pretty (Photoshop and serious Botox job aside) and the choice of Michael Kors as the designer dress she’s wearing makes total sense for Cosmo US’ demographic, but by God is the dress boring and the cover just bleh! But then what did I expect from Cosmo US? At least the headlines seem like a bit more fun.
- Cover girl – Gwen Stefani
- Wearing – Michael Kors
Glamour US
Last year was the year of the Gigi and this year it seems to be the turn of her younger sister Bella. This is the first of her three major fashion magazine covers for September, a feat she’s tied with Cara Delevingne with, which is a monumental achievement for a model as green as she is. But with a cover like this one for Glamour US, it’s not that surprising. She is absolutely mesmerising. Wearing the jacket of the season by Balenciaga, she just pulls you in with those blue eyes of hers. Nothing more really needs to be said.
- Cover girl – Bella Hadid
- Wearing – Balenciaga
British Vogue
And now we come to the third of Cara’s September covers, for no-one else but British Vogue. It’s not that surprising that the ‘retired’ model turned actress, would grant a shoot and interview for British Vogue, the publication more than any other that made her career. She’s also wearing Balenciaga and is a lot more casual and low-key than the usual fare for fashion magazines. The issue covers the 7 big trends to wear this season, how to style for a go-getting lifestyle and an insight into the Poldark phenomenon.
- Cover girl – Cara Delevingne
- Wearing – Balenciaga
Vogue Japan
The second of the Bella Hadid covers is for Vogue Japan, a venerable fashion publication with the one-and-only Anna Dello Russo as the editor-in-chief. For the cover she’s wearing Giorgio Armani, an unusual designer to choose for a cover, since the brand does not usually get that type of recognition, but then again with Anna Dello Russo as editor it shouldn’t be that surprising that she puts an Italian designer on the cover.
- Cover girl – Bella Hadid
- Wearing – Giorgio Armani
Vanity Fair
Not technically a fashion magazine, or a September issue as fashionistas know it, but Vanity Fair has been trying to up its game in the fashion world for a few years now. This year they’ve chosen the Oscar Best Supporting Actress star Alicia Vikander for their cover star; a woman seen as incredibly talented and a rising star in her own right. What is surprising is this is the only Louis Vuitton cover we’ve got out of all the September issues so far. Even more odd is that this outfit was first worn by Selena Gomez back at the Met Ball in May, so it’s not even a particularly innovative choice. Might as well enjoy it while they can.
- Cover girl – Alicia Vikander
- Wearing – Louis Vuitton
American Vogue
She done it! The girl, who started off as a member of a very annoying reality TV family and somehow became a very successful model in her own right has landed what she’d been dreaming up since she was a small child. She got her Vogue cover*. And it’s the coveted September issue too! For all her detractors out there, she is actually a really good model and by all accounts is both hard-working and a pleasure to work with, so whether she deserved it or not, let’s just look at her cover. I have to say I’m a big fan of this Gucci jacket and trousers combo! Military coats are all over the high street and I’m particularly in love with the fact it’s also in brocade. This is definitely one of the better September issue covers out there (I’m looking at you Cosmopolitan US!)
*I don’t count the April 2016 subscriber’s only issue as her first Vogue cover as it wasn’t on sale to the general public.
- Cover star: Kendall Jenner
- Wearing: Gucci
Vogue Paris
For Vogue Paris’ September cover they teamed the girl-of-the-moment Bella Hadid with Taylor Hill, for their own version of the Instagirls cover. It makes sense to choose these two girls; they are the newest and freshest faces of the social media models. One is the younger Hadid girl and the other is a Victoria’s Secret model. What is interesting is American Vogue ran this exact same style of cover a few years ago with Cara Delevingne, Joan Smalls and Karlie Kloss, so maybe it’s not that original, but it is a great cover.
- Cover stars: Taylor Hill and Bella Hadid
- Wearing: Christian Dior
