12 times Anna Wintour created a cultural moment through the cover of Vogue
The March 2009 issue starring Michelle Obama was only the second time a first lady had appeared on the cover of the magazine, after Hillary Clinton in 1998. Obama would go on to feature on the cover twice more. Here, she appears in a magenta Jason Wu dress, the same designer behind her inaugural ball gown.
April 2014
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's appearance on the April 2014 cover of Vogue, shot by Annie Leibovitz, was a watershed moment for the magazine. For years, the publication had sought to distance itself from the ostensibly low-brow world of reality television that had given birth to the Kardashian empire.
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'Kim and Kanye were a part of the conversation of the day. And for Vogue not to recognise that would have been a big misstep. You are leading, not following – and that's a very important lesson to always keep in your mind,' Wintour has since said.
Published a month before the now-divorced couple's nuptials, Kardashian appears in a white Lanvin dress, her lavish engagement ring front and centre, with West's arms wrapped around her.
March 2018
The March 2018 issue, starring actor Alicia Vikander, may seem fairly innocuous at first, but the cover was criticised for its use of Photoshop, with Vikander's arm appearing rather long. Throughout her tenure at Vogue, Wintour faced backlash for what were sometimes perceived to be overly airbrushed photo shoots, particularly of older figures like Hillary Clinton. Wintour has defended her use of Photoshop, stating it is only ever used to airbrush small 'imperfections' but not to make women appear thinner.
September 2018
In September 2018, Beyoncé appeared on the cover of Vogue, shot by Tyler Mitchell, the first-ever African American photographer to produce a cover for the magazine.
'It's important to me that I help open doors for younger artists. There are so many cultural and societal barriers to entry that I like to do what I can to level the playing field, to present a different point of view for people who may feel like their voices don't matter,' said Beyoncé of her decision to work with the then 23-year-old Mitchell.
December 2020
Gracing the December 2020 issue of Vogue in a black tuxedo jacket and Gucci lace dress, pop star Harry Style's appearance was notable for two reasons: he was the first man to grace the magazine's cover solo, and he was both criticised and lauded for his championing of gender-fluid fashion.
Despite the controversy, the cover certainly cemented Styles as a fashion icon, who was voted GQ' s 'Most Stylish Man of the Year 2020' and included in The Business of Fashion 's 'Class of 2022″ index.
His blue Gucci dress appeared in the Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear exhibition at London's Victoria & Albert Museum.
October 2024
In October 2024, then vice president and democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris appeared on the cover of Vogue for the second time.
Shot by Annie Lebovitz, Harris wore her own chocolate brown suit under the cover line 'the candidate for our times' – a clear political endorsement from the publication.
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