Just hours after Tidal’s announcement of Beyoncé’s forthcoming, long-awaited seventh studio album entitled “Renaissance,” the superstar has returned to one of fashion’s biggest covers: British Vogue. The multihyphenate’s evolution from one of pop culture’s most beloved stars to a creative force becomes even more evident in her July 2022 cover feature, in which she so graciously sits atop a horse while wearing a head-to-toe Alaïa look. The velvet gown, affixed with gloves, was made complete with a striking feathered headpiece by British American brand Harris Reed and Vivienne Lake, along with Eddie Borgo earrings. It was yet another masterpiece ensemble dreamed to life by her personal stylist, Marni Senofonte, in collaboration with British Vogue’s editor in chief, Edward Enninful.
Beyoncé and Senofonte have created many iconic fashion moments — including the shared style moment between the star and her oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, at the Oscars, dressed in head-to-toe neon green by David Koma and Adidas x Ivy Park — and this Vogue editorial is clearly no exception. Along with some of the industry’s most classic couture brands like Schiaparelli and Alaïa, the stylist also dressed the singer-songwriter in emerging labels that align with the shoot’s avant-garde theme, most notably Harris Reed.
“Mirror balls, light boxes, headdresses? Of course. A horse on the dance floor? Certainly.”
Along with the captivating headpiece from the cover, the singer’s all-black, leather look also featured platform knee-high boots from Reed’s first “H-Boots” collection, made with British footwear brand Roker. Reflecting on the opportunity, Reed captioned an Instagram post: “I grew up watching her videos in my room, getting every dance move down to the best of my ability, singing, crying and dancing, trying so hard to just luminate even 5% of the light she shines onto this world. . . . This one’s for my queers and people stepping out into this world being nothing less than who they truly are, loud, proud, and turning heads by using fashion as their weapon to invoke change, conversation and hope!”
The vision for the shoot, which highlights Beyoncé’s innate ability to turn a magazine cover into a monumental work of art and was photographed by Rafael Pavarotti, was described by Enninful: “A fashion fantasia spun from the tropes of club life during the last century’s final quarter. Mirror balls, light boxes, headdresses? Of course. A horse on the dance floor? Certainly. A motorcycle for her to adorn in Junya Watanabe leathers and Harris Reed & Roker boots? Why not. B wanted to play with fashion like never before, and as we swapped references (from the 1990s garage scene to ’80s excess), talked hair and beauty, and got to know her team, a vision of glittering retro-futurism began to take shape.”
Despite her steadfast and remarkable devotion to privacy, the “Be Alive” singer invited Enninful for a casual Sunday-night dinner at her LA home, having made good on a promise to work with the prolific editor once again following the collaboration on her December 2020 British Vogue covers. If this splashy feature is any indication of what’s to come from her upcoming album, then, as perfectly phrased on the cover, we’re certainly ready for Beyoncé to “turn up the heat” this summer. Bask in the beauty of her British Vogue outfits ahead.
