We’re going to be getting some major Vogue drama here in America, with Beyonce set to cover the September issue, and Beyonce requiring Vogue to hire their FIRST black cover photographer. But Edward Enninful wasn’t going to let American Vogue have all the groundbreaking glory. Enninful has been stressing diversity ever since he took over the editorship at British Vogue. And now he’s decided to put Rihanna on British Vogue’s September cover. Rihanna is the first black woman to appear on the September cover in the magazine’s history.
Rihanna was shot by Nick Knight – who does a lot of the editorials for rock stars – and she was styled by Enninful himself. Enninful decided to do these razor-thin brows, which I’m still trying to figure out. How do I feel about them? How do you feel about them? For years now, we’ve been told by the fashion industry that bigger brows are “in,” that we should all want big, thick hirsute brows to make us all look younger. That style has been taken to a ridiculous level, as even reality stars are filling in their brows to basically look like Sasquatch’s Botoxed cousin. Maybe Rihanna is signaling a new trend: razor thin brows. Minimalist. Dietrich. Simple. Elegant? You can see the British Vogue preview here.
Rihanna posted some of the images on her social media too. I love all the headpieces. That’s something that isn’t said about Rihanna enough: she has a face for hats and dramatic headpieces. Of course, she has a face which can pull off just about anything (even bangs, dare I say).
SEPTEMBER ISSUE!!! @britishvogue
I’m so honored to be on the cover of your first September issue with British Vogue @edward_enninful Thank you for considering me! pic.twitter.com/ur3UlWoIXf— Rihanna (@rihanna) July 31, 2018
September issue @britishvogue .
I finally got to work with Nick Knight for the first time! Legend. @edward_enninful get yours on Aug. 3 pic.twitter.com/aW2dACru93— Rihanna (@rihanna) July 31, 2018
Photos courtesy of Nick Knight for British Vogue.
Rihanna looks gorgeous and edgy as ever and it was a good move to launch those pics way before Beyonce launchs hers.
She’s stunning and beautiful here, but I am not feeling the ultra-thin brows though.
ITA. She looks gorgeous but I’m not into the super-thin brows at all. Mind you, I’ve always had thicker eyebrows, so I’m a bit biased I guess, hahaha.
I’m with you guys. My brows are naturally reasonably full (although they fell out when I was under a ton of stress at work and never got back to their youthful glory) and waxing them down was a pain to maintain. Full Brows FTW!
Rihanna can pull off anything, but I’m questioning those brows hard. It’s like there’s a big bald spot around the brow where there should be hair.
She looks gorgeous as usual, but those bizarre eyebrows are distracting. Definitely needs to thicken them up
The makeup is just a 1920/1930s inspired look – like Dietrich as mentioned, or Jean Harlow. Razor thin, drawn-on brows are an essential component. I don’t think it’s meant to signal a new trend now, but it looks great as a temporary throwback on Rihanna!
@ Beth—my words exactly. They are a bit distracting. She has such a powerful lip with that gorgeous lipstick, and her stunning eyes, but I keep seeing the eyebrows. I know this is an editorial look, though. There’s bound to be some artistic quality added to the mix.
I wonder if Kevyn Aucoin were still alive, would he do this type of look on her with the brows?
Yup. Love the look, hate the brows.
Same!
The brows make her look like an old timey movie star.
Honestly, I kind of like the brows with the whole look. No one would wear those on the street—I hope.
I know two older ladies, one in her early sixties and one in her late seventies, who no longer have eyebrows because they plucked them so thin in their youth, and instead wear pencil like this. When I was younger, there were a lot more older women with these eyebrows. To me, they are hideous.
I wouldn’t wear them and I hope no sane person would. I like the exaggerated look for this photo spread.
I wonder if they simply put makeup over her real brows or photoshopped them out. Because it’s dangerous to pluck away your eyebrows — they may never grow back.
I love the cover, Rihanna is really gorgeous.
I love the cover, too. The colors and gloves are amazing! Her face is so incredibly beautiful, and it works so well with the flowers and the gloves. Gorgeous.
JUST AMAZING.
Wow, Rihanna is a really interesting high fashion model. I’m not big on fashion but that picture of her in the pink…top thing? I can’t even figure out her body positioning which is fascinating and interesting to look at. Is her torso facing the camera or the side? I can’t tell!
But the brows are blech.
If you ask me who is my favorite supermodel…. I will tell you it Rihanna. She is in the wrong line of work.
I came here to say the same thing. What? How? I can’t figure out her body in that photo!
Also not bothered by her eyebrows — obviously it’s for an editorial look, and I love the throwback to Jean Harlow.
Rihanna and those floral headpieces are gorgeous.
Don’t love the brows, I hope that doesn’t become a trend again.
Her body awareness in pictures is amazing. She looks so effortless doing these poses, I would look like a wobbly and awkward giraffe if I even tried 😂
She is really a great model. The headpieces are something that will stand out among the other covers too.
She looks gorgeous. I don’t think I would like the brows in real life, but they work in the cover photo.
also, first black woman on the September cover for british vogue? like…..its good that these barriers are being broken, but come on Vogue. They should have been broken years ago.
That was a shocking revelation. First ever in 2018? I’m stunned.
Deleted because N. Campbell has been on B. Vogue cover, just not September.
I leave my eyebrows mostly natural, though I have them threaded once a month for a slight cleanup. They are not overly thick. I would never do the thin eyebrows. She looks beautiful as always though.
Jaw droppingly gorgeous. These brows irl would be alarming for sure… but it totally works for the editorial. Absolute perfection!
Love the shoot, it’s interesting looking. And the colors are fun. Not a fan of the brow. They are a bit distracting here.
I dislike both extreme trends when it comes to eyebrows. Ones that fit the face of the wearer are the ones that look best.
I’m with you. Neither extreme is flattering. There’s a new brow color/brush product TV commercial and the BEFORE application is soooo much better.
Agree. I get what look they were going for but it is just too extreme to be beautiful to me, especially considering how beautiful even other element is. She is stunning.
Forever Team Thick Brows, but Rob can rock any type. I even think she’d look great without any eyebrows.
Wait, what? Hasn’t Naomi Campbell been on numerous Vogue (UK and US) covers?
This is for the September issue. So its a smaller pool than just “Vogue covers,” but STILL.
Sorry, Becks1, maybe I’m just being slow here, but what’s the significance of it being the September issue? Is it regarded as a particularly special edition? Or is it just that a black woman has never featured on the cover of a UK September issue before? Thanks for your patience!
Anyway, Rih looks absolutely stunning and I love her shout out to the equally incredible Nick Knight.
Its the biggest issue of the year for Vogue. Being on the September cover is a REALLY big deal. there’s a documentary on….Netflix maybe….about it that’s pretty interesting. It’s the only issue that is talked about that way – “the September issue.”
Ah. I knew I must be missing something. Thanks.
Skylark, (I could totally be wrong), but in the US I think there is a HUGE amount of money spent on fashion between the early fall (when school/college starts up) which continues into the winter when people start celebrating the holidays.
For myself, I know I have been programed to feel that fall = shopping because of back-to-school traditions. Each fall became to feel like that time when you could recreate your style. You could start the school year off as an improved version of yourself, setting a different tone with your new wardrobe.
Fashion magazines September issues are typically the largest issues of the year, with the most ads and pages.
LORD I love those pictures. She looks stunning. And these pictures say FASHION. Not celebrity. These are the kids of pictures I expect to see on the cover of a Fashion magazine. And she looks Gorgeous. even if I don’t like the brows. but they work for this look.
Amazing!
I’m not feeling the orange gardening gloves…
God compare these pictures to anything Gigi, Bella, or Kendall have ever done. They’re pretty girls but this is fashion. Some of those poses! The brows are hideous for every day wear but it looks great for editorial.
First black woman for September UK, first back photographer for September US issue – wtf Vogue?!
I thought Naomi has done it before. Naomi Campbell is a legend in the industry and she’s British.
This is WOW!! High FASHION Realness. Go Rih Rih 🙂
If things were square and fair it would be Her on the American Vogue September Issue cover, not beyonce.
I love both Bey and Rich and I’m so happy for them, but I’m immensely annoyed by all these firsts in the year 2018. The fashion industry has GOT to do better.
As for the brows, they’re just for a photoshoot, it’s not as if she’ll start walking around with razor thin brows every day.
I love these pictures. She is just amazing and can carry almost any look. There’s an element of fun and pleasure she manages to convey even when she’s giving fierce model face. There’s no dead eye happening with her. I love her.
What the heck did they do to her eyebrows? She looks great but those eyebrows are a fail.
Love, love, all the outfits and the way she is styled. Can’t stop looking!
I can’t believe the, ‘First black cover.’ Regardless of issue month, it’s sickening how in 2018 we’re still having black firsts. Shameful. She looks regal. And she blows our lot of IG models out of the water.
Let’s not forget that there has been some firsts already years ago. Naomi was the first black model on French Vogue and on Time magazine. QUEEN. Also she’s been on British Vogue as well.
Naomi was 1st black woman on US Vogue September issue—1988 I think. Anna Wintour’s 1st September issue.
Is this going to sell here in the US? I need a copy @_@
I love the eyebrows as an editorial look. You have to be really striking looking to be able to pull them off. Rihanna looks stunning.
It’s a classic Hollywood based look and Karen Elson had a similar look in the late 90s. These pictures remind me of some of the editorials Elson did for American Vogue around 1997, 1998
Not Dietrich or Harlow’l try Josephine Baker… we are celebrating blackness I doubt he was channeling the blondes
i would love to see some videos of bts of these shoots!
I’m late on my way back from my lunch break, but I had to stop to say this- PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO BRING BACK THE SUPER THIN BROW LOOK! Just say no! Riri looks like a goddess as usual!
Hopefully her real eyebrows are under the makeup. I watched a 1930’s movie last night and the brows were like this.
Just no, but she’s looking good otherwise.
I am confused. Why put the first black woman on cover and make her into some 21 century geisha? The make up, the head pieces, the outfits…
*shrugs* It’s “fashion”. She wears it well though.
Love the cover and Rihanna but hate the eyebrows. It gives me the impression you are forever suprised and it is also an expensive trend. Waxing them every week for maintenance? Nah ain’t going to happen for me.
Stunning!
Love the brows in the full shot. (Though can’t figure out the body).
Those HATS (headpieces?)!!! They were smart to do a razor thin brow with the headpieces. Full brows would have been distracting. This is going me 1930s Hollywood costume drama vibes. She is stunning and everything about this shoot is fierce. I doubt razor thin brows will stage a comeback, people are scarred for life from plucking them in the 90s. But in the age of Trump, never say never.
Unpopular opinion, Rhi is beautiful but she is NOT a black model. She is biracial (Fenty, father is of Irish origin.) She has blue eyes for Lawds sake. This is hurtful to true black models, and I don’t mean that to take away from the fact that Rhi is of black origin but she is also of white origin, and I know America sees these things differently (race is literally seen as more black and white and I understand that) but as a non-American, I’ve always seen Rhi as very clearly biracial. This erasure is actually quite offensive I think to black women who might not be put on the cover without Rhi’s lighter skin and eyes. It also can make black women insecure when this is the representation of black women they are encouraged to connect with, which doesn’t look like many of them do.