It seems fashion photography has finally moved past the era of simply placing a celebrity in front of a plain backdrop and expecting everyone to be satisfied. Lately, covers have become something you actually want to look at. Not only because of the celebrities in the frame, but because of the sets, strange lighting, painted backgrounds, theatricality and the feeling that someone genuinely thought through the shoot.
After Rihanna, Madonna, Kim Kardashian and Olivia Rodrigo from the previous selection, another wave of strong visuals has arrived. And this time, too, there is plenty to talk about: Sandra Bullock in an almost gothic fairytale, Kylie Jenner in a blurred cold-toned aesthetic, Olivia Rodrigo as the heroine of an old garden, Sarah Pidgeon in Prada and Anya Taylor-Joy in garments made of paper.
Sandra Bullock for Interview
Let’s start with Sandra Bullock, because her new Interview shoot feels like a very strong return to major magazine imagery. The issue was released in September 2026, photographed by Szilveszter Makó and styled by Lisa Jarvis. In the feature, Sandra speaks with Jennifer Aniston about returning to the public eye, Practical Magic 2 and life after a long pause.
Visually, this is pure Makó. Dark rooms, painted sets, the feeling of a theatrical box, a black cat, green walls, a blue mass of fur on the body. Sandra does not look like an actress doing promo for a new film. She looks like a character from an old dark fairytale who accidentally walked into a fashion magazine.
And it works especially well with her image. For years, Sandra Bullock has existed in culture as a very human, very familiar, very American heroine. Here, she is placed inside a cold, strange, almost witchy space. It does not break her image. It gives it a more grown-up, darker version.
Olivia Rodrigo in Szilveszter Makó’s Lens Again
New day, new Szilveszter Makó shoot. This time with Olivia Rodrigo for Vogue Philippines September/October 2026.
And at this point, it is almost funny, because his style is starting to appear everywhere. A little more and we will all recognise his backgrounds faster than the faces of the people in them. But for now, it is still beautiful.
With Olivia, this aesthetic works more softly than it does with Sandra. Painted trees, dark plant silhouettes, a pink dress, a silver look, something slightly fairytale-like and slightly museum-like. She does not look like a pop star in the usual sense. She looks like the heroine of an old illustration that someone brought to life and put in heels.
The only thing I want to say to Makó is: please slow down a little. Because when beauty appears too often, it risks turning into a filter. Although with his major Bauhaus Ballet exhibition ahead, the pace is probably partly understandable.
Kylie Jenner for Who What Wear
Kylie Jenner for Who What Wear is its own kind of pleasure. In the feature The Reinvention of Kylie Jenner, Aidan Zamiri was responsible for the visual direction.
And you can really feel the hand of someone who knows how to work with a pop-cultural image. They do not try to turn Kylie into a serious actress or a new intellectual. They take her as a media figure and place her in a cold, blurred, almost music-video-like space.
A blue wig, grain, soft focus, black texture in the clothing. It all looks like a frame from an early 2000s sci-fi music video, but without obvious nostalgic clownery. Kylie is not fighting her image here. She is simply given a new temperature.
And that is probably the best thing a magazine can do with her: not explain why she matters, but shoot her in a way that makes it visible from the first frame.
Vogue Portugal and José Santana
Next, a very good visual from Vogue Portugal. The September issue We Are The Pattern features an editorial with Valeriia Maiboroda.
And here, I simply want to say: beautiful. No grand drama, no need for a long explanation. A large black hood, doll-like makeup, red lips, an almost unnaturally pale face. The cover looks like a fashion version of a porcelain figurine accidentally found in an old box of theatre props.
The contrast works especially well: the fragile, almost childlike plasticity of the face against the harsh graphic pattern around it. This is one of those cases where the idea of the issue is not just written on the cover. It is built into the image.
Sarah Pidgeon for Vogue Singapore
Sarah Pidgeon for Vogue Singapore is a very doll-like, very clean and very cautious story. She became the cover star of the September issue Beyond The New, photographed by Dan Beleiu. The cover credits include Prada.
And here I have mixed feelings. Sarah looks beautiful. The pose with the legs up, the green accent, the sheer black fabric, the blonde hair - it is all glossy and light. But Prada, in this particular case, takes away a bit of air.
I would love to see her in something less correct. Something that slightly ruins this polished beauty. Because Sarah has the kind of face that can handle stranger styling. Here, everything is pretty, but maybe too controlled.
Anya Taylor-Joy for V Magazine
And finally - Anya Taylor-Joy for V Magazine. This one is truly a visual gift.
For V162, she was photographed by Nick Knight and styled by Anna Trevelyan. The concept is built around paper: for the shoot, the actress wore original pieces created entirely from paper by seven designers.
And it is insanely beautiful precisely because of her appearance. Anya has this icy, almost inhuman quality that can easily feel cold in the wrong hands. But Nick Knight uses it perfectly. Paper becomes not just a material, but an extension of her image: sharp, fragile, pale, almost transparent.
In one frame, she looks like a giant white flower against a black background. In another, like a creature made of sheets, light and air. And this is that rare case where a complex concept does not look like a student exercise on “materiality.” It actually works.
