We now live amid a democracy of images. Every moment of every day, a kaleidoscopic river of visuals—from Instagram and thousands of other streaming-media sites—flows endlessly over us as we swipe through Crayola-colored nail art at the New York shows, then the wildflower headdresses of the Omo tribes of Ethiopia, then Cara Delevingne’s latest cheeky selfies. How we encounter style has been irrevocably changed—and has irrevocably changed how we dress. It isn’t about pronouncements from on high, it’s about rhythm and speed and individuality. It’s about egalitarianism. What follows, then, is a new kind of portfolio—one that brings together the designers, models, and personalities who, through their vision and the courage of their aesthetic convictions, are defining the fashion of our era.
Read the entire spread and more from the September issue now via Amazon or by picking it up in Target stores. The issue officially hits newsstands on August 25.
Watch Beyoncé’s interpretive look at the September cover story: