Intro for August 14, 2025

Dear Gossips,   

A few weeks ago I speculated about who would cover the September 2025 issue of American Vogue. September in magazine publishing is the all-important issue, usually the biggest issue, though obviously not as big as before when you’d go to the newsstand and it would feel almost like a book. 

Though social media has greatly eroded the influence of the print magazine, covering Vogue, any Vogue and any month, is still a big deal for celebrities, but especially American Vogue and especially plus-plus-plus the September issue. Add on to that the fact that this was likely Anna Wintour’s last September issue as the editor and you can appreciate that there was some expectation. At least until Taylor Swift decided to make this week all about her, lol. 

So it turns out it’s Emma Stone, who was not on my list but definitely meets the criteria since she’s kicking off promotion for Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia, which is world premiering in competition in Venice at the end of the month and officially making a play for award season. Emma is a longtime Louis Vuitton ambassador and she is styled throughout the Vogue spread in LV, custom-designed by Nicolas Ghesquière.

I love all the clothes, especially the knit two piece below and the dress in the slide immediately afterwards with the caped top and the high collar. 

The black jacket she’s wearing on the cover is also really great. But the cover itself is underwhelming. There’s no scale to it for a September issue. It feels… small. And it didn’t have to be small. There are other images from this shoot that are not small. Like these: 

In the second slide, Emma appears to be on the roof of the Palais de Papes in Avignon, France. So they had the opportunity for a sweeping, majestic shot on the cover, and it ended up being a pretty generic portrait. Not saying she doesn’t look great and I do love this hair on her, it’s just that the cover isn’t giving much grandeur. 

And the interview isn’t giving either which, these days, is to be expected. There’s a lot here about why Emma is a two-time Oscar winner, her commitment to her projects, quotes from her famous friends like Jennifer Lawrence about how even though she’s so successful she always feels like the other shoe is about to drop. And while it’s mentioned that Emma is playful and quirky and we know that there’s a funky edge to her personality, most of that has been muted for this interview. It’s serviceable and unmemorable and flat and that’s not a criticism of the writer but rather, once again, how so many celebrities approach the celebrity profile now in general. There’s not much for a writer to work with. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey