Margot Robbie & Nicole Kidman Cover The Latest Issue Of British Vogue

For his debut as the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, Edward Enninful gave readers what they'd been waiting for. A shrewd choice to feature mixed-race British supermodel-in-the-making Adwoa Aboah on his first issue marked a pivotal point in the magazine's history, heralding the start of a #NewVogue era. At last, British Vogue was dynamic, directional and, most importantly, diverse. The acclaimed debut was followed by a second issue covered by American pop superstar Taylor Swift and, yesterday evening, Enninful revealed his third cover, starring Australian actresses Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.

Entitled "Hollywood's New Era", the shoot in the February issue, available from Friday 5th January, lands just before awards season, celebrating stars of the big screen – both established and emerging – in a "Best Performances" portfolio, intriguingly co-produced with W magazine where Enninful was formerly creative director. Cover stars Margot Robbie (wearing a pink Louis Vuitton dress with peach LaCrasia gloves) and Nicole Kidman (wearing a fuchsia Dior dress and matching LaCrasia pink gloves) feature alongside Saoirse Ronan, Emma Stone, Gal Gadot and Hong Chau, as well as "13 more of the year’s greatest performers".

Rather ironically, considering the predominantly white lineup, a second cover line refers to an article in the magazine called “Why We Need To Talk About Race.” With Enninful's appointment came the hope of a bold new direction for the style bible, offering considerably more representation following Alexandra Shulman's 25-year-editorship, which unapologetically lacked diversity, as well as radical, inspired imagery from the super stylist. Now, after revealing another cover of yet more white, blonde celebrities, some have questioned whether much has moved on from Shulman's reign.

Speaking about the new issue, Enninful explained in a press statement: "When I first decided that Vogue should put together a star-filled portfolio featuring the biggest names in current cinema to mark the exceptional 2017/18 awards season, who knew Hollywood would soon be top of the global news agenda. It was clear to me that the mood needed to change. That it was a time for honesty. Enter photographer Juergen Teller, my long-time collaborator and the world’s most gifted documenter of celebrity at its most intimate and off-duty. Over four days in Los Angeles it was great to spend time with him and some of today’s amazing talents as they look to reshape how Hollywood does business in a post-Weinstein world, including cover stars Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman – two of the most straight-talking professionals I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with."

But in a "post-Weinstein world", where we are at last striving to overcome the archaic, deplorable opinions that have ruled Hollywood for so long – from systemic sexism to institutional racism – would this not have been the perfect opportunity to recognise less obvious and more diverse stars of the screen? And after a first issue that proudly celebrated British talent, we might have hoped to see a Brit actress on the cover, or at least a British fashion brand.

Many will be quick to criticise Enninful for his predictable cover choices for the January and February issues. However, as one of the greatest visionaries in fashion publishing and someone who has tirelessly championed inclusivity with arresting, boundary-breaking images throughout his career, from i-D to Vogue Italia and W, there's hope yet of Enninful coming into his stride and transforming British Vogue into the diverse, definitive style title it ought to be. Perhaps Enninful doesn't want to alienate the loyal fanbase Shulman and her team built up over the past quarter of a century, or perhaps he wants to ensure that Vogue shifts as many copies as possible at a time when print media is in decline, by selecting the world's biggest names to star on the cover. Regardless, he must soon offer us the #NewVogue we were promised in order for it to truly prosper.

The latest issue also includes a first look at how to style SS18 trends and a final interview with iconic designer Azzedine Alaïa. Even if the cover shoot is somewhat underwhelming, the magazine does guarantee a touching read on the legendary couturier who passed away unexpectedly in November 2017. Here's hoping that March's issue provides us with the unexpected, creative and compelling cover we so desperately want and need from Enninful for Vogue.