Harper's Bazaar September 2023

THERE TRULY IS NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT, but one of the great challenges of life in 2023 seems to be finding ways to actually be present—wholly and fully immersed in the moment. And this is quite a moment we’re in right now. We’re no longer living in the past; that much is evident. But it also often feels as if we haven’t quite reached the future. Crucial new doors are being opened, but others always seem to be closing. One day can appear to be the dawn of a new era, then the next seems like an unsettling return to old, antiquated ways. The world feels smaller but also more divided. We’re dreaming and reckoning. Things begin and end. We’re forced to start over—again. Some people get tired. Some…

FEATURING DOJA CAT NIA DACOSTA GRETA LEE ZAYA WADE JUSTIN JONES JUSTIN J. PEARSON KENDALL JENNER PARRIS GOEBEL JAMES WHITESIDE PAUL MESCAL LEILA MOTTLEY GOLSHIFTEH FARAHANI TEYANA TAYLOR ANGEL REESE…

One of the things I’ve come to really value about putting together our annual Icons issue is that it gives us an opportunity to think about what inspires us in the moment. What struck me most about the subjects in this year’s portfolio, photographed by Mario Sorrenti, is how many of them are outliers. They are people who have each found a way to break into the mainstream current of their respective fields, but they have each also altered or redirected that current in a way that has transformed it for all those who come after them. Our cover subjects are all prime examples. A decade into a career that’s seen her rise to the apex of the industry, Kendall Jenner has redefined what it means to be a supermodel…

“When something is ICONIC, it’s RECOGNIZABLE to people who don’t have detailed knowledge of it,” says SAMPHA. “It TRANSCENDS a generational BOUNDARY or the BORDERS of a discipline.” This fall, the British singer, songwriter, and producer, known for his wildly original cross-pollination of genres, will release Lahai, his first solo project since 2017’s Process, featuring a mix of West African folk, jungle, classical, and soul music. “During Covid, I interrogated spirituality, transcendence, and immanence and what they mean to me,” he says, “so this album connects the dots between my past, future, and present.” Since dropping his debut EP, Sundanza, in 2010, Sampha has been tapped by the likes of Sbtrkt, Kendrick Lamar, and Drake to work his singular magic on their tracks. “I enjoy being of service when I…

1 LISTEN TO MID AIR Examining relationships, identity, and sexuality, the debut solo album from the xx’s Romy Madley Croft is an ode to the queer clubs where she found community and includes 11 ethereal dance-pop tracks, like the Fred Again–produced single “Loveher,” about the beauty and intimacy of falling in love. 2 SEE POOR THINGS Out September 8, director Yorgos Lanthimos’s latest film follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman who is brought back from the dead by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Itching to see the world and liberated from the prejudices of her 19th-century era, Bella runs off with a slick lawyer, Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), for an adventure of self-discovery. 3 REFINE YOUR FALL OUTERWEAR Add definition to an overcoat or trench by cinching…

WHY DON’T YOU…? Add a personal touch with a WHIMSICAL BROOCH.…