Can you hear the trumpets heralding her arrival? Adele is back — with a vengeance, with an album, and with two simultaneous Vogue covers. Just days after global landmarks were illuminated with cryptic projections of the number 30, the “Hello” singer dropped a video teaser on social media for a new single, from upcoming album 30. To further celebrate the major return, both British Vogue and U.S. Vogue dropped sister issues with her on the cover, and the only thing better than her revealing, intimate interview, are the accompanying shoots’ beauty looks. Adele’s Vogue cover hair, in particular, is worth screenshotting, saving, pinning, printing — the ‘80s-esque height and volume is one definitely worth recreating as soon as possible.
But the fun part is how different her looks in the U.K. issue are compared to their American counterparts. In the U.K. edition, the photos are bombastic, with over-the-top with hair to match. Her locks are voluminous and almost always in-motion in the images, billowing dramatically around her sculpted face. Her clothing, too, seems to be reflective of a late ’70s, early ‘80s aesthetic, which is actually quite on trend considering how the celebrity-approved fluffy hair trend has been taking off.
The gorgeous cover image, featuring the star in a canary-yellow Vivienne Westwood corset, was photographed by Steven Meisel, with her hair styled by the acclaimed Guido Palau. Pat McGrath worked on Adele’s makeup for the issue, using a slew of her own best-selling products like the Pat McGrath Dark Star Mascara, UltraGlide Lip Pencil in Buff, and the new Blush + Glow Trip in Galactic Sun.
Back stateside, Adele’s American Vogue spread couldn’t be any more different. While the British shoot is a study in highly-curated glamour, Vogue U.S. opted for Old Hollywood-inspired hair and makeup that seem to tell a story of a fictional celebrity through the photos. In one set of pictures, it’s the classic “on-set star” setup featuring Adele mid-glam. Hair pinned up in rollers (courtesy of hairstylist Akki Shirakawa) while she, fully made-up and manicured, sips through a straw while maintaining flirtatious eye contact.
In another setup, she’s the “off-duty star” in a structured yet unassuming button-down, blazer, and bouncy, hot roller waves. Finally, we see Adele as the capital S Star in full couture regalia, hoisted up (quite literally) above the rest on a raised platform. Considering much of the interview is about her unique relationship to celebrity and her reemergence into the public eye, the shoot is full of fitting motifs.
Regardless of which issue you prefer, there’s one thing everyone can agree on: Adele’s return might just be one of the most exciting things to happen — both to music, beauty and fashion — in a while.
