As our Summer issue arrives on newsstands today, I’ve been thinking about the idea that connects so many of the stories inside: American narratives. It was a theme we started with—inspired by the country’s sesquicentennial—and it helped give shape to what became a big, beautiful issue. These days it can be hard to get a sense of a printed magazine over the course of a weeks-long digital rollout, so I wanted to call out my favorite stories here.
As we worked, we kept returning to a simple question: what does it mean to be American right now? Even familiar symbols—like the American flag—can feel newly charged, which is why we collaborated with the CFDA on a project commissioning designers to reimagine state flags, offering fresh perspectives on some of the country’s most recognizable imagery.
Elsewhere, on our cover, America’s sweetheart Gracie Abrams reflects on life, love, and the experiences that inspired her forthcoming album, and throughout the issue, you’ll meet people helping to shape America’s cultural landscape: artist Betye Saar, now 100, whose work is being newly exhibited here in New York; New Mexico’s Deb Haaland, who is running to be the country’s first Native American female governor; American designer Michael Rider, who has begun a new chapter at Celine; and director Saheem Ali, whose reimagining of Romeo and Juliet brings a classic story to the American border.
One of my favorite features takes readers across Texas with photographer Tyler Mitchell and editor Carlos Nazario, who assembled an extraordinary cast to celebrate the state’s creativity, character, and sense of community. And as the world has turned its attention to soccer this summer, we spent time with members of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team as they reflect on the honor—and pressure—of representing their country on the global stage.
I love the portrait of our country that these stories offer–creative, complex, and constantly evolving. I hope you’ll pick up an issue and start exploring! |
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“It feels like me in progress,” Abrams says of her new album, Daughter from Hell, out July 17, 2026. |
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More from our Summer issue cover star |
In partnership with the national nonpartisan organization America250 and Rockefeller Center, Vogue and the CFDA tapped a diverse array of American designers, inviting them to reinterpret the flags of all of the USA’s states and territories—and Washington, DC. Before the big celebration next month, they were photographed by Don Brodie for Vogue’s Summer Issue. |
“Let’s Get It On: The Wearable Art of Betye Saar” is running at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles from May 30 through August 22, 2026. |
American has never had an Indigenous woman as governor. The question Haaland’s campaign poses is: What might that mean? |
With three acclaimed collections, Michael Rider is doing what Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane did before him: Celine is once more fashion’s most-wanted label. |
A cross-cultural production, directed by Saheem Ali, opens at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater this week. |
We set off across Texas on a sprawling mission: to document and pay tribute to the state’s dancers, ranchers, cowboys and rodeo riders, designers, church choirs, marching bands, and models—in short, the communities and characters rewriting the American narrative. |
What happens when Vogue asks six key members of the U.S. World Cup team to join model Imaan Hammam for a stylish kick around? |
One writer with a lifelong reverence for potatoes commits herself to a quest: finding the variety of her dreams. |
George Lucas and Mellody Hobson on the massive new architectural icon—housing their personal collection of art and artifacts—opening in September 2026 |
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