Bey in Adidas x Ivy Park
This cover showcases Beyonce's own clothing line, and does a great job of it -- the shape of this is fantastic. I'm also surprised by how well this color palette works together.
Bey in McQueen
Predictably, I wish she had a bold red lip to play off the sleeves. A squat is, I think, a really tough pose to pull off, and this is one of the better ones. It is, again, meticulously arranged -- the way her legs line up with her arms and shoulders feels microscopically managed, so that they almost become beside the point; the story is the volume of the jacket and her head.
Bey in Mugler
People went nuts for this one online. Objectively, I'm never going to love Mugler, and I think I like the first one here better, AND I keep seeing her leg and saying to myself, "It's a major award!" But: A HUGE salute to Beyonce for the fact that she can hold this pose and make it look relaxed. Like she was just warming up for an erotic aerobics class and glanced over at the lens. And no doubt the finished cover is arresting,. You can't look away from her.