Opulent staircases and abstract hats abound in Tyler Mitchell's Beyoncé shoot for the new issue of US Vogue

The internet found itself aflutter last week when rumours that Tyler Mitchell was set to shoot the cover story for this year’s September issue of Vogue began to circulate. Happily, and unlike most rumours, this one turned out to be true, and the Brooklyn-based photographer’s work adorns the fashion magazine’s annual late-summer extravaganza. Oh, and he’s taken photos of someone called Beyoncé.

Beyoncé herself was ceded an unprecedented level of control over the issue, with the publication’s long-running head honcho Anna Wintour bestowing the singer with temporary editorial superpowers. These include a front cover shot by a black photographer, which has never previously happened in the magazine’s 126 year history.

Tyler’s shots show Beyoncé larking about in a garden like a post-post-modern Venus, lounging on a rather opulent staircase, and wearing an array of stylishly abstract hats. Shot with the kind of confidence that only a 23 year old who has already worked with Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, and Ray-Ban can possess, they’re set to become instantly iconic images of a pop star in her imperial phase.

The singer and actress posted a series of photos from the shoot on her Instagram account yesterday evening. If you want to pore over them in a physical format, the September 2018 issue of Vogue will be on the shelves of any half-decent newsagent very soon.