Michaela Coel has received her due recognition as Vogue's November 2022 cover star [1]. A year after winning her first Emmy [2] (and making history in the process), the British screenwriter brought Vogue's team to Accra, Ghana's capital city, for the shoot, marking a new set location for the brand. "They asked me where I would like to shoot it," she said in a video [3] posted on the magazine's Instagram page. "I thought to myself, 'Shoot for the stars. Aim for the moon.' I said Ghana." Enter her historic cover.
Coel posed in an illuminating yellow sequinned gown designed by Alessandro Michele for Gucci [4]. The high-octane garment boasted a prominent keyhole cutout attached to the high neckline by a crystal rhinestone brooch, which matched her hoop earrings. In line with Michele's penchant for frills and embellishments, the gown's sleeves were trimmed with soft pink feathers for a whimsical effect.
The rest of the cover shoot was just as stunning, if not more resonant than the main image, as it featured different scenes from Ghana. In a particularly standout photograph, Coel showcased a black-and-white polka-dot Gucci suit against a backdrop of pedestrians carrying a range of merchandise. She teamed the power ensemble with a white Michael Kors fur coat, blue gloves, and white lace-up boots from Gucci. In another shot, she modelled with her father and grandmother in a hot-pink blazer and eye-catching Louis Vuitton dress. She also posed in a black Louis Vuitton jacket worn over a multicolour Christopher John Rogers suit.
In conversation with Vogue writer Chioma Nnadi, the "I May Destroy You [5]" creator discussed her upcoming role in "Black Panther [6]: Wakanda Forever," touching on the aftermath of Chadwick Boseman's death and the importance of representing a queer Ghanian character. "That sold me on the role, the fact that my character's queer. I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana," she said. "People say, 'Oh, it's fine, it's just politics.' But I don't think it is just politics when it affects how people get to live their daily lives."
Ahead, preview some of the images, and catch the full story here [7].
Michaela Coel in Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Check Mille Feuille Dress
Louis Vuitton Check Mille Feuille Dress [9] (£6,600)
Michaela Coel in Saint Laurent and Christopher John Rogers
Michaela Coel in Burberry and Gucci
Michael Coel in Undercover and Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello
Michaela Coel in Gucci on Vogue's November 2022 Cover
