Camila Mendes fronted Who What Wear’s June 2026 issue in four distinct looks. Highlights include a glossy green patent Saint Laurent coat and a fringed Missoni knit. The studio portraits are cinematic.
If you’re going to do a magazine cover story, commit to the mood. Camila Mendes did exactly that for the June 2026 digital issue of Who What Wear, photographed by Gleeson Paulino in a set of four distinct, high-drama looks. The visual thread across all four outfits is texture – varying degrees of shine, fringe, and pattern that never feel like a single note. It’s a smart editorial strategy because each image lands a different punch but they still feel like part of the same story.
Camila Mendes in Missoni Fringed Knit – Tactile Drama
The opening image is the most texturally aggressive. Mendes is wearing a Missoni piece that’s less a dress and more a spill of material. The garment is defined by long, metallic tinsel fringe in gold and olive tones, layered over a deep-V bodice. The sleeves are wide and kimono-style, falling open to reveal her arms as she sits on a dark leather sofa.
What makes this one work is how the fringe catches the warm studio light. Notice how the gold strands hang in vertical columns rather than tangling – that’s intentional construction, not accident. She’s wearing a choker with a small, polished center stone and stacked rings on her right hand. Bare legs, bare feet in the first frame, then a pair of pointed red mules on the floor in the second. The contrast between the heavy, textural top half and the bare skin below keeps the look from feeling weighed down. Camila Mendes in editorial styling often leans into this kind of deliberate excess, and here it’s fully earned.
Camila Mendes in Black Saint Laurent – Structured Gloss
The second look is a complete pivot. She’s lying across the same leather sofa in a black Saint Laurent piece that’s almost liquid in its finish. The fabric is high-shine and deeply pleated, with a high, gathered neckline and long sleeves that pool at the wrists. The skirt opens to reveal bare legs, but the overall effect is heavy and sculptural.
The shine on this one is aggressive – it catches every directional light in the room. The pleats create diagonal lines across the torso, drawing the eye down and across her body. She’s wearing large drop earrings with green stones and a stack of silver bracelets on her right wrist. The hair is slicked back, wet-look, which reinforces the glossy, slightly wet aesthetic of the entire frame. It’s a look that could easily tip into costume territory, but the simplicity of the setting – just the sofa and the warm wood-paneled walls – keeps it grounded.
Camila Mendes in Sequined Halter – Close-Up Calibration
This one is all about the upper body and the jewelry. Mendes is wearing a halter-neck top covered in dense, multi-colored sequins in grey, olive, bronze, and hints of purple. The neckline dips into a deep V, and the fabric looks almost heavy with the weight of the embellishment.
The real story here is the Bulgari necklace – a diamond, L-shaped drop that sits exactly in the center of her chest. The geometry of the necklace mirrors the V-line of the halter, which is a considered styling choice. She’s also wearing a triple-wrap diamond bracelet and a thick ring on her left hand. The makeup is the same across all shots – dark plum lip, smoky eye, groomed brows – but here, with the hair tucked behind her ears, the focus is entirely on the jewelry and the way the light hits the sequins. It’s a beauty shot dressed up as a fashion image, and it works.
Camila Mendes in Green Croc Saint Laurent – The Hero Piece
The last look is the strongest. Mendes is standing at a vintage phone booth in a glossy, crocodile-textured green trench coat from Saint Laurent. The collar is popped – oversized, architectural – and the coat is belted tight at the waist. The sleeves are long, with the cuffs pushed up just enough to reveal thick silver bangles.
This is the kind of fashion photography that works because the coat is the whole story. The green is deep and saturated – almost like dark oil – and the high-shine finish reflects the ambient light in sharp, wet sheets. She’s holding the phone receiver in one shot, staring directly at the camera with a dark lip and an unreadable expression. The coat, the phone booth, the lighting – it all leans into a noir sensibility that feels intentional and controlled. It’s a look that reminds you what celebrity photos can do when the styling and the mood align.
The whole editorial is a masterclass in texture. Fringe, patent, sequins, crocodile – each look is a different material study. That’s not easy to pull off in a single session, but Mendes and her styling team made it look seamless. The dark lip and slicked hair tie everything together.
I’d wear the green coat. That’s the piece that stays with you. The rest is just context.
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