The Sunday Times Style – September 6, 2026
Summary
CMAT — "Your New Favourite Pop Star, Unfiltered" — covers The Sunday Times Style September 6 2026, with Polly Vernon's interview positioning the Irish singer-songwriter as the breakout voice of the autumn. The cover date signals the transition from summer content into the September fashion reset.
The features include CMAT's unfiltered interview, Ben Cobb's guide to dressing for your boss's job, a charm-offensive autumn magic/witch culture feature, and All Change — the autumn trends guide edited by Helen Atkin. The Trends section breaks into sub-sections: Power House, Tutu Much Is Never Enough, Flash Mob, Bit on the Side, All the Trimmings, Trap Star, History Girls, and Colour Scheming.
Content Guide
▸ Cover Story / Music
p. Cover · CMAT — Your New Favourite Pop Star, Unfiltered
Polly Vernon interviews Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson about her rapid rise, the online bullying she faced, and her second album. CMAT admits she wrote the album's lead single after a night of drinking alone. She says the bullying started after a 2024 live TV performance where her voice cracked. Her advice: post the imperfect take anyway; the perfect one sounds dead.
▸ Fashion / Trends
p. · All Change — Autumn Trends Guide
Helen Atkin edits an 8-page autumn fashion portfolio covering 8 trends: oversized blazers (Power House), tulle skirts (Tutu Much), metallic accessories (Flash Mob), asymmetric hemlines (Bit on the Side), feather trims (All the Trimmings), structured bags (Trap Star), preppy knits (History Girls), and color-blocking (Colour Scheming). Each trend includes one high-street buy under 100 pounds. The tulle skirt from Monki costs 45 pounds.
p. · Charm Offensive — Autumn Magic/Witch Culture Feature
A culture feature linking the autumn fashion season to the rise of witch and magic themes in TV, film, and fashion. The article cites the new Agatha All Along series on Disney+ and the resurgence of velvet and lace on runways. The velvet trend can be worn as a blazer, not a dress, for daywear.
▸ Style / Career
p. · How to Dress for Your Boss's Job — Ben Cobb
The stylist and editor walks through 3 outfit formulas for the reader who wants to signal promotion readiness. Formula 1: a sharp blazer over a simple knit. Formula 2: trousers with a defined crease. Formula 3: a statement coat over a neutral base. Each formula includes 2 price points: under 300 pounds and over 800 pounds. The under-300 blazer is from Mango at 179 pounds.
▸ Regulars
p. · The Barometer — Edited by Hannah Connolly
Going up: T-SHIRT DRESSES, ASYMMETRIC HEMLINES, TUDOR-STYLE WATCHES, FUR HATS. Going down: SKINNY JEANS, MINI BAGS, NEON, LOGO MANIA. The t-shirt dress trend is led by a JW Anderson design retailing at 285 pounds.
p. · The Trends — Power House, Tutu Much, Flash Mob
The trends section opens with Power House (oversized tailoring), Tutu Much (tulle and volume), and Flash Mob (metallics). Each trend is photographed on a model with a caption identifying the designer and price. The Power House blazer is from Cos at 195 pounds.
Editor's Take
The CMAT interview is the issue's engine — Vernon extracts the kind of vulnerable detail (voice crack on live TV, the solo-drinking songwriting session) that makes a reader care about a musician they have not heard of. Ben Cobb's career-dressing guide is practical in a way that Style often is not: 3 formulas, 2 price points each, specific store names. The autumn trends section is comprehensive but exhausting — 8 trends in 8 pages means none gets more than a page. The charm-offensive witch feature is a stretch; magic aesthetics do not justify a full article just because the calendar says September. Ad density is high; a Tudor watch ad repeats on 2 spreads.
Strengths
• CMAT interview with specific vulnerable moments (voice crack, solo writing session)
• Ben Cobb's 3-formula career-dressing guide with Mango blazer at 179 pounds
• Trends section with 8 distinct autumn looks and sub-100-pound high-street options
Weaknesses
• Witch/magic culture feature is a thin editorial conceit
• 8 trends in 8 pages means no single trend gets meaningful treatment
Verdict: Selective read — Buy for the CMAT interview; the trends section is available for free on Instagram.
