Stéphane Spring/Summer 2012

Stéphane Rolland Beirut - Arabstoday On the eve of the tenth season for his eponymous house, Stéphane Rolland credits the work of sculptor Michel Deverne as elemental in conceiving this collection. Artist-Urbanist Deverne tackles space and light with breathtaking energy and astute sensitivity to create kinetic dynamism. Five years since its launch, it has now become clear that manipulating movement is a key component of the Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture brand DNA. Graphic and optical, but also slender and supple, the new figure reflects the image of a dedicated aesthete, a woman resolutely assertive. Pure dresses in silk jersey, sheathe the body as if it were a line stretched through space. This glide explodes into organic sculptures: layered shark fin lapels and spiral cocoons that sprout from shoulders and hips. Skirts arise dramatically from figure-hugging gowns, forming perfectly chiselled marble-smooth arches in gazar, or pouring into lava flows in silk crepe and organza. Embellishment takes the form of authentic sun-channelling folded discs and golden armour. The Land of the Rising Sun is echoed in empowering Samurai-style shoulders and Hakama pants that transmit a feeling of confidence and ease. Finally, a disciplined palette makes way for the story to unfold. Fiery reds, along with absolute whites and blacks serve both to magnify and dignify a collection that exudes magnificence and undeniably reasserts Rolland’s unique talent once and for all.