In our May issue, Legendary designer Stéphane Rolland turned his pen to our page and cited love and appreciation of women as one of his biggest influences. Celebrating the beauty of the Middle Eastern bride and the preservation of princess-inspired gowns - he shares memories of crafting some of the greatest wedding gowns our generation has ever known.
For as long as I can recall, my fascination with weddings has remained intact. As a child, I watched, hypnotized in front of the television, as Anne, Princess Royal got married, and later, Charles and Diana’s nuptials. I devoured magazine articles which featured princesses and actresses on the day of their wedding – such as Grace Kelly or the Empress Farah Diba. What moments, what memories. However, if today’s European weddings have somewhat lost their splendour, those of the Middle East transport me back to my childhood dreams. While the intent may be the same, there is this ‘je ne sais quoi’ which makes the Middle Eastern bride more attractive and the moment more like a fairy tale. I think that the desire to give the best possible image of oneself, the pleasure in making the eyes of an entire company sparkle and quite simply to conjure up a dream, make the moment and the bride quite unique. I have rarely in my life met women as conscious and respectful of their femininity as the Arab woman. Attention is given to every detail: the effect of the hairstyle, worked on for hours, is primordial, as much as that of a jewel. Her expression must be captivating, intoxicating, and her skin as soft as silk. Without mentioning the enchantment of perfume and the ‘bakhour’ ceremony, diffused around the dress and the hair, in which I cannot help but participate with great joy!
Meeting the bride-to-be is always a special moment, and one of which I never tire. I know that she has a great weight on her shoulders and that she risks being engulfed by anguish; nonetheless, each time, we work together (it really is a combined effort) to find the idea, the concept, the spark, which will make her the most admired woman. I love making her happy, seeing the joy in her eyes when the sketch that I am busy drawing is finished at last. By designing the dress in front of her, I receive her reactions as they come, and thus know if I am on the right path.Each dress is conceived as a work of art, unique. A princess’ dress embroidered with crystal may sometimes be transformed into a gold taub, worthy of the Arabian Nights, enchanting both the bride as well as its creator. Each creation may or may not correspond to the themes of the last collection, still it will remain the mirror of the bride’s personality. It is the dress for a day, the dress of a lifetime, in principle.
I enjoy the audacity often shown by Arab women. They do not fear the elements of surprise and risk. I take advantage of this trait by being daring myself, in making spectacular, organic, architectural volumes, trains worthy of crowning ceremonies, bouquets of gold and silver, crystal and pearls, one of my signatures. At the same time, it is vital to spice up tradition with a modern-day touch, thus I work with the most innovative and painstaking of artisans. Jewellers, woodworkers of the famous Boule school, the greatest feather-workers, artist painters and embroiderers but also chemists, participate in making almost every desire become a living reality.
I always find out about the decoration of the venue; I like to know who is the wedding planner, so that my team can get in touch with them in order to verify each detail, like the width of the catwalk, the positioning of the lights on the faces, the height of the ‘coucha’, the choice of music, which I sometimes even compose, or simply the colour of the flowers. The decoration theme may sometimes even influence the design of the wedding dress. Every single thing must be taken into account to avoid any untoward surprise. To this end, I often design the mothers’ and sisters’ dresses, thus making the overall effect homogeneous and elegant. I think I must have been heavily influenced by the universe of Lord Cecil Beaton, who unfailingly managed to combine glamour and poetry, in such an original style.
The first Arab wedding which I attended will forever be engraved in my memory. I was at the time the only man allowed inside and my arrival in the room was as thrilling as it was awkward. The sight of over a thousand female eyes observing you as they veiled themselves was enough to make the toughest of men blush. This was over fifteen years ago and things have changed a bit since then. However, this moving and enriching experience opened my mind, enabling me to better understand the eastern woman’s needs. You must decipher the codes, be respectfully, carefully and humbly observant. I dived into the Orient with delight and it has never loosened its hold on me.
Being a Parisian couturier is a privilege which permits you to enter the most secret circles, to meet the most extraordinary women, but all this needs to be worked for. By becoming the most oriental of the French fashion designers, I have come to understand and to love the women who today show me their loyalty and their trust.
