Stephane Rolland Ignites the Runway with Bold, Bolero-Inspired Haute Couture

By Jesse Scott

From the frenzied crowd of paparazzi outside the historic Théâtre des Champs-Élysées to the murmurs of anticipation inside the packed red velvet-ensconced hall where the show was to take place, all signs pointed to Stephane Rolland Fall/Winter 2025-26 being one of the spectacles of the couture season. A who’s who of the current Paris fashion scene was in attendance, with Cardi B stealing the spotlight in a dramatic black dress, Chloe Lecareux looking a vision of elegance in a luxurious caramel gown, and Heart Evangelista turning heads in an elaborate white dress with gold detailing and a truly epic train. They were not disappointed, as Rolland staged a spectacular performance that included a live orchestra and some of the most theatrical pieces to appear on any runway this season.

Rather than simply weaving a sartorial narrative, Rolland took his guests on an intellectual and cultural journey. He described the collection post-show as the most technically complex of his career, an analysis that doubtless applied not just to the clothes but also to the production. Rolland spent an astounding eighteen months preparing this show, enlisting the help of legendary conductor Zahia Zouani along the way. It marked the culmination of Rolland’s childhood dream: curating a fashion show to the theme of Maurice Ravel’s orchestral composition, Bolero. The composition, originally commissioned by Ravel’s Russian-born muse and Ballets Russes star Ida Rubenstein, is an intense emotional rollercoaster packed into a surprisingly short fifteen-minute period. It was created in a tremendous rush and premiered to a who is who of Paris at the Palais Garnier in 1928. A true Spanish fantasy, seductive, exotic, and unrelenting, Bolero is thematic catnip for a dramatic yet intellectual designer like Rolland. The designer’s nuanced exploration of the composition, entitled Argument, marked his best show in recent memory.

The first four looks, which appeared on stage to the rhythmic sound of metronomes, introduced a type of maximalist minimalism that would recur throughout the collection. Working from a sleek black and white color palette and featuring dramatic shoulders and surprising volumes (Looks 3, 4), Rolland ushered us into a fantasy of dark elegance. The first look, a black crepe dress with a striking matador belt, was notable for a gigantic headpiece that immediately drew gasps from the audience (Look 1). It was echoed shortly after by a dramatically draped femme fatale red wool dress with a nearly surrealist headpiece that seemed to defy the laws of gravity (Look 7).

Stéphane Rolland Fall/Winter 2025-26 Haute Couture: Looks 1, 3, 4, 7 (Images courtesy of Stéphane Rolland)

The collection was both sexy and structured; Rolland used brilliant draping and surprising cut-outs to selectively show skin (Looks 16, 17). Crystals and bejeweled adornments added modern glamour to flamenco-inspired looks, most notably on headpieces (Look 24). As the music built to a crescendo, a series of gold touches, including a cropped geometric jacket with a subtle slit (Look 29), and a spiraling jewel adornment on a swoon-worthy black dress with a long train and entirely sheer upper (Look 30) induced a kind of sartorial rapture.

Stéphane Rolland Fall/Winter 2025-26 Haute Couture: Looks 16, 17, 24, 29, 30 (Images courtesy of Stéphane Rolland)

A press report following the Bolero premiere in 1928 read: “One is immediately enthralled, carried away by an art that borders on sorcery.” Another described “a raucous crescendo, a vertiginous ascent that obsesses and compels, capable of lifting us from our seats and inspiring wild gesticulations. Such sweeping statements, doubtless to Rolland’s great delight, could also be applied to this sartorial interpretation of the composition some ninety-seven years later. Along with many others in attendance, I rose from my seat in enthusiastic and prolonged applause as the designer took his bows. Filing out of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, there was a sense that we had all witnessed something truly special. Rolland put his heart and soul into this project, and it was manifest. Like Igor Stravinsky and Vaslav Nijinsky’s Rite of Spring, which drew headlines for its frenzied passion when it premiered at this same theatre, Rolland’s Argument was a coup de grace that will not soon be forgotten.