In the mood of Stéphane Rolland: ‘More real values – that’s where I think the future’s heading’

Relaxnews: Which is the most representative item in this fall/winter wardrobe?
Stéphane Rolland: Probably the dress worn by the muse of the collection, Nieves Alvarez, which is the first look of the show. This dress asserts the new ankle-length look, the rigor of the cut with its black ink line silhouette, and my penchant for architecture with a giant folded breastplate in faille, coated with a traditional glaze, which recurs in variations throughout the collection.

R: Can you think of any celebrity, living or deceased, who could wear every item in this fall/winter collection?
SR: Many women could wear these clothes… I can perfectly imagine Cate Blanchett or Jessica Chastain in them, as well as women from different fields and different eras, like Martha Graham or Greta Garbo.

R: What would you do if you could make over Cara Delevingne?
SR: For Cara, a mischievous blonde, I’d suggest a black half-length sweater dress worn with a slightly oversize tuxedo jacket, a white shirt and my new patent leather T-bar strap shoes.

R: Is there a certain film, image or sound that would mesh best with your new collection?
SR: A painting by Velasquez and film music by Alberto Iglesias.

R: How do you think the fashion and luxury industry will evolve over the years to come?
SR: The social climate is the main driver of trends. The luxury industry has never done as well as in times of crisis, periods in which huge rifts emerge, in which fortunes grow and poverty spreads. Paradoxically, some marginalized métiers make a reappearance, the crafts resurface and a new, more human and repositioned identity is created, more real values — that’s where I think the future’s heading.

R: We loved “The Great Gatsby.” If you could design the costumes for the film adaptation of a well-known story, which one would you pick?
SR: “A Moveable Feast” by Ernest Hemingway or “Death in Venice” from the novella by Thomas Mann.

cp/ls/er