Soprano Pretty Yende Wore An Exclusive Stéphane Rolland Gown During Coronation Performance

Pretty Yende, South African opera artist, has performed at Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023.

Pretty Yende wore a Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture gown created especially for this event, as well as a yellow and white diamond necklace and yellow and white diamond earrings from British high jeweller Graff.

The silhouette created by Stéphane Rolland for Pretty Yende is a sunny yellow sheath made of eight meters of crepe drape, and five meters of gazar and organza for the sculpture. 180 hours of work by three Master Seamstresses were necessary to create this luminous and spectacular dress, designed in just 10 days.

PRETTY YENDE

With her magnetic charm, Pretty Yende’s participation in opera productions and recitals are acclaimed worldwide. The South African soprano has quickly become one of the stars of the classical music world.

Born in the small town of Piet Retief in South Africa, Pretty has risen to the top of the opera world with unparalleled speed. Her first exposure to opera came from television, when she happened to hear an aria from Lakmé in a commercial for British Airways.

She decided to pursue her passion and at 16, she wins a local singing competition. This prize allowed her to audition at the South African College of Music in Cape Town. There she studied with Virginia Davids, the first black woman to perform on the South African opera scene during the apartheid era. Her highly acclaimed performance at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition in Vienna in 2009, where she won the First Prize in every category, opens the doors of the Academia Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

Since then, she has sung on the greatest stages in the world: the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the National Opera of Paris... At 38 years old, her undeniable charm, her delicacy and the pure beauty of her singing make her an artist not to be missed.

STEPHANE ROLLAND

Stéphane Rolland is one of the only couturiers to perpetuate the tradition of French Haute Couture. He is recognized as an architect working on purity with an infinite elegance. Each dress is a sculpture carved out of gazar or crepe; his unique creations are now worn by the most demanding women and celebrities around the world.
In 1987, at the age of 21, Stéphane Rolland became the youngest artistic director in Paris, within the House of Balenciaga. In 1997, Stéphane Rolland was named Official Couturier and signed the Haute Couture and Ready-to-Wear collections of Jean Louis Scherrer for 10 years. Stéphane also dresses the Cinema, the Theater and many Operas, and becomes for 5 consecutive years the official partner of the Cannes Festival. In 2007, Stéphane Rolland opened his own Haute Couture House, certified by the Fédération De La Couture and the Ministry of Industry.

Stéphane describes himself as an orientalist working with purity and preciousness. Each dress is a sculpture, carved in gazar or crepe; his creations, all unique, are today worn by the most demanding women and by celebrities such as Beyoncé, Céline Dion, Sharon Stone, or Jennifer Lopez.

PRETTY YENDE ET STEPHANE ROLLAND

A spontaneous and complicit crush was transformed in the urgency of the deadlines into a fruitful exchange: to listen to Pretty Yende express herself, to hear her smile, to look at her joy of living is an enchantment for Stéphane Rolland.

Pretty listens, understands and suggests, because she doesn't want to be lost in a flood of fabrics.
She knows what is at stake: the billions of viewers on the one hand, but above all the confidence of the future King.
Stéphane knows the codes, the protocol, he anticipates and already prepares his workshops.
Pretty wants to be sunny, she is humble but likes to shine, as a politeness to her public, she likes colors, she doesn't want to wear black or white in an abbey.
The exchange is simple, natural, generous.
Stéphane feeds on her grace and wants to give it back, he wants to make Pretty happy, he feels that he already loves her.
He is in Paris, she is in South Africa, the first sketches are sent...Pretty wants them all.
She is happy and transmits her joy by singing for Stéphane, alone on the phone.

GRAFF

For over half a century, Graff has operated at the very pinnacle of the high jewellery industry, discovering and crafting diamonds of brilliance and rarity, transforming the hidden wonders of the earth into spectacular pieces of jewellery that move the heart and stir the soul.

Pretty Yende wears a Graff yellow and white diamond necklace featuring over 138 carats of diamonds and yellow and white diamond earrings of over 35 carats of diamonds. Every Graff jewel is a work of art crafted to flow around the contours of the body and to dance with beauty and light. A vision of timeless beauty. Graff’s designs are renowned for their sensuous, feminine power – beautifully exemplified by the exceptional jewels worn by Pretty Yende during her performance at the coronation of King Charles III.