Paris Haute Couture: Under the Big Top - Stéphane Rolland Turns to the Circus for his New Collection

Celebrated aerialist and circus artist Natalia Bouglione performed at Paris' historic Cirque d’Hiver during French couturier Stéphane Rolland's new show, wearing one of his diaphanous creations. Photograph above and cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM

Under the splendid domed ring of the Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione, Stéphane Rolland unveiled his Spring/Summer 2026 Haute Couture collection before an audience including Brigitte Macron, First Lady of France, Heart Evangelista and Andra Day. The show drew on the symbolism of the circus to explore movement, discipline, and transformation, translating those ideas into a series of sculptural, precisely constructed silhouettes that balanced poetic resonance with Rolland’s trademark architectural rigor. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Andrea Heinsohn

Jewel-like hues and a dash of

circus panache were highlights

of Stephane Rolland's collection.

CALLED Parade, Stéphane Rolland imagined his new collection as a circular procession rather than a conventional linear runway. Models moved deliberately through the ring, reinforcing the idea of ritual and return.

Rolland’s point of departure was the circus, filtered through historical, artistic, and architectural references rather than nostalgia or costume. The designer cited Pablo Picasso’s involvement with the ballet Parade and his depictions of circus figures as a central influence.

"This show is conceived as a circle, a ritual," the French couturier explained. "The ghosts of the circus return, not to replay the past, but to transform it. They appear, cross the space, and disappear once again. What remains are the silhouettes, the memory of movement, the emotion. The circus is reborn for a brief moment, carried by bodies, materials, and light."

The Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione, is a place whose history is inseparable from Parisian spectacle and performance. The show combined couture presentation with sales of tickets to the public with proceeds benefiting the Fondation des Hôpitaux, chaired by Brigitte Macron, to support at-risk teenagers. The choice of location reinforced Rolland’s intention to position couture not only as fashion, but as civic and cultural expression.

A recurring dove motif appeared across several looks, embroidered or abstracted in organza, crepe, and gauze. Rather than functioning as decoration, it served as a unifying symbol of continuity and renewal, aligning with Picasso’s own use of the image and giving the collection a subtle political and humanistic undertone.

"The ghosts of the circus return, not to replay the past, but to transform it. They appear, cross the space, and disappear once again"

Natalia Bouglione rises up 

to perform her aerial act.

Before the finale, there was the aerial performance by Natalia Bouglione, that thrilled the audience and emphasized the dialogue between fashion and movement that underpinned the collection. With Parade, Stéphane Rolland delivered a couture statement grounded in architectural themes and cultural references.

The Spring/Summer 2026 collection reaffirmed his position as a couturier focused on structure, coherence, and emotion, using the circus not as spectacle, but as a framework for rigor and form.

Rather than literal character depiction, Rolland abstracted archetypal circus figures through cut and material. The Ringmaster appeared through sharply tailored black-and-white looks and rigorously controlled lines. 

Pierrot was suggested through oversized ruffs, circular shapes, and stark chromatic contrasts. The Auguste figure informed a series of jumpsuits in black, white, red, and jewel tones, some accented with feathered shoulder elements or dense embroidery. The result was a coherent system of references expressed through form rather than narrative.

The opening silhouettes established the collection’s disciplined approach: asymmetrical coats, coat-dresses, and long structured capes in white gazar and duchess satin. Fabrics were treated as construction materials as much as textiles, reinforcing Rolland’s long-standing interest in architectural form. Gazar, crepe, satin, organza, chiffon, velvet, and Georgette crepe were used to build silhouettes that emphasized volume, balance, and containment.

Rather than literal character depiction, Rolland abstracted archetypal circus figures through cut and material

Coco Rocha wears a translucent,

glimmering gown with a white

ruffled cloak.

Jumpsuits emerged as a defining element of the season. Appearing in multiple variations, long, short, structured, or embellished, they articulated what Rolland described as garments that allow movement while maintaining strict form. 

These were paired with high-waisted trousers, sculpted bustiers, and ballooned shorts. Shoulder bustles, cubic sleeves, corolla skirts, and ball silhouettes created recurring moments of expansion and suspension, suggesting instability without overt theatrics.

Embroidery played a structural and symbolic role throughout the collection. Diamonds, crystals, rubies, topazes, garnets, quartz, amber, and lapis lazuli were used to enhance light and sparkle. Plexiglass brooches, cubic jewellery, and architectural headpieces functioned as extensions of the garments, blurring the boundary between clothing and scenography. 

The palette moved between black and white and deeper tones including red, burgundy, bronze, plum, honey, and caramel. These colors echoed both the Second Empire origins of the Cirque d’Hiver and Rolland’s interest in ceremonial grandeur. Capes, trains, hooded dresses, and sculptural gowns reinforced a sense of formality, while maintaining mobility through elegant proportion and fabric choice.