Not even the rain could prevent SA soprano Pretty Yende from bringing a ray of Mpumalanga sunshine at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.  

For her historic moment as the first African  to perform a solo at the coronation of a British monarch, the 38-year-old opera singer from Piet Retief in Mpumalanga undoubtedly looked like “the place where the sun rises”. Yende shined in a sculptural sunny yellow gown designed by Parisian-based fashion house Stéphane Rolland. 

The elegant silk crepe gown hugged Yende in all the right places, before it exploded into an exaggerated, bold and dramatic shoulder. Rolland is renowned for his paradoxical approach to fashion. You can always count on the French couturier to hero a woman’s hourglass figure (Yende’s African curves in this instance); but then turning up the volume by marrying a simple, clean and sophisticated silhouette with an over-the-top décolleté.

“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,” the design house wrote on social media.

“He is in Paris, she is in South Africa.  They talk. He feeds on her grace, shares a few strokes of ink.  She seems happy and sings to him on the phone. The start to a beautiful project...”

But threatening to steal some of the attention away from Yende, was her fine jewels including a yellow and white necklace with over 138 diamond carats. The matching earrings by Graff had over 35 diamonds carats.

“The secret to crafting truly exceptional jewellery is understanding the interplay between beautiful stones and the incredible women who wear them,” said Anne-Eva Geffroy, design director at Graff.

Yende joined an elite crop of celebrities to crack an invite at the historic event. There was American pop star Katy Perry (in Vivienne Westwood), British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, English actor Emma Thompson and Grammy winner Lionel Richie. 

“Forever grateful to the legendary Graff for the remarkable jewels…And to the brilliant Stéphane Rolland Haute Couture for my spectacular custom couture dress designed specifically for my performance at the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla today at Westminster Abbey,” Yende expressed her gratitude on social media. 

“Thank you so much to each and everyone for all your joyful, generous and celebratory wishes and messages… Your support means so much to me… Today, for me, will go down in the history.”