Gaurav Gupta’s Show at AICW 2015: A Laboratory of Couture

Gaurav Gupta’s collection Silt and Cipher is a romantic interpretation of the ephemeral moment of writing on sand.

If you lost your way while at the show, we wouldn’t blame you – Gaurav Gupta’s set at the Amazon India Couture Week was called Enchanted Forest. In fact, there are few elements as intrinsic of a mystical forest as the collection he put up.

Day 2 of Amazon India Couture Week, therefore, saw Gupta pay continued homage to his theme; his show was called Silt and Cipher. One look at the incredible detail on each of his pieces and you’ll come to the same conclusion we did – couture was certainly not built in a day!

For the show, Gaurav wanted his models to look like ‘Nymphs and Goddesses of the Wood’. Mickey Contractor was roped in for the ‘metamorphosis’.

The layers that dominated most of Gaurav Gupta’s Silt and Cipher collection seemed reflective of the unstratified silt that inspired the designer in this collection.

Soft pastels dominated the colour palette of the show – besides the occasional touch of cobalt blue and burgundy.

Techniques such as zardozi, thread work and 3D boning were used in the collection. It was particularly pleasing to see how Gupta’s sculptural silhouettes treated the models to a wonderful fit.

Edgy jackets and signature tops were crafted, keeping in mind Gaurav Gupta’s ideal muse – a strong, bold woman who’s willing to experiment.

As a line of graceful models sashayed down the ramp, the sway of asymmetric hems lent their gait quite the ‘goddess’ touch that Gupta intended.

While beautiful poetry was created out of ornate gowns with a dramatic bow at the neck and a flowing fall, the one-shoulder trend also made a surprise appearance on the ramp.

The celebrity appearance of the evening, though? Gaurav Gupta’s friend and long time muse Kalki Koechlin. The actress walked the ramp in a one shouldered gown with dramatic layers – the ombre colour of which complemented her skin tone perfectly.

There were highlights galore to Kalki’s look: her champagne autumn organza gown, signature earpieces and tied-up hairdo, in fact, made her look like the angel of Gupta’s “enchanted forest”.