Dreams to Remember: Gaurav Gupta closed LFW Winter/Festive 2015 with a visual spectacle

From the space-ship like fabrication for “Memphire” (2014), the illuminated installation that formed a back-drop for couture line “Lightfall” (2013) to the Greek-inspired murals dotting his Mumbai atelier, Gupta’s no stranger to architectural construct and fantasy. And Sunday night was no exception as the designer, freed from the rectangle restraints of a conventional ramp, chose to sculpt a mythical tale, starting with the 30 ft x 60 ft, larger-than-life Plaster of Paris bust that took centre stage. “I mould from our dreams” said his concept note and the chimerical all-white set formed the perfect backdrop for Gupta’s phantasmal narration.

The clothes that emerged from within the confines of the colossal sculpture were equally inspired. Starting with a line of whites or Showtime Ivory as Gupta preferred to call them, the colour story traversed a palette of Albatross Black, Moondown Gray, Reminescent Red, a swirling monochrome pattern and some striking bugle-beaded creations.

There were plenty of his trademark sculptural shoulders, peek-a-boo drapes, billowing ruffles, elaborate boning and undulating shapes. But it was in the stark ruched pieces with oversized shoulders, exaggerated sleeves and pleated jumpsuit-like silhouettes, that we saw glimpses of the earlier Gupta, whose avant-garde approach to fashion has somehow been blunted by profitable couture pursuits of late.

Gupta has often claimed to be an extremist, but nowhere was it more obvious that he can strike a finespun balance between the conceptual and the commercial than in this collection. The clothes and their imaginative proportions tread a fine line between saleability and innovation and kept his “intelligent sexy” credo intact. Even the booties that the models sported wore sculptural shapes.

So, while GG purists found joy in the rough edges and zippered flourishes, his Bollywood clientele was surely making a mental red-carpet wish-list as well, seduced by the glamorous ruffles, embroideries, romantic drapes and silver rivulet-like beading. That this deliciously dichotomous yet interestingly unified collection should come in the 10th year of his label’s existence was only fitting. No wonder Gupta and his showstopper Kareena Kapoor Khan — dressed in a black and sheer one-sleeved gown — received a standing ovation from the audience. And to think there wasn’t a single lehenga or sari gown in sight.