Beneath sculptural orbs suspended from the ceiling, meant to evoke the sun and the moon, dancers emerge, lithe and graceful. It is Delhi couturier Gaurav Gupta’s way of setting the mood before guests enter the main hall at the Jio World Convention Centre on Friday evening for his bridal couture showcase.
In collaboration with auto brand MG Select, this is the second year in a row that Gaurav has skipped Paris Couture Week in July to unveil an elaborate bridal collection in Mumbai. When we speak to him a day before the show, he is at his atelier, in Mumbai’s Kala Ghoda, overseeing fittings for more than 70 looks spanning bridal couture, menswear, cocktail dressing and occasion wear. “A large collection this time,” he says.
For Light Song, Gaurav did not have to look far for inspiration.
“My brand has always been rooted in fantasy, cosmology and mythology. We keep revisiting these themes because that’s the mindspace I’m in. Light Song came from cosmology. I created my own story around the romance between the sun and the moon, and their complementary energies,” he says.
When asked about the recent “inspiration” debate surrounding his sculpted breastplate designs, Gaurav is quick to point out that inspiration belongs to no one person. “Sometimes these beautiful accidents happen,” he says.
The result is a theatrical production, complete with dancers, aerial acrobats from Cirque De India and, of course, the models. The collection unfolds across three acts — Solar, Lunar and Cosmic Union — each distinct in design yet tied together by a single narrative.
The Lunar act draws on moonlight, lunar energy and mythology. Evening gowns and cocktail dresses with sweeping trains appear in shimmering black, Gaurav’s signature midnight blue — his preferred alternative to black — and ivy grey. Texture takes centrestage: moon craters are recreated through intricate bugle beadwork, revisiting a shaded bead technique first seen in his 2013 collection, Light Fall. The Solar act shifts to bridal lehengas, saris and sharply tailored jackets with power shoulders paired with shararas, rendered in zardozi, gold, champagne and rich red tones.
Of changes and couture
While Gaurav is widely associated with sculptural couture, he says he deliberately dialled it back this season.
“We’ve used sculpting only where it naturally fits because our Paris collections already offer plenty of those options for clients around the world. I wanted people to recognise the craftsmanship and engineering behind the embroidery, draping, silhouettes and metalwork. That’s couture too.”
As a bridal collection, much of it feels familiar. The silhouettes remain recognisably Gaurav Gupta, but without pushing the experimental boundaries of his metallic breastplates, dramatic origami pleats or exaggerated feathered trains. There is, however, a nod to that side of his work: I am delighted to spot the aerial acrobat opening the show wearing the illuminated breastplate from his Divine Androgyne Paris Couture collection unveiled earlier this year.
What deserves closer attention is the craftsmanship. Garments feature layered embroidery, reflective metallic elements inspired by timepieces, sculpted lace, hand-cut petals and molten crystal embroidery designed to mimic melting glass. Menswear is equally intricate, with sharply tailored sherwanis featuring leopard motifs woven into newly developed Banarasi jacquard techniques.
The final act, Cosmic Union, brings together Benaras brocade and a revival of the label’s chikankari craftsmanship. Pearls and crystals layered over ivory and soft white appear across fluid gowns, dramatic cocktailwear and sharply tailored jackets.
Actor Ananya Panday closes the show in the Camellia bridal lehenga, a bridal white ensemble embellished with three-dimensional petals and hand embroidery in pearls and crystals. Styled with long, loose waves and a septum ring, she embodies Gaurav’s contemporary bride.
If the tiny blouses, corseted bodices, mermaid skirts and dramatic gowns on the runway are any indication, the designer believes today’s brides and grooms are more willing to experiment than ever.“Brides now define the codes of their wedding instead of their families. They want to make a statement, they’re very sure of what they want to wear, and they’re incredibly individualistic,” he says.
The evening also marked an extension of Gaurav’s design language beyond fashion. His signature Serpent Infinity motif now appears on automobiles through a collaboration with MG Select, which unveiled couture editions of the MG M9 and MG Cyberster.
Feroze Gujral at Light Song
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Special Arrangement
While the stars, which included actors Madhuri Dixit, Sanya Malhotra, Manushi Chhillar, Pranitha Subhash, and Sobhita Dhulipala were in attendance at the show, the ramp was no different. Mehr Jesia, in white and draped with pearls, and Feroze Gujral in bright fuschia, runway royalty from the nineties, sparkled at the showcase.
Global presence
It has been a landmark year for the designer: a Paris couture showcase in February, Isha Ambani’s sculptural sari at the Met Gala, and, most recently, Lady Gaga and Doechii wearing his crystal-encrusted catsuits in the music video for ‘Runway’ from The Devil Wears Prada 2.
“It feels like we’re only at the beginning of a global journey. There’s so much more to do — to become a sustained global brand, open more stores, create new product categories…”
What keeps him returning to the drawing board season after season?
“I think you simply become a master of your practice, so it gets easier with time. Showing in Paris has given me a new confidence. I’m actually more confident with my Indian clothes now, and that couture culture of Paris has naturally found its way into them.”
Published – July 19, 2026 07:00 am IST