India opulence stirs Prabal Gurung’s pre-fall collection

Prabal Gurung’s starting point this season was India — not the “obvious India” that designers tend to think of, but “the muddy India, the ruins,” he said, speaking from experience. “It can be harsh, really, but it’s still beautiful.” The palette was just as focused; in addition to black and white, he zeroed in on emerald green and a subtle, earthy pink. At the time of our appointment, a silk cocktail dress in the former was already in the possession of a famous red-carpet-bound actress the name of whom Gurung wouldn’t reveal. –style.com + photos

Prabal Gurung

Pre-Fall 2012 RTW Collection

Prabal Gurung presented his debut pre-fall collection off the back of a very successful series of events: being a runner-up in 2010’s CFDA/VogueFashion Fund, a well-received first resort collection, and that recent red-carpet moment in which hot young actress Rooney Mara sizzled in his frilled, cutaway minidress for the New York premiere of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

All things considered, it makes perfect sense that Gurung would take time to pause, reflect, and perhaps even allow a little nostalgia to inform his next move. “I got to thinking about my time back in India,” said the designer who trained at National Institute of Fashion Technology in Delhi during the late nineties. “But this is a side of it that nobody has really seen, the smoggy, gritty reality.”

Not that there is anything remotely harsh or challenging about these familiar and elegant silhouettes, chosen to slip easily into an existing wardrobe. Rather, Gurung’s trademark graphic sheaths, undulating flared skirts and crisp, straight-leg pantsuits were rendered in a more subdued, earthen color palette and uplifted with jewel tones, prismatic prints, and a gentle introduction to opulence. “It’s less about obvious embroidery and more about fabric, texture, and the depth within the print,” he explained of the restrained notions of craftsmanship at work—shimmering silver embroideries threaded through Lurex and cashmere jacquard knit dresses and lacquered, patchwork-tweed T-shirts, employed to allow, as Gurung tells it, “a new girl to get familiar with what I do.”

With his latest viral campaign—underscored with DJ Pictureplane’s contagious dance beats, while models, viewed as if through a kaleidoscope, twist and turn at will—gaining that desired notoriety appears to be within reach. “This is a really important season,” Gurung continued emphatically. “And once it’s established, it’ll free me up for more exciting runway shows.” All the designer will reveal of what that means for this fall, is a lift on pre-fall’s luxurious confines and plenty of unutterable surprises.  –vogue.com