Megan Thee Stallion was bright and cheerful despite the early morning call time ahead of the Gaurav Gupta show.
It was the second show of the week on her busy Paris couture calendar, and Stallion was readying one of her most daring looks yet.
“We’re giving ‘primitive space Cleopatra,’” she said of her look, adding that it was a nickname Gupta came up with himself.
The couture dress for Wednesday’s show was crafted from cascading silver chains called “payals,” a type of ankle jewelry traditionally worn to ward off evil spirits, which wrapped around her body.
Found pieces of Indian tribal jewelry were assembled to create the metallic sheath, which took more than 200 hours to make.
Down the center of the chains were metal amulets representing the chakras, with various symbols strategically placed on each point.
“My chakras are aligned as you can see, my nails are pointing at me because I love myself,” she said, noting her unique manicure. The nails were indeed inverted and painted silver, creating an otherworldly, claw-like look.
She said when they first suggested the nail art, she didn’t understand how it would work. But in the end, she loved the futuristic effect. “It’s 2025 and we’re giving 3035,” she said.
Her hair twisted up the back of her head in two sections. Stallion said she and hairstylist Kellon Deryck had gone for the intricate updo to let the massive headpiece be the focus, while doing something more showstopping than a simple bun.
“We wanted the hair to match the headpiece and then the makeup,” said Stallion. “We didn’t want to do too dramatic of makeup, because the dress is so fire and the headpiece is so fire.”
The serpentine headpiece completed her look.
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The metallic piece swooped around the head with chains encircling the eyes for a dramatic peekaboo effect. It was created to pair with the Gupta dress in collaboration with Object & Dawn. Founder Saida Mouradova was on hand to fit and secure the piece on Stallion’s head, while the rapper’s glam squad swirled around her.
Makeup artist Priscilla Ono selected a soft peachy blush, but Stallion didn’t know the specifics, she joked. “I’m just the muse. I just sit there, and they do their job, they paint, they spray.”
Gupta collaborated with Stallion’s stylist Eric Archibald to perfect the dress and headpiece combo. Stallion did fittings for two days prior to make sure the dress sculpted perfectly to her body.
The dramatic drape chain gown required precision, and it took a village to build it Wednesday morning, with a suite full of staff in her hotel making sure the look was just right. Stallion was even stitched into it by an onsite couturier to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions.
Despite the yards of chains, Stallion said it was comfortable. “It’s not heavy. They sewed it on my body, so it’s good. We’ve been practicing for like two days. So maybe I just don’t feel it, because it’s made for me,” she said. “It’s not heavy — I do lift weights though,” she joked.
As time was ticking down she rallied the crew. “Oh my god, let’s go kill it,” she said, though she kept her fuzzy slippers on until she hit the car.
Stallion has had a relationship with Gupta since wearing his bespoke blue sculpted gown to make her first appearance at the Oscars in 2022.
“Megan is a cosmic force and working with her to craft this disruptive piece that embodies the spirit of tribal India has been exhilarating. Her willingness to explore and push boundaries made the collaboration a monumental moment,” said Gupta of the look.
Gupta’s collection, titled “Across the Flame,” told the story of his and partner Navkirat Sodhi’s healing journey recovering from a fire. He presented a spiritual and otherworldly collection.
