Adele's Custom Gown Is a "Bridge Between Worlds"—and a Milestone First for Her Las Vegas Residency
In a 'Marie Claire' exclusive, designer Gaurav Gupta explains how it came together.
On Oct. 26, Adele glided back onstage at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace to resume her Weekends With Adele residency in front of a sold-out crowd. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist appeared in a custom Gaurav Gupta Couture gown with the same aura as her most belt-worthy power ballads. Inspired by a piece from the designer's Spring 2024 couture collection, her midnight-black dress featured a sculptural, asymmetric, off-the-shoulder drape that extended into a full skirt and a dramatic train.
Adele's look—named the "Cosmic Black Saturn Orbit Gown"—was crafted by five artisans over 93 hours. A trellis of darkly glittering embellishments, snaking from the structural bodice down the skirt, is comprised of 2,880 hand-set crystals. All those stats are overshadowed by one more important number. This Weekends With Adele gown marks the first time she's ever been dressed by an Indian designer—both for her Las Vegas residency and for a major appearance, period.
Adele backstage before her Weekends With Adele performance.
A sketch of Adele's custom design by Gaurav Gupta.
In a red carpet and concert tour economy dominated by luxury labels based in Paris, Milan, and London, Adele's choice to perform in Gaurav Gupta is a significant one. (She also tends to wear labels like Burberry and Louis Vuitton.) By sweeping onstage in her custom-creation—born from a collaboration between Gupta and her stylist, Jamie Mizrahi—the "21" singer is introducing a new audience to an entire lens on couture fashion.
"To see [Adele] embodying a piece rooted in Indian couture for the first time feels like a bridge between worlds," Gupta tells Marie Claire. "Being part of this full-circle iconic and sensational moment was beyond gratifying, a testament to how fashion can be woven into unforgettable experiences."
A close-up of Adele's gown, which took 93 hours to create.
Each embellishment on the gown was hand-placed.
Adele performed in the gown for two consecutive nights.
The dress marries Adele's on-stage signatures—an Old Hollywood palette and over-the-top volume—with Gupta specialities, including the wing-like sculpted shoulder detailing and the meticulously-placed beads. All in all, it's "inspired by the ethereal power of her voice, presence, and grace," the designer says.
Adele performing onstage in her custom gown.
Adele performing onstage in her custom gown.
Adele would wear her gown two times in a row: First for Weekends With Adele's return grand opening, then the following night with Céline Dion in the audience. Videos of the two powerhouses connecting mid-performance, with hugs, hand-holding, and a few tears, quickly went viral after the Oct. 27 show. The Colosseum Theater was originally built in 2003 for Dion's first Las Vegas residency; her presence at the show, as she battles a health condition impacting her ability to perform, was a literal and figurative passing of the baton.
A designer couldn't dream up a more poignant moment for their custom couture to make its debut. "Creating this gown for Adele was not only a personal honor, but became so much more when she wore it during such a significant moment," Gupta says. It's style history made twice over.
