I love Gaurav Gupta's voice .... i can listen to him speaking for hours ... not only because, he is erudite, cultured, sophisticated and an interesting conversationalist ... but also because he speaks in the manner of Dr Sheldon Cooper(if you don't know who that is, this article is not meant for you :) ... and except for the Bazinga bit ... Gaurav's vocal modulation and inflection is so like the sexy Dr Cooper that it is uncanny, except GG's voice is more heavy .... even his witty retorts and quips !! .... until now, i used to see him only during press conferences and had no clue about that sharply wicked intelligence .... and now that i have actually interviewed him face to face ... i shudder to think what this poor man goes through every time the fashion media asks him the same stale questions at post show conferences ... it must be very trying for a man with quick wit to spare .... to be patient, calm and deadpan pleasant to hackneyed hacks ..... but then he is a Capricorn (me too) ... and we goats are very famous for our patience !! :) .... Come to think of it, just like his signature structured drapes .... GG(we will call him GG henceforth) as a Fashion Designer is a layer of drapes cunningly crafted to the market sentiments of the press ..... GG the Dude exists in a parallel universe peopled with imaginary characters who is more of his ilk ... they are the imaginative muse for his creations ... and how do these two diff universe meet ? ... well as he puts it ... "Fashion is an art ... And Art like lot of other creative things is not always understood ... but the moment people come across my designs ..... if they interact with the piece or check it out in the mirror, we have had a dialogue ... THAT moment doesn't need words" ... probably that is where the two worlds of Gaurav Gupta converges !! ... It is unspoken and unexpressed ... but as I chatted with GG about this and that, it was a delight to discover the Dude behind the Fashion Designer .... We both love Lemon Fizz ... the roadside "thelawalla Banta" lemonade ..... Nirula's Golden Glow icecream soda ... Thai food .... salad .... flea markets .... shoes .... rings .... metal accessories .... except his sick obsession with Rajma ... (he even has Rajma with his toast !!!!) ..... And then as i mentioned earlier, we both are Capricorns, and both share an alma mater in Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design, London (he is from Gareth Pugh's batch) .... Naturally, the London angle was explored .... Camden, Brick Lane (he stayed around here), Shoreditch are some of his fav places ... he was half punk half hippie in style ... "floated between both the spaces .... attended world music gigs, goth gigs, followed Hare Krishna monks and danced with them down Oxford Street ... went to raves and s & m parties .... had to experience all of them, get exposed to the whole world" he said .... i curiously asked, who did GG find cool when he was in high school ? ... "You would not believe ....popular artists Sridevi, Rekha, Amitabh" ... my brows shot up ... (i mean look at his sophisticated constructions) .... he smiled mischievously "Come on, what can i say? I am a Delhi Indian boy !!" .... Hahaha this Delhi boy is also a "Trend Clairvoyant" like most ace designers are ... Just look at our 3rd most popular post on our blog featuring GG's neons from his Spring Summer 2013 line... trust me the stats for the post is mind boggling (Gaurav Gupta Neon) .... GG did neons, debuting right along side Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade et al .... even before it hit the local market !! ... then i remember his zippered black fall collection which was au current with other global fash players too ..... he says he doesn't know why things trend, but always finds himself unconsciously knowing it ... trend clairvoyant!!  i tell you !! ... Then his taste in music ... i have heard Tchaikovsky and Brahms on his runway .... but equally Indian classical too ... very eclectic he agrees .... his favourite is Tabla player Talvin Singh associated with Asian Underground music, with collabs with Madonna, Massive Attack .... He loves World electronic music with slightly eastern sounds ... loves Squarepusher, Braindance but also Beatles :) .... I can go on and on but because this is a blog post, i must stop .... needless to say ... GG is a very very fascinating man and when i saw the preview of his new collection "Lightfall" to be presented at the final day of the ongoing PCJ Delhi Couture Week, that is Sunday, tomorrow .... i knew i had to attempt to put down in words, my interactions with him and share his preview with you :)

Gaurav Gupta