Lady Gaga in Aparna & Norden Wangdi couture

A sketch of the dress designed by the duo for Lady Gaga

‘Explore, Experiment, Innovate, Enjoy’ Aparna & Norden Wangdi's design dictum and could they have had a better magical story to illustrate it than for the most experimental of divas, Lady Gaga.
Aparna & Norden Wangdi were approached by Shah Rukh Khan’s company, Red Chillies Production to design an outfit for the global fashion icon, Lady Gaga. After the meticulous screening by the ‘Haus of Gaga’, Lady Gagas design team, they were selected to present their designs to the musical superstar.
The duo had a lot of fun designing for Lady Gaga because they feel that she epitomizes their design dictum, ‘Explore, Experiment, Innovate, Enjoy’.  The ensemble is rich, deep and dramatic in red silk and black net as it flirts with the bright hues of yellows, greens, purples in its details.  Then it immerses itself in the wicked but stark magic of a crazy patchwork sadhu with an attitude lurking beneath the net with his third eye peering through and a curly haired rock star with a bindi sitting on a hemline woven with gota. The extravaganza of colours is brought to life on subtle canvases that tease, tantalise and bewitch.
The muse being Gaga, unpredictability and the element of surprise runs rife with a curious interplay of texture and drape contrasts evoking an element of the dramatic. Convention flies out the window as the silhouette daringly takes on flowing drapes and structured classics. Adding to the dizzying range of details are the intricate nuances of silk, crochet and cotton flowers that create moods all of their own, complementing and enhancing the magic. All the world's a stage and this ensemble is no exception as theatrical brilliance reigns with humorous contrasts with flowers, nets, gota lending an ‘oh-so-unique’ Indian flavour to spice it up. 
The affair ended with a gala evening with Shah Rukh Khan and Lady Gaga who simply loved the outfit and hugged the designers for making it special. The designers, on meeting the star were touched by the warmth and humility with which she came across. ‘It was a great experience and we would simply love to design for her again’.
About the dress
The dress has a fitted corset with unfinished red, maroon, black, grey, block printed silk tassels which are asymmetrically hanging onto the full skirt. The skirt of the dress has a base of quilted silk to give it the body and volume for the drape. The net is double and triple layered at places with a red silk lining which is short at the front and long at the back. The skirt has a patchwork silk motif with textured embroidery of a sadhu with dreadlocks and a sequinned third eye which is visible through the net. There is also an embroidered face of a pop star with a big sequin bindi placed on the gota embellished hemline draped asymmetrically. The Hindi and English words symbolising the free spirit of the Hindu god ‘Shiva’ are sequined embroidered across the chest diagonally and on the skirt in the front. The outfit is detailed with cloth roses and flowers on the neck and on some parts of the skirt and as a headband.
“We did not have too much time to do the dress but worked through the festival of Diwali and Vishwakarma round-the-clock to get it ready in time but put in a whole day for putting in the details to get the whole look together”.

Aparna and Norden Wangdi studio was established in the year 1999 by the husband and wife duo, Aparna and Norden Wangdi. Both are products of prestigious National institute of fashion technology New Delhi.