Do butterflies realise they were once caterpillars? How do we fill the brief intervals between beginning and end, happiness and hopelessness?

with gloomy, opulent attire, of course.

Prabal Gurung spent this season reflecting. For a fashion week show Friday exploring the Buddhist concept of “anichya,” or impermanence, he installed a mirrored square runway reflecting an opulent blue light display at the main branch of the New York Public Library.

Gurung was inspired by his native Nepal, where he hasn’t been since before the pandemic, and incorporated butterfly motifs, wool jackets, and dusty pink, vermilion, saffron, and burgundy hues into his clothing. He was inspired to “silence everything” by a recent 10-day meditation retreat.

In a backstage interview with The Associated Press, he said, “In Nepal, we talk about it all the time,what is present and how soon it can go and there is actually optimism in that, especially in these challenging times.”

He claimed that part of the concept was finding hope “in the dark places.” “There’s light after darkness.”

This time, his silhouettes were more angular and extended. His asymmetry put the concept of harmony to the test. At the same time that he provided sharp angles, he also draped softly. There were wool jackets, flowing, gliding skirts, and flashy golds and gems.

Gurung summarised that for him, New York Fashion Week was a “magical, mystery journey. An inward spiritual journey” taken at night back home in Nepal.

In a high-low, high-neck dress with a butterfly print in black and white, a black leather cropped jacket with a pink shearling collar, and another in sheer red and black with seductive cutouts at the hip, she seemed moody yet hopeful.

A pink and scarlet embroidered cocoon coat and an enormous jumper in an ivory and yellow butterfly knit were also there.

“But there’s a lot of strength to it,” Gurung added.

All evolved out of the solitude he experienced during his 10-day vipassana retreat, during which reading, talking on the phone, and physical activity were forbidden. A painted lady butterfly arrived on his window on the third day, “and it gave me something to ponder.”

Gurung stated he wanted to embrace the idea that nothing is stable but that frequent upheavals should not be feared because he had grown up with “impermanence.” He stated that they needed to be embraced and that he was dressed appropriately for the occasion.

One of his front row visitors was Kelsea Ballerini, who dazzled in a yellow gown by Gurung at the Grammys. Alyah Chanelle Scott and Becky G were with her.

Collection

_{Photo: Isidore Montag}