On October 26, Adele returned to the stage to resume her Weekend with Adele residency before a sold-out crowd at Caesars Palace's Coliseum Theater. The Grammy and Oscar-winning artist appeared in a custom Gaurav Gupta Couture gown that had the same aura as her most belt-worthy power ballad. Inspired by the designer's Spring 2024 couture collection, the midnight black dress featured a sculptural, asymmetrical off-the-shoulder drape that extended into a full skirt and dramatic train.

Dubbed the “Cosmic Black Saturn Orbit Gown,” Adele's look took five artisans 93 hours to create. The decorative trellis of dark sparkles meanders from the structured bodice to the skirt, which is composed of 2,880 hand-set crystals. All these statistics are overshadowed by another important number. The “Weekends With Adele” gown marks the first time she has worn a dress by an Indian designer for a Las Vegas residency and for a major appearance.

With Paris-, Milan-, and London-based luxury brands dominating the red carpet and concert tour economy, it is significant that Adele chose Gaurav Gupta to perform. (By strutting on stage in a custom-made outfit, the result of a collaboration between Gupta and her stylist, Jamie Mizrahi, the “21” singer would introduce the entire lens of couture fashion to a new audience.

“It feels like a bridge between worlds to see [Adele] embodying for the first time a piece rooted in Indian couture,” Gupta tells Marie Claire.

“To be able to come full circle for this iconic and sensational moment is a great pleasure and a testament to how fashion can be woven into an unforgettable experience.”

The dress blends Adele's signature onstage Old Hollywood palette and exaggerated volume with Gupta's specialties, such as wing-like sculptural shoulder detailing and intricately placed beading. All are “inspired by the ethereal power of her voice, presence, and grace,” says the designer.

Adele would wear this gown twice in a row: first at the grand opening of Weekend with Adele's return, and then the following night with Celine Dion in the audience. Hugging, holding hands, and shedding tears, the two powerhouses bonded mid-performance, which quickly spread after the October 27 show. The Coliseum Theatre was originally built in 2003 for Dion's first Las Vegas residency, and her participation in the show was a literal and figurative passing of the baton as she battled health conditions that affected her ability to perform.

For the designer, there could not have been a more poignant moment for the debut of her custom-made couture. Says Gupta, “Creating this gown for Adele was not only a personal honor, it was made even more so by the fact that she wore it at such an important moment.” This is a style that will go down in history twice over.”