It's a little shocking that Megan Thee Stallion's first trip to Paris Haute Couture Week hadn't happened until 2025. The chainmail gown she wore to Gaurav Gupta's front row and the vintage Jean Paul Gaultier ballgown skirt she chose the day after are really like heightened takes on the intricate corsets, hot-girl bodysuits, and occasional cosplay she wears on tour.
Style for Megan isn't just about what the pieces look like, but what they have to say. "For me, fashion is storytelling," she tells Marie Claire shortly after her whirlwind trip through the front rows including Gupta, Gaultier, and Giambattista Valli concluded. Nowhere is that connection more obvious that a calendar dedicated to fantastically intricate details and ateliers where dresses take shape over countless hours of work. "Paris Couture Week is where some of the most creative, visionary minds bring their narratives to life," she says. For a hitmaker with a long-professed love of "experimenting with fashion [and] pushing boundaries," couture is the ultimate fashion destination.
With invites finally in hand this season, Megan wanted to embrace couture's heightened energy for all it was worth. Enter: her chainmail Gaurav Gupta gown.
The look involved a chocolate brown corset overlaid with yards and yards of crystal-accented silver chains of varying widths and textures, draping across her torso from the heavy-metal choker around her neck. With a coordinating headpiece—or really, a crown—set over two low buns and concealing her face behind even more dangling hardware, Megan resembled a warrior queen headed to battle, a twenty-first century Joan of Arc ready to avenge her beloved Hotties. (That's the name for Megan's fans, of course.) An upside-down metallic manicure extending all the way to her first knuckle enhanced the futuristic energy—perfect for a show where "astral projection" was a major theme according to the designer.
Megan Thee Stallion had heard the story of "Across the Flame," the Gaurav Gupta collection, way before making it to the venue. The pieces were all inspired by the near-fatal accident Gaurav's partner, Navkirat Sodhi, suffered, and the couple's healing journey after. "When I heard the story behind this collection—the bravery, the resilience, the love between Gaurav and his life partner, Navkirat—I was genuinely moved," she explains. "That kind of courage of survival is powerful, and I wanted my look to reflect that same spirit."
I wanted my look to balance both strength and serenity. I love a bold, statement-making moment, but there’s also a calm, confident energy.
The dress resembles armor, yet the hair-thin chains appear soft at the same time. It's a balance of strength and serenity, Megan says.
"Every single detail in this gown is insane, but what stood out to me the most is the way it was crafted, meticulously hand-made, with each piece of metalwork placed to feel like an extension of the body," she says. "The ghungroos, which are traditional Indian metallic bells, added this incredible movement and texture to the look—almost like sound woven into the fabric."
Leaving the comfort of her hotel for the flashes of the front row cameras was, in her words, "an experience." "It wasn’t just fashion—it was a story unfolding in front of us," she says.
That made choosing a favorite to wear off the runway impossible for Megan. (Though if I had to pick for her, the label's first-ever denim look feels like a fit.) So in her eyes, the common thread behind each couture moment—the story Gaurav and his partner wanted to tell—was the overall stand-out. "The most powerful moment for me was when Navkirat, Gaurav’s partner, opened the show, reciting a poem about her journey of survival, healing, and embracing her scars," she says. "That level of vulnerability and beauty is rare, and it set the tone for everything that followed. The collection itself was surreal—ethereal and deeply personal."
The overall collection amplified how Megan felt in her own dress, confident and strong. "Fashion should make you feel something," she reflects, "and this piece did exactly that. It was couture in its truest form." Spoken like someone who should be back in the front row next season.
