Couture Meets Klimt – Rahul Mishra Fall 2025

Let’s talk about Rahul Mishra’s Fall 2025 Couture collection – yes, the one that was inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. The designer took up three Klimt works– the most obvious one: The “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer”, aka “The Woman in Gold”, Water Serpents II and a portrait of Emilie Floege who was Klimt’s lifelong muse, lover and partner. Klimt is one of the most famous artists and while his legacy has, unfortunately, been turned into a lot of kitsch, Rahul Mishra managed to create something beautiful and tasteful. He allowed the women to step out of their paintings, by making the needle and thread his brush and paint. Let’s dive into the details and also learn more about the femmes fatales behind those paintings.

You can also watch my video here:

“Becoming Love” was centred around seven emotions – attraction, infatuation, surrender, reverence, devotion, obsession and death. This story of love was brought to life by 2,000 artists and these seven emotions structured collection – the garments of each emotion felt like sections. In general, it was yet another beautifully designed and crafted collection, with Mishra’s signature embroidery reflecting the crafts of India. Again, he incorporated 3D-elements like big flowers and screens which we have seen in his previous collections. This should not be seen as criticism, it can rather be seen as a way to merge his design-DNA and new ideas. The overall influence of Gustav Klimt was immediately obvious. The gold pattern incorporating geometric, repetitive motifs, which Mishra also called “totems” made it very clear: It was Klimt, but beyond the kitsch. It is Klimt without looking like an outfit for a fancy-dress party.^[1]

Klimt-Inspired Design, Rahul Mishra Couture Fall 2025

Who Was Gustav Klimt?

Klimt lived at turn of the 19^th to the 20^th century. Today, he is still one of the most famous artists ever – his golden paintings are known even to people who are not necessarily interested in art. This is also due to the fact that his works are heavily used in the tourism industry. There is not a single souvenir shop in Vienna where you won’t find a Klimt magnet, drinking bottle or even robes. However, Klimt himself was a trailblazer who was often criticised for his art. He had been trained during the late Historicism, which we could consider the more classical art at the time. But he soon ventured into a very unique style with early elements of abstract art. To put this into context: At the time, Austria was a monarchy and Vienna was quite a progressive city – it was known for its cafés and salons where authors, politicians, thinkers and artists met. But overall, the monarchy was conservative and the movement which Klimt was part of, the Jugendstil and also the Secession were the complete opposite. The Jugendstil was the local version of the Art Nouveau, which was much more reduced, geometric and simple than the Historicism. It stood for change and so did Klimt’s art. He was part of the Secession movement – and acted as their first president from 1897 onwards. The building can be visited as a museum today. During Klimt’s time, it offered artists a public forum to exhibit their art – especially if it did not correspond to what was considered good taste. Klimt’s paintings were bold and caused a public debate. Many people could not relate to his art and his works started a discussion about the degree of eroticism and ugliness “allowed” in the arts. And speaking of eroticism – Klimt “loved” women, there are many stories about his affairs. Rahul Mishra also actively took up women in his collection – according to the designer, Klimt’s art is not just about beauty, it is about mystery.^[2]

First Painting – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

Let’s look into the first work Mishra referenced, the famous “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I” from 1907. The corresponding designs of Mishra are also called “Adele”. This famous woman is surrounded by gold which was achieved by a new technique developed by Klimt by mixing gold leaf with oils and bronze paint. Adele looks right at us, she does indeed look mysterious.

Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Oil on Canvas, 138×138 cm, 1907, Neue Galerie New York.

Adele Bloch-Bauer and her entrepreneur husband hosted salons – popular social events where artists, politicians, intellectuals and authors met at someone’s house. Klimt was part of the Bloch-Bauer salons. Adele became one of his muses who was the model for quite a few of his works. The painting is not only iconic in terms of the Art Nouveau, unfortunately, it reached international fame when there was a legal battle of Adele Bloch-Bauer’s family and the Republic of Austria. The portrait had been part of multiple works previous owned by the Bloch-Bauer family which were stolen by the National-Socialists in 1938. For decades, the artworks stayed with the Republic of Austria and were exhibited in museums. In 1999, the heirs of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer sue the Republic of Austria after its “Rückgabebeirat”, the panel assessing the return of artworks and other cultural assets which were stolen during the Third Reich, denied the return of five artworks to the family. After more than six years of legal battle, the Republic of Austria had to return the “Lady in Gold” to the heirs. Shortly after that, the family sold it to Ronald Lauder, son of beauty-mogul Estée Lauder, and since then, it has been exhibited at his Neue Galerie in New York City.^[3]

The repetition of geometric shapes and objects as well as the use of gold are a clear reference to Klimt’s “Golden Period”.

The geometric pattern which makes the golden Adele so unique is a signature characteristic of Klimt’s “Golden Period” and can also be discovered in other paintings, for example, in “The Kiss”, which can be viewed at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna. It was painted in 1908, the height of Klimt’s “Golden Period” and it reflects the structure Mishra mentioned in his interviews. He said that Klimt’s art is not soft and that he took up some of Klimt’s motifs and repeated them like totems. The repetition reflected obsession, one of the seven emotions of love.^[4]

Couture Meets Klimt Rahul Mishra Fall 2025 Review The Kiss — Gustav Klimt, The Kiss, Oil on Canvas, 1908/1909, 180×180 cm, Belvedere Museum Vienna; Source: Gustav Klimt, Belvedere Museum Vienna, Picture Taken by the Author at the Museum.

The Kiss has a meaning typical of the early 20^th century: Love is central to human existence. Rahul Mishra did not explicitly mention this particular work, but it can be assumed that he knew about The Kiss and its meaning – it fits very well for this collection as well. Furthermore, the flowers of the lower part of the painting are also a signature characteristic of Klimt. Even though he is famous for the golden portraits of women he is also famous for his landscapes with the idealized and aestheticized nature and flowers. Mishra took these flowers up in quite a few designs, even some which are not obvious Klimt-references.^[5]

Second Painting – Water Serpents II

Gustav Klimt, Water Serpents II, 1904–1907, Oil on Canvas, 80 x145 cm, Private Collection

This leads me to another artwork, “Water Serpents II” from 1907, which is in a private collection today. When you look closely, you can spot female faces on Rahul Mishra’s designs. They are clear references of the painting. Originally Water Serpents II was part of a group of paintings dealing with water nymphs. We see four women which are all taken up in the designs by the Indian designer. The most obvious one is the one in front, directly looking at us. The other two women with blonde or reddish hair can be seen in Look 18.

Blonde- and Red-Haired Women of Klimt’s Water Serpents II on Look 18.

And it may be very likely that Look 25 represents the dark-haired woman, the one furthest to the right in Klimt’s painting which is often overlooked. Again, we notice the flowers – they are also a direct reference of Water Serpents II.

Dark-Haired Woman of Klimt’s Water Serpents II on Look 25.

Third Painting – Portrait of Emilie Floege

The last painting is a portrait of Emilie Floege. While the internet was fast to link three of Mishra’s designs of the collection (Look 15, 16 and 20) to Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”, it is very clear that this is yet another Klimt-reference. Firstly, the designer hints at a certain somebody by calling the designs “Emilie”. Those who know a bit about Gustav Klimt may remember that he had a lifelong relationship with Emilie Floege – they never married and he also philandered around but she was, most likely, the “one”. She was not only his muse who spent summers with him at the Salzkammergut, but gave him vital advice for his art. In return, he also actively supported her business. Business and woman in the beginning of the 20^th century – that is quite something. Floege was a fashion designer and entrepreneur, the Floege Sisters (Emilie, Helene and Pauline) ran a couture salon which employed 60 seamstresses at its height at the Casa Piccola building which is still around in Vienna’s Mariahilfer Straße, a shopping street. The salon was designed by Josef Hoffmann by the way, who was also friends with Floege.^[7]

The Details of the Dress of Emilie Floege in Klimt’s Portrait Were the Clear Inspiration for Rahul Mishra’s Design.

Emilie was a trailblazer and feminist, she promoted the Reformkleid, a loosely fitted dress, almost like a kaftan, which required no corset – long before the likes of Poiret and Chanel popularized a new, looser silhouette. Floege worked with the Wiener Werkstätte and also incorporated the newest trends from Paris.^[6]

Emilie Floege in a Reformkleid.

The Klimt portrait of Emilie Floege can be seen in the Wien Museum. This painting from 1902 is clearly the source of inspiration for Rahul Mishra’s designs and I really appreciated that he also actively named the designs after her. Despite her story and contributions to the arts as well as the women’s movement, Floege is rarely known. She deserves to be way more famous and, hopefully, thanks to Rahul Mishra’s beautiful designs more people will discover her inspiring story.

Gustav Klimt, Portrait of Emilie Louise Flöge, Oil on Canvas, 1902, 181×84 cm, Wien Museum, Vienna

Disclaimer

This article is based on the personal, views, experiences and research of the author, no fees were received by the organisations and people mentioned above. All information is alleged, as of the date of publishing/updating and for entertainment purposes only.

Footnotes

[1] Rahul Mishra Official Instagram Account 2025.

[2] Belvedere Museum 2025.

[3] ORF 2025.

[4] Belvedere Museum 2025, Rahul Mishra Official Instagram Account 2025.

[5] Belvedere Museum 2025.

[6] Floege Buch

Sources

Belvedere Museum Official Press Kit, Vienna, 2025.

Rahul Mishra Official Instagram Account, last accessed on 12 August 2025.

ORF.at, Klimt-Gemälde erzielten Höchstpreise, last accessed on 12 August 2025.

More One Fashion

Who Was Gustav Klimt?

First Painting – Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I

Second Painting – Water Serpents II

Third Painting – Portrait of Emilie Floege

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