Cannes 2023: When it took 3,000 hours to make Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's butterfly gown

The 76th Cannes Film Festival is has already begun. Every year, several Indian diva models appear on the red carpet. However, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the most anticipated performers at the event.

Actress and former beauty queen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made a colourful statement with a dramatic 'butterfly' gown by Dubai-based designer Michael Cinco for her first red carpet appearance at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Aishwarya, who clocks her 17th year at the film jamboree this time as L'Oreal Paris brand ambassador, took a confident walk with the exquisite three meter train trailing behind and catching the attention of the crowd.

After transforming into a real-life Cinderella in 2017, the Bollywood superstar reprised her stellar black tie wardrobe with another couture gown by designer Michael Cinco.

“The gown was created to reflect the impalpable dream of a butterfly metamorphosis,” Cinco tells BAZAAR.com of the exquisite creation.

The Dubai-based designer did not skimp on the details for this dress: it’s completely covered in Swarovski crystals and French palettes; it consists of ultra-violet, midnight blue, and red thread works; and it boasts a 20-foot train that mimics “a butterfly emerging from it’s chrysalis.” Plus, its body-hugging silhouette and sweetheart neckline compliment Bachchan’s figure perfectly.

Cinco revealed it took 3,000 hours to create the intricate number. (If the dressmakers worked nonstop, that would be equivalent to 125 days.)

Cinco initially created the crystal-covered gown for a Swarovski exhibition, but the actress helped make the look her own.

“We worked closely with Aishwarya and her team in creating the perfect fit and making minor alterations to best suit her,” the designer adds.

Rai Bachchan is sporting a Cinco original for the second year in a row. Last summer, she made an equally beautiful debut wearing a frosty blue ball gown from the designer. The analogies to Disney princesses were inescapable.

This was Rai Bachchan’s second year in a row wearing a Cinco original. She made just as stunning of an entrance last summer a frosty blue ball gown by the designer. The Disney princess comparisons were inevitable.