For Gurung, whose designs have become a huge red-carpet favorite for women-of-the-moment like Amy Schumer and Tina Fey, this "tension" resulted in a forest-themed collection with soft silhouettes and even softer materials, like the show's opening look: a wool duffel coat in the color of "snow," or white, with a white fox fur trim, worn over a braided silk blouse and a silk crepe skirt - all in the same white hue. Another inviting coat - certainly in these frigid February days in New York - was an oversized shearling and lambskin paneled coat, paired with ivory crepe trousers and a Nepalese cashmere cardigan, evoking Gurung's home country.

Backstage, Gurung also spoke about how much he enjoyed dressing Schumer recently for the Golden Globes, in an elegant black-and-white gown that drew her praise.

"When I met Amy I could not stop laughing, she was just so witty," he said. "She said, 'I've never felt so beautiful.' And you know, as a designer, to work one on one and ... to make someone feel that great, I will always cherish it."

Gurung also spoke about dressing Laverne Cox, the transgender actress of "Orange is the New Black," who wore a filmy, one-shoulder Gurung gown in red recently to the SAG awards.

"I've just loved to celebrate women of different sizes, colors, sexual orientation, and gender, because I've always wanted to be inclusive," he said. "I'm aware of the fact that I design at a price point that's not available for everyone. However, whatever I put up there, I want to make sure that the message is very clear about inclusion."