Tuesday, 05 May 2026
Tuesday, 05 May 2026
The 2026 Met Gala featured numerous Indian personalities, including Karan Johar, Manish Malhotra and Isha Ambani, all wearing outfits that combined this year’s theme, Costume Art, with vibrant Indian flair. Here’s a look at who dressed who during the annual fashion event held on May 5 at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Indian entrepreneur Isha Ambani looked stellar in a handwoven gold-thread sari by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta, which took over 1,200 hours to craft. In a post featuring Isha’s outfit, the designer wrote, “In response to the theme Fashion is Art, the look is conceived as a study of the dressed body, where art is not applied, but lived.”
In a nod to this year’s theme, Manish Malhotra used the moment to spotlight not just design, but the hands and stories behind it. He wrote a custom black velvet ensemble featuring an architectural cape, designed as a tribute to Mumbai. The elaborate cape was crafted for over 960 hours by 50 artisans, with their signatures embroidered into the design.
Filmmaker-producer Karan Johar made his Met Gala debut by attending in a Manish Malhotra custom outfit that features a striking six-foot hand-painted cape inspired by the art of Raja Ravi Varma. It took approximately 85 days to create the look, which incorporates traditional Zardozi embroidery. The outfit, according to the filmmaker, is not only a tribute to the Indian art form, but also a homage to Indian cinema.
Indian entrepreneur Ananya Birla, who also made her Met Gala debut, looked edgy and futuristic in a custom sculptural ballgown and jacket set by designer Robert Wun, paired with a distinct stainless steel face mask created by artist Subodh Gupta and styled by Rhea Kapoor.
Businesswoman and philanthropist Sudha Reddy paid tribute to her Hyderabadi roots, culture and language at the Met Gala by walking the red carpet in a custom ‘Tree of Life’ ensemble designed by Manish Malhotra. The look was inspired by the Indian art form Kalamkari and took over 3,400 hours to craft. She completed the outfit with a 550-carat Tanzanite necklace from her personal collection, reportedly valued at USD 15 million.
Natasha Poonawallah, an entrepreneur and philanthropist, brought elegance to this year’s Met Gala with her custom sculptural outfit. The ensemble featured a large white phalaenopsis orchid sculpture crafted by British visual artist Marc Quinn. This sculptural piece was paired with a custom white couture gown designed by Dolce & Gabbana.
Indian fashion consultant Diya Mehta Jatia made an appearance at the Met Gala in a Mayyur Girotra ensemble that paid tribute to Bengal’s rich artisanal legacy. The look brought together a gold and silver Kanjivaram sari base with intricately sculpted shola work, painstakingly crafted by Bengali artisans over weeks. The final creation stood out as a structured, couture reinterpretation of a traditional craft, seamlessly turning heritage into architectural fashion.
