PEAKLIFE

By Abhya Adlakha

The Met Gala, undoubtedly fashion’s biggest night, was an absolute showstopper this year. As an ensemble of stars descended upon the red carpet of the 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the steps transformed into the ultimate runway for a night of opulence and style. The stars aligned their best and wackiest dresses along the steps of the Met this year.

This year’s exhibit, ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, delved into the intersection of technology and fashion, breathing life into garments once considered too fragile to see the light of day again. The point of the exhibition was dormant dresses and forgotten, fragile garments spanning over four centuries of history. Meanwhile, guests embraced the theme of ‘The Garden of Time’, drawing inspiration from the J.G. Ballad’s eponymous short story.

The sartorial narrative revolves around a count who, facing a threat from an angry mob, plucks a rose from his garden to halt time until every flower dies. With this story’s dystopian essence and the exhibit’s focus on reviving the old, attendees offered a myriad of interpretations of the story this year—from 3D florals to whimsical fascinators.

Among the attendees, several prominent Indians graced the red carpet at the prestigious ball on Monday night, leaving an indelible mark with their unparalleled style. Their presence not only underscored the global reach of Indian fashion but also captivated the hearts of many onlookers.

From Bollywood star Alia Bhatt to the celebrated Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherji, here is a list of all the Indians at the Met Gala this year.

Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt stole the spotlight at the Met Gala 2024 as she graced the red carpet in a timeless custom-designed, mint-green Sabyasachi sari. The sari also boasted a 23-foot-long trail detailed with hand-embroidered florals with glass beading and real gemstones. It took more than 1,900-man hours and 163 craftsmen to make the garment.

While speaking at the event, the actress said that “nothing is more timeless than a sari”. She credited Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherji for his vision and said that they drew inspiration from the timeless sophistication of Indian nobility.

Bhatt previously debuted at the 2023 Met Gala in a Prabal Gurung couture honouring the theme, ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’. She wore a white gown embellished with more than 1,00,000 pearls.

Natasha Poonawalla

Natasha Poonawalla, a Met Gala regular, graced the 2024 Met Gala red carpet in a custom Margiela designed by the iconic designer John Galliano. The Indian businesswoman paired her look with platform Christian Louboutins. She described her dress as embodying the idea of “fragility of time and co-existing with strength and permanence”.

Poonawalla previously went to the 2022 Met Gala carpet in a Sabyasachi x Schiaparelli ensemble to honour the ‘Gilded Glamour’ theme.

Mona Patel

Mona Patel’s dress was so stunning at the 2024 Met Gala red carpet that she quickly became the viral “mystery woman” all over the Internet. The CEO of Forbes Next 1000 honoree made her debut at the Met Gala in an off-shoulder Iris van Herpen gown.

Perfectly in tune with the theme of “Garden of Time”, the sculpted gown was inspired by fluttering butterflies. The highlight of her look were the 3D butterflies on her sleeves.

Mindy Kaling

Indian-origin actor and producer Mindy Kaling showed up at the Met Gala 2024 red carpet in a sculpted nude gown by designer Gaurav Gupta. The dress boasted a structured cape at the back that started from her shoulders and ended in a trail. Kaling’s dress was entitled, ‘The Melting Flower of Time’.

Ambika Mod

The British actress who rose to fame after her role in One Day on Netflix made her Met Gala debut in a black-and-white custom Loewe gown.

Simone Ashley

The Bridgerton star graced the Met Gala red carpet in a cut-out navy blue dress designed by American fashion designer Prabal Gurung.

Isha Ambani

In keeping with the theme for the year, Isha Ambani, daughter of Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, wore a custom-made hand-embroidered couture sari gown crafted by acclaimed Indian designer Rahul Mishra.

The gown featured a stunning long floral train and intricate hand embroidery took over 10,000 hours to create. The detailed work on the gown was done using embroidery techniques like zardozi, dabka, and nakshi, while the gown featured French knots in parts. Ambani also carried a Jade clutch featuring Indian Miniature Painting by Jaipur artist Hari Narain Marotia.

Sudha Reddy

Hydrebad-based Indian businesswoman Sudha Reddy graced the Met Gala red carpet in a custom Tarun Tahiliani ivory silk dress. However, the real showstopper was her blingy Amore Eterno jewellery, featuring more than 200 carats of diamonds. She wore a 180-carat necklace that boasted a 25-carat heart-shaped diamond at its centre, along with three other 20-carat diamonds. She also wore two diamond solitaire rings on her fingers.

This was her second appearance at the Met Gala.

Sabyasachi Mukherji

Indian courtier Sabyasachi Mukherji has long been celebrated as one of the best in India, but his legacy reached new heights last night as he made history as the first Indian designer to ever walk the Met Gala red carpet.

He wore an embroidered cotton coat from his Sabyasachi Resort 2024 collection, and accessorised it with beautiful gems from his jewellery collection.