Often called the biggest night in fashion, the Met Gala brings the who’s who of the fashion world to New York to raise money for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s (MOMA) Costume Institute. With tickets rumoured to cost around $75,000 and payment not ensuring an invite, it is one of the most exclusive events. After all, where else can designers unleash their outrageous levels of creativity and have a rapt audience ready to praise (or tear down) their looks but the (now) blue carpet?
Theme
Themed ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,’ inspired by Monica L Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the event complements the new MOMA exhibit focused on the same. Black dandyism, a style adopted by Black Americans following the abolition of slavery, combined black culture with elements of European fashion. “The ethos behind the theme is wanting to be seen as charming, respectable, and dignified and give yourself reasons to feel joy. The theme is very relevant as it speaks of the bespoke tailoring of the black community in the 18th and 19th centuries. The fashion of the time has come out of rebellion,” explains Sounak Sen Barat, founder of bespoke fashion brand House of Three.
Best Dressed
On theme, the carpet saw structured silhouettes, collars, capes, and more. “Zoe Saldana and Mindy Kaling’s looks bring out black dandyism at its best. Even though Saldana’s is a very masculine cut, there’s a very feminine corset element which is beautifully blended. The same with Kaling – very structured and sharp,” says designer Raj Shroff.
Sarika Pawar, founder of the designer label, House of Soi, picks Zendaya’s look as her favourite, despite some noting its similarity to Anna Sawai’s, saying, “The designers took it a notch forward, especially with the limited theme compared to previous years where you could wear a lot of bounce and fluff. I loved Zendaya’s hat and the tailored, white look.”
Barat notes that black celebrities, like Tyla, Rihanna, and Doechii, in particular, took it to the next level. Pointing out Janelle Monae’s Thom Browne suit, he says, “It’s a crazy avant-garde take on a classic bespoke suit that is very androgynous with a constructed jacket and exaggerated shoulders to give a sense of power,”. He adds, “All the black people at the Met Gala wore the theme with a certain pride because these are stories of their forefathers. That sense of belonging was missing from the Indian diaspora who could have drawn from India’s colonial struggles and made the theme their own.”
Indian Entourage
This year saw Indians like Diljit Dosanjh, Priyanka Chopra, Kiara Advani, Isha Ambani, Mona Patel. Shah Rukh Khan made his debut sporting a black Sabyasachi outfit with a ‘K’ necklace, inspiring conflicting opinions. Pawar was a fan of the look, saying, “It’s nice to see him in something so different. He’s never been so casual about jewellery – the pendant, rings, jacket – I just love the whole thing.” However, Shroff disagrees, saying, “Khan was the biggest letdown and I was a bit shocked when I saw that ‘K’ hanging there, it was such a disaster.” While both Khan and Dosanjh, in his full white sherwani featuring Gurmukhi, were criticised for not being on theme, Shroff notes the cultural significance of the latter’s outfit, saying, “Among the men, Diljit was amazing – he showed what ‘Jaipur dandyism’ is and that’s what you need to do on a platform when you’re representing your country.”
Kiara Advani, who showed off her baby bump in a Gaurav Gupta gown, and Manish Malhotra’s self-designed ensemble with a majestic floor-length jacket, are the founder of Mysore Fashion Week, Jayanthi Ballal’s, favourites. “The black with the gold was neatly placed and looked elegant on her. Malhotra’s outfit with small animal motifs was very nice,” she says. Malhotra’s creation for Natasha Poonawala and Ambani’s Anamika Khanna-designed outfit stood out for using Indian handloom textiles, while Thom Browne’s piece for Patel has taken social media by storm. “Patel’s look was apt for the theme and her AI robotic dog have created a buzz on social media,” says Shroff, adding, “Poonawala’s gown was made of Parsi gara and the craftsmanship is amazing and indigenous to our country, it’s beautiful to see it represented on a global stage. Ambani, too, wore Indian handloom fabric embroidered with gemstones.”