Met Gala 2026: The Indian names who defined ‘Fashion Is Art’ on the red carpet

 

The first Monday in May is here (or Tuesday, depending on where you are in the world), and so is fashion’s most anticipated night: the Met Gala. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the 2026 edition unfolds under the theme “Costume Art,” with a fittingly expansive dress code: “Fashion is Art.” Think of it as an open brief, inviting guests to treat the body as canvas and couture as commentary. Inside, the exhibition places fashion alongside fine art, exploring the dressed body across time, while on the steps, spectacle takes over. With co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams leading the evening, the carpet delivered on drama, concept, and craftsmanship. And among the global lineup, India held its own. With appearances from Karan Johar, Isha Ambani, Natasha Poonawalla, and Mona Patel, the country’s presence felt both consistent and commanding. Below is a closer look at the Indian attendees and what they wore.

Isha Ambani

Isha Ambani delivered a look that felt almost archival. Dressed in Gaurav Gupta Couture and styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, she leaned into the evening’s theme with authority– letting centuries of Indian craft speak through a sharply modern lens. At its core was a jewellery-integrated blouse, encrusted with over 1,800 carats of diamonds, emeralds, polki, and kundan (many drawn from Nita Ambani’s personal collection), paired with a luminous gold-woven tissue saree by the Swadesh artisans and a sculptural cape that added Gupta’s signature drama. Oh, and she carried a distinctive, 20-year-old metal mango sculpture by artist Subodh Gupta as a clutch. 

Karan Johar

Karan Johar made his Met Gala debut in a look that felt inherently cinematic. Dressed in Manish Malhotra and styled by Eka Lakhani, he drew from the world of Raja Ravi Varma, translating the artist’s imagery into couture. The ensemble featured hand-painted panels framed with intricate zardozi borders, while sculptural motifs of pillars, lotuses, and swans emerged almost three-dimensionally across the surface. Crafted over 5,600 hours, the look blurred the line between painting and garment, finished with acrylic and oil treatments that gave it a varnished, gallery-like glow. The result was maximal, a reminder that for Johar, fashion, much like film, is always about storytelling.

Mona Patel

Mona Patel delivered one of the evening’s most conceptual looks– treating the body as both canvas and study. Created with Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda, the ensemble unfolded in two interdependent layers. The outer veil, imagined as a drifting manuscript, carried references to Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches (the Vitruvian Man and the gaze of the Mona Lisa), obscuring the body beneath, as if thought made visible. Underneath, an ivory sculptural gown revealed what she described as the “Anatomy of Genius”– hand-pleated chiffon engineered to mimic muscle and fascia, a silk spine, circulatory vessels traced in gold, and neural synapses rendered in diamonds.

Gauravi Kumari

For her Met Gala debut, Gauravi Kumari delivered a look rooted deeply in memory and meaning. Dressed in Prabal Gurung, she wore a gown crafted from her grandmother Gayatri Devi’s original pink chiffon sari– not as inspiration, but as the garment itself. The fabric, with its delicate self-sequins, was carefully reworked to retain the fluidity and grace of a traditional drape, while being anchored into a modern silhouette. Finished with pearls and uncut diamonds from The Gem Palace and styled with heirloom-inspired jewellery, Kumari’s ensemble struck the perfect balance between past and present. And on a carpet that often favours spectacle, this was something more personal: a story carried not just in design, but in the fabric itself.

Sawai Padmanabh Singh

Sawai Padmanabh Singh, or Pacho, delivered a look that felt regal yet deeply rooted in craft. Developed in collaboration with Prabal Gurung and realised in Jaipur by artisans Yash and Ashima Tholia, the ensemble centred around the Phulghar coat. Constructed in deep velvet and quilted with cotton, it carried a tactile richness that was both structured and fluid. Completed over 600 hours, it was brought to life through intricate aari and zardozi embroidery, finished with delicate dabka and resham work. In contrast to the evening’s louder moments, Pacho gave heritage techniques a space to speak on the global stage.

Natasha Poonawalla

Natasha Poonawalla returned to the Met Gala in unmistakable, high-concept style. Dressed in a sculptural creation by Marc Quinn, she wore Orchid Pectoral (a striking piece modelled after a white phalaenopsis, or moth orchid) paired with a crisp white couture gown by Domenico Dolce. Styled as both garment and artwork, the look blurred the boundaries between fashion and sculpture, transforming botanical form into something distinctly avant-garde. Known for her fearless approach to the carpet, Poonawalla leaned fully into the evening’s “Fashion is Art” brief.

Manish Malhotra

For his second consecutive Met Gala appearance, Manish Malhotra turned the spotlight inward– bringing his atelier directly onto the carpet. Dressed in his own creation, he reimagined the classic ivory bandhgala, pairing it with a sculptural cape bearing the names and signatures of the artisans who made it. Drawing from Mumbai as both muse and map, Malhotra transformed the garment into a living archive. Developed over 960 hours by a team of 50 artisans, the ensemble brought together intricate dori, zardozi, chikankari, and kasab embroidery. On a night celebrating fashion as art, his look made a compelling case for the hands behind it.

Sudha Reddy

Sudha Reddy leaned into craft with a look that felt richly symbolic. Dressed in Manish Malhotra and styled by Mariel Haenn, her ensemble drew on Kalamkari traditions, centred on the Tree of Life. Intricate motifs unfolded across the garment– think the Kalpavriksha, celestial symbols like the sun and moon, and regional references such as the Palapitta and Jammi Chettu– creating a surface that read almost like a moving narrative. Paired with jewellery from her personal collection (that includes a 550-carat tanzanite necklace) and a custom clutch echoing the same iconography, Reddy’s look embraced maximalism with meaning.

Ananya Birla

Birla arrived in a look that balances structure with surrealism, a mix of Robert Wun’s cinematic couture and Subodh Gupta’s transformation of everyday Indian objects into art. Styled by Rhea Kapoor, the look was built around a sharply tailored blazer and a voluminous pleated ballroom skirt, the silhouette played with contrasts– workwear precision meeting exaggerated, almost theatrical form.

Bhavitha Mandava 

The Chanel House ambassador wore jeans to the red carpet… and managed to pull them off? While we would have loved to see her in Chanel couture, this easy look was very on-brand for her ‘girl next door’ vibe. Truly channelling that “metro station to Met Gala” energy.

Diya Mehta Jatia

Diya Mehta Jatia chose to spotlight West Bengal’s delicate Shola craft– reimagined on a couture scale. Dressed in Mayyur Girotra Kanjivaram, sculptural elements inspired by Baroque and French architecture ran through the ensemble, with carved detailing lending it a distinctly ornamental quality.

Images: Getty Images

Also read: Chanel returns to Biarritz with Matthieu Blazy’s quietly radical Cruise debut

Also read: From Balenciaga to Anamika Khanna, all the fashion news to know now