The Great Indian Met Takeover: From 550-carat diamonds to stainless steel armour, how desi celebs interpreted ‘Fashion as Art’

Diya Mehta Jatia in Mayur Girotra. (Source: Instagram/@dmjatia)

Natasha Poonawalla

Trust Natasha Poonawalla to turn the Met Gala red carpet into her personal runway! Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, the business mogul chose a monumental orchid pectoral by Marc Quinn. Rather than existing as a static object, the work was designed to be completed on the body– activated through movement, presence, and life.

The orchid Quinn chose is the Phalaenopsis, a flower that blooms across continents and has carried meaning through centuries as a symbol of rebirth and enduring beauty. It is one of the rare forms in nature that belongs to no single culture, no singular tradition, universal in the most literal sense.

Worn at the chest to resemble a ceremonial armour, the piece doubled as adornment and statement. “In a world increasingly defined by division, it offers a quieter proposition: that beauty, like hope, moves across borders,” described the press note.

Natasha in Marc Quinn. (Source: PR Handout)

Ananya Birla

Styled by Rhea Kapoor, the owner of IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) delivered sartorial glam in a Subodh Gupta x Robert Wun ensemble. Using his signature stainless steel and acrylic, contemporary artist Gupta crafted a piece of armour from traditional Indian silverware, that disguises and obscures the wearer’s identity, while embodying foreboding strength.

“The work sends mixed signals: the wearer who dons this piece becomes a super hero yet one who comes out of the humble beginnings of the common household,” Birla shared on her Instagram.

Extending this idea, Robert Wun reinterpreted the codes of everyday workwear, reimagining a structured blazer in a silk-wool-cotton mix, with a flared peplum bottom hem, creating a sculptural silhouette when paired with a pleated gun-metal glass organza ballroom skirt.

Ananya Birla in Subodh Gupta mask. (Source: Instagram/@rheakapoor)

Sudha Reddy

Hyderabad-born Reddy translated the spirit and sensibility of the city into form that exists “effortlessly on a global stage while remaining deeply rooted in the South Indian imagination”.

The Tree of Life, her ensemble envisioned by Manish Malhotra in collaboration with stylist Mariel Haenn, became the central metaphor: an unfolding of time, memory and continuity. Drawing from the storytelling traditions of Kalamkari, it is reinterpreted as something sculptural and alive, where every thread holds a fragment of history.

A 3,000-year-old textile tradition recontextualised through form, texture, and movement — where sculpted velvet, antique gold zari, and intricate zardozi came together to create something archival and immediate. “The motifs Palapitta, Jammi Chettu, Kalpavriksha, Tangedu, Surya, Chandra, Kalpa are not merely decorative; they are markers of identity, fragments of home that travel with me,” the philanthropist further shared on her social media.

Sudha Reddy in Kalamkari. (Instagram/@sudhareddy.official)

However, the most striking element of her look was a historic necklace valued at more than $15 million.

Haenn told People that the necklace belongs to Reddy’s personal collection and features a Victorian-finished chain of large triangular and pear-shaped rose-cut diamonds set in floral clusters.

“At the center of the necklace is the “Queen of Merelani” — a 550-carat deep violet-blue tanzanite pendant that comes from Tanzania’s Merelani Hills,” reported the publication. Reddy also wore a 40-carat Asscher-cut Colombian emerald with a diamond halo in 18k yellow gold, along with a 30-carat rose-cut polki diamond ring to complete her look.

Maharaja and Princess Of Jaipur STUN in custom Prabal Gurung for #MetGala pic.twitter.com/HUTRlRR0Gs

— hks (@kohlimax1833) May 4, 2026

Princess Gauravi Kumari and Sawai Padmanabh Singh

The royal siblings from Jaipur slipped into Prabal Gurung’s creations to bring Indian heritage from their personal archive. While Princess Gauravi Kumari paid homage to her grandmother, Maharani Gayatri Devi, in her chiffon sari and pearls — two most recognisable elements of her wardrobe. The blush pink shade was intentional, a subtle nod to the city she belongs to.

Her brother, popularly called Pacho by friends and peers, looked sharp and regal in a Phulghar coat developed with Gurung and realised in Jaipur by Yash and Ashima Tholia and their team. Vogue India reports that the piece is “constructed in deep velvet, quilted with cotton, and completed over more than 600 hours with aari and zardozi embroidery, finished with dabka and resham”.

Bhavitha Mandava in Chanel. (Source: Instagram/@checkthetag)

Bhavitha Mandava

The first Indian model to open a Chanel show, Bhavitha Mandava turned up to the Met Gala in a quarter zip and a pair of washed denims. Let that sink in. Artistic director Matthieu Blazy’s muse, the Indian diaspora had their eyes on her Met debut, but among a sea of ornate breastplates, heritage jewels and sculpted masks, the street-style turned couture moment left a lot wanting.

However, Mandava does not seem perturbed. The model was scouted in a New York subway station and put on a Chanel runway in a similar attire. Therefore, she tells British Vogue that her look was a “couture version of her opening look for Métiers d’Art in New York”, paired with some Chanel jewels.

While the internet expresses their disappointment at the seemingly simple ensemble, Mandava feels “turning it into something reimagined for the Met felt like carrying that memory forward, but in a more elevated way that still respects the original spirit and the theme of the evening.”

Chanel also gave an official statement to HT Lifestyle, explaining the choice of ensemble and calling it a runway reinterpretation of her Métiers d’art show look last year.

“Bhavitha Mandava, Chanel ambassador, wore at the Met Gala a beige muslin half zip sweater over a white muslin top and muslin printed pants with a blue denim effect. This look is a Haute Couture reinterpretation of the outfit she wore to open the Métiers d’art show in New York last December, marking her return to the city where she was first discovered. 250 hours were required in the making of this look,” read their note.