This is a story of two self-made men who dared to wear their histories proudly, almost coronating themselves at fashion’s biggest event — the Met Gala in New York — with an authority that demanded attention. Actor Shah Rukh Khan and singer-composer Diljit Dosanjh unabashedly stamped Brand India — the former with a Bengal tiger sceptre in hand, the latter in Patiala-style finery and turban, with Gurmukhi on his cape — on a sisal carpet from Kerala, colonising a global audience in a swish.
For almost a decade now, Indians, powered by women actors and business leaders — Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Isha Ambani and Natasha Poonawalla — have walked down the red carpet of the Met Gala. In that sense, they had set the Indian template for the event and opened up the West to our craftsmanship and designs. So questions were raised about why it took so long for an Indian male star to debut at this event. And why Shah Rukh Khan — among the world’s richest and most popular stars — chose to do it at 59.
For one, the Gala, which was started in 1948 by New York fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, has become the world’s most high-profile cultural congregation. Since fashion sets the conversation, celebrities show up on the red carpet, clad in ingeniously designed statement attire. What better way to underline the individuality of Brand SRK than to wear a diamond-encrusted necklace of his initials and the K- pendant? To be representing himself, rather than letting other brands represent him?
Second, this edition was dedicated to menswear; more precisely, it celebrated Black identity and inclusion, an idea that resonated with SRK who spoke about “resilience” in the face of “oppression”. Both SRK and Sabyasachi celebrated Black dandyism as a fashion movement that defied categorisations of race, gender and class.
Black dandyism evolved as a response to the dehumanisation experienced by African Americans, whose ancestors had been stripped of their culture and identity when they were brought in as slaves. It emerged in the early 20th century, Black men adopted the White man’s fashion on their terms, adding colours and accessories that were nods to their history and identity. Dandyism thus developed into a fashion subculture and a powerful tool against cultural marginalisation.
In SRK and Sabyasachi’s vision, the finesse of a well-cut, black suit met marked Indian influences — a floor-sweeping achkan replaced the jacket, with the cummerbund and Jodhpur-style trousers being a throwback to Indian regal luxury. The wide lapels with the jewelled brooch were a hat-tip to the zoot suit that debuted in the dance halls of Harlem in the 1930s. The string of gold and jewel-encrusted necklaces, rings and a cane with a tiger head were homages to both the Afro-American music heritage and Indian accents of the maharajas. Only SRK could wear Sabyasachi’s baroque excess without allowing it to overwhelm him, letting his attitude do the talking. In fact, many who complain that SRK was too understated do not understand that he takes pride in his persona and commands what he wears, not the other way round.
The sheer volume of Diljit’s cape, which featured a map of Punjab, his pearl-encrusted turban and emerald necklace embellished what has become his trademark look. But designer Prabal Gurung made it a tribute to a Black fashion, where ballooning cuts and styles were a metaphor for the African identity to find its own space and their freedom.
Among the women, it was not Priyanka Chopra-Jonas, in a polka-dotted Balmain corset jacket and gown, nor a pregnant Kiara Advani wearing an off-shoulder, breast-plate design by Gaurav Gupta, who stood out. That credit must go to Natasha Poonawalla in an Elizabethan ruff and a fishtail gown covered in Parsi gara embroidery, put together by Manish Malhotra. Isha Ambani’s heritage necklace from Jamnagar drew more attention than her sharply tailored outfit, featuring an embroidered cape by Anamika Khanna, but it showed how Indian women have quietly secured the neo royalty space at the MET.
Except that this time, they also brought a king who overturned everybody’s expectation, kept it simple and clean, showed how jewels and shimmer mean nothing without that wide-armed spread of warmth and left the world guessing about what those eyes behind his vintage sunglasses were saying. Not quite Neo of The Matrix but equal to the job of finding his own runway.
rinku.ghosh@expressindia.com
