Read more: India at Met Gala 2026: Karan Johar debuts in Raja Ravi Varma-inspired look, Manish Malhotra pays tribute to Mumbai. Details inside
Birla wore a sharply structured blazer with a flared peplum hem, paired with a pleated gunmetal glass-organza ballroom skirt by Robert Wun. The centrepiece, however, was artist Subodh Gupta’s sculpture mask — a metallic, almost dystopian, headpiece assembled from everyday objects, its utensil-like forms layered into a skull-like visage.Wun’s couture and Gupta’s mask both “take familiar elements and give them a completely new presence,” she explained. “That contrast felt very instinctive, as I pursue both business and music. It’s really about perspective, about looking closer at what already exists and finding the extraordinary in the daily.”
The theme translated most directly in Poonawalla’s all-white look, anchored by a custom wearable white orchid sculpture by Marc Quinn, wrapped around a Dolce & Gabbana dress that she acquired at a Metropolitan Museum of Art auction and intends to donate back to the museum.
“The white orchid represents a quiet universality – beauty, resilience and peace that exists beyond borders,” Poonawalla said. “Marc Quinn and I collaborated on the idea of art that only exists when activated by the human form… It’s a new way of thinking about the life cycle of a sculpture. Combined with the precision of Domenico Dolce and his Alta Moda team, it represents a global synergy of British art, Italian craftsmanship and Indian perspective, captured by a Turkish photographer.”
Ambani chose to interpret the theme in a Gaurav Gupta handwoven sari with threads of pure gold, paired with a blouse embellished with diamonds and metallic zardozi embroidery sourced from her mother’s personal collection. She completed the look with a Subodh Gupta mango sculpture in hand.Other first-time attendees included businesswoman Sudha Reddy and Jaipur royals Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Gauravi Kumari, who repurposed her grandmother’s vintage pink chiffon sari — a homage to Jaipur, the Pink City — reimagined into a modern gown silhouette by Prabal Gurung.
The brother-sister duo described the experience as memorable and surreal. “I especially loved Sabrina Carpenter’s performance; it was incredibly exciting and added to the magic of the evening. The exhibition was very interesting; it was incredible to see how designers interpreted the theme in such unique ways,” Kumari said. Singh said, “The atmosphere was electrifying, and I met so many interesting people over the course of the evening.”
It wasn’t just attendees. New Delhi-based investment banker-turned-designer Mayyur Girotra also made his debut at the Met Gala, dressing fashion consultant Diya Mehta Jatia, sister of Shloka Ambani.
Girotra chose to spotlight Shola, a fast-disappearing craft traditionally used for ceremonial artefacts in West Bengal. Calling it “the biggest validation,” Girotra said a platform like the Met puts him out of his comfort zone and is an artistic high.
“You literally stretch yourself to a level where you are bleeding and sweating till the last minute,” he said. “And to bring that core creativity out on a platform, it’s a different high, so uska koi muqabla nahi hai… You want to literally touch the peak of making the best garment till the last minute. You want to prove it to be the best of your work. That’s the beauty of it.” Among the Bollywood attendees at the event that seeks to raise money for Met’s fashion-focused Costume Institute was filmmaker Karan Johar who wore a Raja Ravi Varma-inspired couture by Manish Malhotra.