Isha Ambani takes Indian craft to NYC

We’re just two days away from the Met Gala, but celebrities are already being spotted around New York City showing off their best high-fashion looks in anticipation of fashion’s biggest night. At a Vogue dinner building up to the first Monday of May, Isha Ambani stepped out in a custom Manish Malhotra x Swadesh gown that spotlighted a unique element of Indian design—our love for intricate borders.

In lace, zari, or woven with temple motifs or flora and fauna patterns, a beautiful border is usually a chance to add a final layer of mastery, of opulence, to a spectacular unstitched textile. For this look, however, Malhotra, along with stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania, took the edge as the starting point, building a sleek column gown that was his take on the classic bandage dress, but using an array of distinct borders, each one spotlighting a different craft and region of India. Malhotra said the idea came from Ambani herself, “Isha Ambani wanted to wear India, not as an idea, but as a living expression of its craft.” 

In total, there were 26 borders assembled over 450 hours by Swadesh artisans. It began with zari—a detail associated with Uttar Pradesh—at the bodice and ended with Ashavali brocade from Gujarat at the hem. In the middle you journey through floral gara embroidery, geometric Maheshwari motifs, metallic karchob embroidery, petite point from Puducherry, and more. There’s intricate tilla embroidery, which is a speciality of Kashmir in the north, woven Baluchari and Kanjivaram strips associated with the South. For Malhotra, “This creation brings together the many voices of our textile legacy into one seamless narrative on the body. Each border carries the memory of a region and the hand that has perfected it over generations, coming together as a singular expression of India.”

Adajania continued the idea of updating classic Indian elements by styling the gown with a jewelled parandi and oversized floral earrings from Delhi-based label Outhouse.

Last year, Ambani wore a tailored Anamika Khanna suit set made of Benarasi textiles for the Met Gala. It looks like this year she intends to continue showcasing Indian craftsmanship and designers on the red carpet, albeit with her own masterful, contemporary take.

Styling and Creative Direction: Anaita Shroff Adajania. Hair: Gonn Kinoshita. Make-up: Ash K Holm. Manicure: Julie K and Anastasia. Assistant stylist: Esha Gupta, Harsha, Amy Holden Brown. Makeup assistant: Amy Slate.