Manish Malhotra’s Met Gala takeover

For the Met Gala, one of our favourite bridal couturiers, Manish Malhotra staged a mini takeover of Indian craftsmanship on the world’s most scrutinised carpet. If Malhotra’s career began by making us fall in love with the cinematic fantasy of sequins and chiffon saris, his current legacy is about making sure we respect the hands that draped it. So this time around, he didn’t just show up; he brought the entire ecosystem of his atelier with him.

From Karan Johar’s six-foot tribute to Raja Ravi Varma to Camila Mendes channeled through the lens of Amrita Sher-Gil, this wasn't just about the costumes. It was about what makes fashion, art–with over 5,000-hour embroidery cycles, the signatures of artisans hidden in silk linings, positioning Indian craftsmanship as the global couture authority that it’s become, and of course, the designer’s vision. Brides, grooms and bridesmaids, take notes. Here are all the details:

Manish Malhotra

The inspiration: This wasn't just an ensemble; it was a tribute to the city that raised him and the people who built his dreams. Malhotra wanted to bring the literal soul of his atelier to New York, making sure his artisans weren't just behind the scenes, but part of the entire story.

The look: He wore a sharp bandhgala and a dramatic cape weaved with Indian techniques including dori work, zardozi, chikankari, and kasab that took 50 people nearly a thousand hours to finish. The most beautiful details? The three-dimensional sculptural elements and how the actual names and signatures of his tailors and embroiderers were stitched into the lining. A quiet, powerful way of saying that fashion belongs to the hands that make it.

Camila Mendes

The inspiration: The team looked at the portraits by the famous painter Amrita Sher-Gil and captured the quiet, strong presence of the women featured in the artworks.

The look: Camila wore a deep mahogany gown made of delicate chiffon that was draped to look like brushstrokes on a canvas. The ensemble, structured through a corseted base and hand-ruched in French chiffon, gathers at the hip in a sculptural knot before cascading into a fluid trail.

Karan Johar

The inspiration: Making his Met debut, Johar wanted to spotlight the evocative nature of art forms. He looked to the 19th-century artist Raja Ravi Varma, whose “work does something I’ve always tried to do in cinema. He painted feelings.”

The look: This was a massive, six-foot piece of wearable art. Instead of just using fabric, the team used oil and acrylic finishes, varnishing and hand-painted artistry and sculptural elements like lotuses and swans to make it feel like he walked right out of a historic oil painting and onto the carpet. Job monumentally well done, we must say.

Sudha Reddy

The inspiration: For Reddy, the look was a bridge between her Hyderabad roots and a global future. She chose the "Tree of Life" to represent how family and heritage keep you growing while keeping you grounded, no matter how far you travel from home.

The look: A stunning mix of antique gold work and deep velvet. Every symbol on the dress—from the Surya to the Chandra—represents a piece of her identity, turning a 3,000-year-old textile tradition into something that felt fresh, bold, and incredibly personal.

Isha Ambani

The teaser before the big show, Malhotra’s first look this year was for Isha Ambani, worn at Vogue’s 2026 Met Gala Pre-Party.

The inspiration: The idea was to reinvent the classic bandage dress silhouette to create a living map of India, where every stitch represents a different coordinate and a different community of makers.

The look: It’s a masterclass in detail—26 different hand-woven borders from every corner of India were brought together to wrap the body. From the zari of Uttar Pradesh and the silk of Kanjeevaram to Parsi gara embroidery and Banarasi brocade, it took the Swadesh artisans 450 hours to assemble. Think of it as a tapestry of an entire nation’s heritage, styled to look incredibly modern and sharp.