6 Looks From The Met Gala That Paid Subtle (And Blatant) Homage To India

The Met Monday is back in all its glory, with the 66th edition of the Met Gala. It’s giving drama, art, and fashion with a capital ‘F’. This year’s theme, “Costume Art”, offered a vast scope to let your imagination run wild. Art, after all, is a rather all-encompassing phenomenon that offers endless room for interpretation. Art spans across mediums, cultures, time, and is personal to everyone. Clearly, the sky is the limit, with this theme.

This year saw everything from Trompe L'oeil looks, and references to paintings, to dressing up as sculptures and paying homage to niche artforms. But for us, what stood out the most this year, was the dominance of India (and Indians). Not only did we see a huge number of Indian celebrities walk the red carpet this year, but we also saw them pay homage to India in their own unique ways. Here are our picks for the celebrities who chose to reference India through their look, in their own unique ways.

Met Gala 2026 Looks That Paid Homage To India

Isha Ambani

Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, Isha Ambani wore a beautiful custom Gaurav Gupta look. Her interpretation of art came in the form of a sari, which she paired with a sculpted cape. With this look, the sari was seen as the ultimate form of art. The blouse of the sari was covered in dismantled pieces of jewels taken from various jewellery pieces from the Ambani family’s personal collection. The sari also featured paintings of the Ajanta and Ellora caves, which was a rather direct reference to the theme. 

She paired her look with a mango art piece from Subodh Gupta, which, at first glance, looked like a real mango. She carried another sculpture from the artist Sourabh Gupta, which came in the form of a mogra gajra, made with over 600 jasmine flowers made out of paper, which also resembled a real gajra. Like all her Met appearances, she was dipped in jewels. Apart from the ones on her blouse, she wore a layered necklaces from her personal collection.

Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur

Indian royalty also made a debut at the Met Gala this year, with Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh and Princess Gauravi Kumari of Jaipur walking the carpet. Princess Gauravi's look, which was created by Prabal Gurung, was an ode to her grandmother, the legendary Maharani Gayatri Devi, given that chiffon saris and pearls are synonymous with her style.

While Princess Gauravi chose to pay homage to her lineage, Maharaja Sawai Padmanabh Singh's outfit was a nod to Indian crafts, and to Rajasthan. He wore a Phulghar coat crafted in velvet, which was quilted, and adorned with traditional embroideries like Aari and Zardozi. Both their looks were created by Prabal Gurung, and completed with jewels from The Gem Palace. It's beautiful how they both had different interpretation of the theme, one looking at it with a lens of familial roots, and the other, paying homage to his cultural roots!

Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra had a rather beautiful take on the theme. Looking at the theme from the lens of a true designer, he chose to pay homage to, not a craft, but the karigars behind it. he wore a black Bandhgala with the names and signatures of the artisans woven into it. His look was also a homage to to Mumbai, since it's a city close to his heart. His jacket, which was embroidred in different embroideries like Dori, Zardozi, Chikankari, and Kasab, also had 3D sculpturs of karigars mounted on it, which was another ode to the people who make the garment what it is. While it's always nice to reference an artform, referncing the artist is even better!

Bhavitha Mandava

While wearing a pair of jeans to the Met might be considered the biggest fashion faux pas by some, Bhavitha Mandava's looks had a deeper meaning to it. By the looks of it, it might not look Met Gala-appropriate, but this look was a reference to the time when Bhavitha created history by becoming the first Indian model in history to open a Chanel show in 2025, which is when she wore a similar look. Would we have loved a more extravagant look on her? Sure. But did we love that she chose to reference a moment where India made history in the fashion landscape? Also yes!

Karan Johar

Karan Johar's take on the theme was rather literal, in the best way. Styled by Eka Lakhani, Karan Johar wore a custom Manish Malhotra look which was an ode to the works of Raja Ravi Varma. He wore an intricately embroidered Bandhgala jacket, with black trousers and an exaggerated cape with the Raja Ravi Varma's paintings. The outfits also celebrates Indian craftsmanship, featuring traditional artistry like Zardozi. It also brings together art forms like 3D sculpting and quilting. He paired it with chunky jewels from Tyaani Jewellery.

Diya Mehta Jatia

Speaking of people who chose to pay homage to Indian artistry, Diya Mehta Jatia wore a custom Mayyur Girotra look (which also marks the designer's debut at the Met), which was a nod to Shola, an endangered craft from Bengal. This beautiful baroque-like art is seen on Topor and Mukut, the traditional headgears worn by Bengali brides and grooms. She amalgamated Shola with the Kanjeevaram from Tamil Nadu, which makes her look reference not one, but two beautiful traditional Indian crafts.