India at Met: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Diljit Dosanjh — every desi name that conquered Met Gala 2025
Indian celebrities really took over the Met steps on the first Monday of May as they paid homage to the year's Met Gala theme — Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
India had a few big, BIG moments at the Met Gala this year. Fashion's biggest night saw as many as 8 Indian names — superstar stalwarts to fashion institutions in themselves — walk the steps of the Met. The theme this year was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, with straight up androgyny, or at least strong undercurrents of it, was the primary aesthetic cue in addition to shining the spotlight on Black dandyism. Safe to say, absolutely no one on this list, missed the mark on delivering above and beyond.
Shah Rukh Khan
"The Black Dandy is an assertion of being, a powerful statement of self".
And that's exactly what designer Sabyasachi's interpretation of the theme was for King Khan. All-black, sexy and commanding, cane in hand, SRK was every bit the theme, and himself. The jewel-heavy ensemble comprised of a floor length elongated coat in Tasmanian superfine wool with monogrammed, Japanese horn buttons. The coat was hand canvassed and single breasted with a peak collar and wide lapels. These pieces were layered over a crepe de chine silk shirt and tailored superfine wool trousers. A pleated satin kamarbandh tied the look together. Talking jewels, a custom stack on the neck complimented The Bengal Tiger Head Cane, which in turn was studded with 18k gold, tourmalines, sapphires, old mine cut and brilliant cut diamonds.
Understated and brilliant, this was a look befitting a King.
Priyanka Chopra
Her fifth Met Gala, Priyanka had it down pat as she perfectly treaded the line between feminine flair and Dandy-inspired androgyny. Her Balmain ensemble fit her like a glove, with the more feminine, buttoned straight fit silhouette finding its androgynous counterpart in a matching blazer, cinched and ruched at the waist, flowing into a crisp and self-holding trail. For being a thoroughly polka-dotted look, the Balmain number's cut was just the right amount of drama. And honestly, not much else was needed, what with that gigantic Titanic-coded emerald Bulgari number frosting PC's neck. The velveteen gloves and the bourgeoning hat though, were an A+ nod to the dandyism undercurrent attendees were expected to spotlight.
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh arrived in true 'Punjabi aa gaye oye!' style for his Met debut. Ivory and gold was the colour palette of the Prabal Gurung creation, with the reserved and sophisticated main silhouette receiving it's flair from an embroidered cape that trailed just the right amount — the centrepin here, was of course the map of Punjab, embroidered on it along with Gurumukhi letters. The jewellery details on his look drew all eyes in to the heavy-duty sat-lada sitting on his neck, matching the jewels on his turban. Add to that a bejeweled, feather-flanked turban and a sheathed-sword, and you have easily one of the most formidable Met Gala entries from India in recent times.
Sabyasachi
Resistance through fashion was Sabyasachi's reigning idea for his own Met ensemble. With Jamsetji Tata's inspiring story of exclusion to empire building, the pièce de résistance, per se, of Sabya's look was the delicate replacement of what would have been a necktie with a hand crafted Indian neckpiece. The designer turned out in a hand quilted, oversized court jacket and sherwani in hand dyed Murshidabad silk paired with satin shirt, black quilted trousers and kamarbandh. Exquisite pieces from the Bengal Royale collection of his own label, complete the look.
Manish Malhotra
In an absolutely delightful surprise, which the designer kept under wraps rather well, Manish Malhotra marked his Met Gala debut. Black and gold being his choice of colour palette, the sculptural sherwani cape — a powerful amalgamation of Indian couture with dandy-inspired suaveness, was the focal point of the ensemble. Intricate embroidery and glass beadwork added to the ornamental appeal of MM's look, in additon to the cluster of brooches from his High Jewellery line, along with rubellite-studded collar pins and pearl cufflinks.
Natasha Poonawalla
"Armor, artistry, and ancestry" — this was the crux of Met-regular Natasha Poonawalla's larger-than-life, multi-pronged ensemble honouring her Parsi ancestry. Walking the blue carpet in custom Manish Malhotra, Natasha was wrapped in a sculpted fishtail skirt reengineered from two vintage Gara saris, one a century-old relic from the label's archives recreated. The eye draws in to the corset-cummerbund paired with a vintage French lace bralette edged in scalloped pearls, this being a direct ode to Dandyism. The final element was a structured black Gara jacket with bold shoulders, lined in imperial purple.
Isha Ambani
Isha Ambani, another noted Met-regular, went full androgyny with a heavy hand of ornamentation to honour the theme at hand. Walking the blue carpet is Anamika Khanna couture, Isha's ensemble comprised of tailored, wide leg trousers in black, paired with a gold and silver sculpted, geometric corset with panels of black. The blazer trailing into a dramatic cape, ended in an embroidered scalloped edge and stood studded and balanced front and centre with the stack of statement neck pieces.
Mona Patel
Marrying history with the future ahead, Mona Patel, somehow, managed to top her awe-striking Iris van Herpen butterfly-curation from last year's Met Gala. Opting for custom Thom Browne, the entrepreneur went the all-black route, with a heavy hand of shimmer in her structured suit layered over a hand-embroidered corset by Indian artisans. Fluid silk panels and crystal-studded heels completed the look. Now while Mona of course stole the show, the AI-powered dog, Vector, who came in his own tux and a 1000-carat leash, gave her quite the stiff competition.
Which of these looks had you absolutely floored?
