WELL MET!

Indian couturiers, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Rahul Mishra, Gaurav Gupta and Tarun Tahiliani, made a splash at the Met Gala 2024. Spice relives the grind behind the glory moments.

- SMITA TRIPATHI

If fashion is religion, then the Met Gala is surely your Mecca. Held on the first Monday of May, fashion's biggest night sees celebrities, designers and stylists all wowing for attention on the red carpet. Officially, it is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, a black-tie extravaganza meant to raise money for the museum’s fashion wing. But unofficially, it is the party of the year—the ultimate celebrity power cocktail of famous names from fashion, film, politics, tech, sports and social media. Entry is by invitation only and this year around 400 lucky people were the chosen ones. However, it is not just about the price, which was US$75,000 per person this year with brands purchasing tables for US$350,000, but more to do with achievement and news worthiness. So, that’s what makes walking the Met Gala red carpet a truly big deal for both the celebrity and the designer whose outfit is being flaunted. This year there was more representation from India than in the past.

Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt, who made her Met Gala debut last year, appeared on the red carpet in a custom-designed mint-green saree by the country’s leading fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The theme for 2024 was inspired by and named after the 1962 short story, ‘The Garden of Time’, penned by J.G Ballard. The story revolves around an aristocratic couple living in a walled estate with a magical garden, while an encroaching mob threatens to end their peaceful existence, and the actress’s delicate ensemble—which featured a 23-foot-long train detailed with florals hand-embroidered using silk floss, beads, sequins, semi-precious stones and fringed with glass beads—was on point. As if that was not enough, the hand-crafted blouse was studded with emeralds, Basra pearls, tourmalines and multi coloured sapphires.