Natasha Poonawalla at Met Gala 2025: A Couture Manifesto of Power, Heritage, and High Art

News18

06-05-2025

Last Updated:
Met gala 2025 Red carpet: Natasha Poonawalla redefined Met Gala elegance in Manish Malhotra couture, merging Indian heritage with avant-garde precision.
Met Gala Red carpet 2025: In one of the most arresting moments of the 2025 Met Gala, Natasha Poonawalla arrived like a vision sculpted from legacy and imagination—her look a resounding statement of cultural power and couture precision. Dressed in a custom Manish Malhotra ensemble, Poonawalla redefined what it means to channel ancestral opulence through a contemporary lens, aligning seamlessly with this year's theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which celebrates the aesthetics, resistance, and individuality rooted in Black dandyism.
Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania and Lakshmi Lehr, Poonawalla's ensemble was nothing short of a wearable epic. At its heart: a corseted, sculptural silhouette that fused traditional Indian Gara embroidery with the structured grandeur of Western tailoring. The look featured a reengineered fishtail skirt crafted from two antique Gara saris—one over a century old—painstakingly restored from Manish Malhotra's archives. Its hand-embroidered surface unfurled like a tapestry of silken threads, each motif carrying generational wisdom and artisanal precision.
Anchoring the ensemble was a black Gara jacket, sharply tailored with bold shoulders and lined in imperial purple—a color historically tied to mysticism and monarchy. Embroidered using the rare ektaar technique, in which a single thread weaves an unbroken design, the jacket told a story of continuity and quiet resistance. Layered beneath was a vintage French lace bralette, scalloped with pearls, and a corset-cummerbund that echoed the restraint and flair central to dandyism.
The pièce de résistance, however, was a theatrical lace cravat crafted by Atelier Biser—a ruff collar that framed her face like a Renaissance portrait, adding a note of poetic drama. A single oversized emerald ring on her finger punctuated the look with an unmistakable air of majesty. With sleek hair pulled into a tight bun and makeup evoking porcelain clarity, flushed cheeks, and a commanding eye, Poonawalla exuded controlled magnificence.
Manish Malhotra described the ensemble as 'a fusion of armour, artistry, and ancestry," celebrating the rich lineage of Indian couture while embracing the radical elegance of Black dandyism. In his words, Natasha was 'The Empress of Indian Fashion"—a title well earned.
Beyond the fabric and form, what made Natasha Poonawalla's appearance truly powerful was its layered symbolism. It was not merely an outfit, but a dialogue—between East and West, past and present, restraint and excess. In reframing the codes of dandyism through Indian craftsmanship and Parsi heritage, Poonawalla didn't just interpret the theme—she transcended it.
Her presence on the Met steps this year stands as a testament to how fashion, when wielded with intellect and intent, can serve as both mirror and manifesto.
First Published:
May 06, 2025, 06:38 IST