Natasha Poonawalla brings a desi touch to Met Gala 2022 in Sabyasachi saree

Met Gala 2022: Natasha Poonawalla stuns in a Sabyasachi saree paired with a Schiaparelli bustier. (Image: anaitashroffadajania/Instagram)

Natasha Poonawalla brought gilded glamour to the Met Gala 2022 in a Sabyasachi saree. The billionaire entrepreneur-philanthropist attended fashion’s biggest night in a Schiaparelli hand-forged metal bustier paired with a custom Sabyasachi couture sari and trail.

Poonawalla, executive director of the Serum Institute of India (SII), was the sole Indian presence at the gala, organised by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on Monday evening, news agency PTI reported. The theme of this year's Met Gala is “In America: An Anthology of Fashion" which represents an opportunity for celebrities to explore the grandeur associated with the "Gilded Age" of the late 19th century.

According to designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee “Natasha Poonawalla’s vision was to interpret the dress code ‘gilded glamour’ with an Indian gaze that revels in its multi-culturalism and authenticity.”

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“I wanted something ornate yet whimsical, with a focus on the waist as a curtsy to the corsetry and bustles of the time, and a frothy swathe of tulle with delicate embroideries in an Indian drape,” Adajania wrote.

“The Schiaparelli metal corset as the ultimate symbol of a true renaissance in fashion, a return to pure extravagance, and combined it with the excellence of India’s most celebrated designer, Sabyasachi.”

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The design was part of the Indian label's association with Maison Schiaparelli, an Italian brand known for its surrealist work.
Sabyasachi said his wish to see the sari at international fashion events has come true this year.

"For me the sari is a truly unique and versatile garment that owns its identity even as it transcends boundaries and geographies.

Back when I was a young fashion student, I often wondered when I would see the sari at big global events like the Met Gala," the designer said in a statement shared on Instagram.

(With inputs from PTI)