It started with Dior.
An 850-strong crowd flew in from across the world — and India — to gather in front of the mighty Gateway Of India monument of Mumbai on Thursday night.
Flowers stretched out down the grey tiled catwalk, as 99 Pre-Fall looks streamed out, and international fashion editors exclaimed “pink is the navy blue of India!”, as the late Vogue editor Diana Vreeland famously said.
The front row, of course, was spectacular. Hundreds gathered outside, and will have caught glimpses of the legendary Indian actress Rekha, Thai acting sensations Mile and Apo, as well as British-South Asian actresses Simone Ashley and Charithra Chandran, of Bridgerton acclaim.
Models Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss and Ella Richards attended, joining Indian cricketer Virat Kohli, his wife Anushka Sharma, and Indian actress Sonam Kapoor. It was — as the social media wipe-out that followed, testified — a fashion show of another calibre.
And it was only the beginning. Three fancifully embroidered days celebrating the opening of the new Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai’s first arts centre of its kind, came next. Much like the building’s impressively decorated exterior, there was no expense spared on this launch.
Friday marked the first of the three-day, couture-clad bash. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas arrived, in a sheer gown with a crystal studded bustier by Elie Saab, and a black suit with lace shirt detailing by Valentino, respectively. Nailing the formal dress code, Gigi Hadid wore an intricately embroidered overcoat and wide-legged slacks by the Indian courtier Rahul Mishra, while Bollywood star Deepika Padukone and her husband Ranveer Singh both wore custom designs by Anamika Khanna.
All gathered in the NMACC’s lavish new auditorium to watch a Feroz Abbas Khan-directed musical, which touched on India’s history, religion and culture in an explosion of colour, with costumes designed by Manish Malhotra. A drinks reception in the centre followed.
The following night raised the stakes yet again. Zendaya was the star guest, the picture of elegance in a Rahul Mishra navy blue sheer gown which came with starburst studding, a floral embroidered hem, and was draped sari-style over a silver metallic bralette. By her side was boyfriend Tom Holland, who was dapper in a Hugo Boss midnight blue tuxedo and bow tie, and took to Instagram to thank the Ambani family, who own India’s most valuable company Reliance Industries Ltd., for their trip.
Joining them at the Indian-inspired dress code gala was Gigi Hadid, who wore a decadent gold and white sari by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla; Rehka, who was a vision swathed in green brocade; and Penelope Cruz, who made a statement in a pink, feathered gown by Tamara Ralph. For their second outing, Priyanka Chopra was ravishing in a 60-year-old vintage sari, reworked by designer Amit Aggarwal alongside her husband.
The evening centred around the “India in Fashion” exhibition, which guests viewed in their finery, Met Gala style. Curated by Vogue and The World of Interiors’s Hamish Bowles, the show looks at India’s influence on the fashion industry, with archive looks from the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier and Dior, who historically have all taken inspiration from the country, as well as the best of India’s own design talents - from Anamika Khanna to Sanjay Garg.
The whole affair has now been dubbed high fashion’s watershed moment in India, and comes as luxury purchases from Indian consumers are set to treble by 2030, according to the Business of Fashion. If this is to mark a new beginning, brands looking to follow suit will need to think big: it was a sartorial triumph, and a proud chapter added to India’s rich fashion history.
