Met Gala 2025 Highlights – From Indian Stars to International Icons

Lights, legends and lavish looks! Met Gala 2025 was an evening to remember. From jaw-dropping attire to making strong fashion statements, 280+ guests arrived at the event in their unique attire, highlighting the creativity of their designers. This event took place in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and brought opportunities for the guests to leave a mark on the world.

What is the Met Gala?

This fashion’s biggest night, which used to be called the Costume Institute Benefit, has been held since 1948 and was founded by an American Fashion publicist, Eleanor Lambert. This event is organised by Vogue, the fashion magazine, every first Monday of May.

Met Gala is widely known as a glamorous and prestigious fashion event, but in fact, it is more than that. This high-end, exclusive annual fashion festival focuses on fundraising and provides personalities from the relevant fields, such as business, sports, tech, politics, fashion, film, theatre, music, social media and television, an opportunity to express themselves. This invitation-only event also helps them connect and have potential collaborations in the future.

Anna Wintour, the fashion executive, Met Gala’s chairwoman, and the editor-in-chief of the fashion and lifestyle magazine Vogue, makes a final edit in the guest list after it has been made by a team of planners, and the criteria are still a mystery to everyone. However, it can be said that the guests are selected according to their recent achievements, upcoming projects and their relevance to the event. Before the pandemic, the number of guests went up to 800, but now, the number has decreased to around 600.

Like the guest list, Wintour also decides the seating arrangement with the main condition of not letting the couples sit together. Instead, they are scattered among the guests to help them socialise, with no intention of making them uncomfortable or making rivals sit together.

What is the Purpose of the Met Gala?

After a celebrity achieves a spot on the guest list, they usually team up with a designer or a brand because entrance into the event comes with a cost. The cost of each ticket in 2024 and 2025 was $75,000, while in 2023, it was $50,000. Reportedly, there has been an increase in the costs every year. So, the design houses, brands and companies generally dress the celebrities and cover the costs of the ticket.

The Costume Institute requires a good amount to preserve the collections in a specialised way. Thus, the funds raised during the event go back to the institute to cover the operational costs. It is how this department of the event raises its own budget.

The Met Gala 2025 Theme

The Met Gala 2025 theme exclusively focused on menswear under the name ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,’ a celebration of culture, history and the power of creativity of the black fashion. This year was the first time that the Met focused on Black designers and Black identity.

The Met Gala 2025 theme is based on the idea of ‘Black Dandyism’ that began during slavery but evolved when Black Americans took control of their image and expression after slavery ended. So today, ‘Dandy’ is not just about wearing suits but being dedicated to dress and seeing it as a discipline. Meanwhile, the Met Gala celebrities also had to challenge the stereotypes and show confidence.

Met Gala Indian Celebrities List

The Met Gala Indian celebrities list consists of 10 personalities, including the debutants and those who have appeared before.

Indian Women in Met Gala 2025

1) Kiara Advani

Designer: Gaurav Gupta

Kiara debuted at the Met Gala 2025 and became the first Indian actress to walk down the blue carpet with a baby bump. According to Gupta, her black dress had two golden hearts with an umbilical cord connecting the bigger to the smaller one, creating a design of ‘bravehearts.’ This highlighted the dress code, ‘Tailored For You.’ Besides that, she wore a long white double-panel cape and was accessorised with an ear cuff, earrings and gold rings.

2) Isha Ambani

Designer: Anamika Khanna

Met Gala 2025 was marked by the fifth blue carpet appearance of Isha Ambani and the debut of her designer, Anamika Khanna. Isha appeared in a black and white ensemble made with semi-precious stones and pearls. Her look was completed by a heavy diamond necklace, a structured jacket, a white embroidered waistcoat, a white cape and black pants.

3) Priyanka Chopra

Designer: Olivier Rousteing

Priyanka Chopra is one of the Met Gala celebrities known for their uniqueness. She made her fifth solo appearance and fourth with Nick on the blue carpet this year. The actress wore a big black hat tilted on one side, a white blazer fastened with black buttons and a white skirt. Meanwhile, the black polka dots on the blazer and the skirt added to the glamour. Wearing black gloves, she was accessorised with an emerald ring, the Bulgari diamond earrings and necklace having the 241-carat Magnus Emerald.

4) Mona Patel

Designer: Thom Browne

One more name in the 2025 Met Gala celebrities list is the Indian-American entrepreneur, Mona Patel. She made her debut with a small hat with design and embroidery featuring Indian style, a butterfly-shaped corset and a long black gown. However, what made headlines was her robotic dog named Vector attached to a diamond leash. Reportedly, it was built at MIT, worked on AI, had sensors and moved in a customised way. Overall, that’s how her look was a blend of tradition and modernity, aligning with the Met Gala 2025 theme.

5) Natasha Poonawalla

Designer: Manish Malhotra

Styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania, Natasha Poonawalla wore Manish Malhotra’s creation that served the Parsi heritage along with fashion. She appeared with a tight hair bun, a long white collar, a French lace bralette made with pearls, a black corset, a purple fishtail skirt and a black floor-length gown. Moreover, the big emerald ring on her right hand and a pearl ring and a box bag in her left hand helped complement her look.

6) Diya Mehta

Designer: Bloni Atelier

Diya Mehta, the sister of Shloka Mehta (Akash Ambani’s wife), appeared in a white Nehru hat, a Himalayan cashmere suit with an open back, polki diamond jewellery, formal off-white pants and a shirt with curved panels. Moreover, her look was complemented by her heavy blush and smoky eyes.

Indian Men at Met Gala 2025

1) Shah Rukh Khan

Designer: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Shah Rukh Khan debuted this year and became the first male Bollywood star to walk down the blue carpet at the Met Gala. He appeared in tousled hair, royal sunglasses, layered necklaces and one with a big ‘K’ pendant, diamond accessories, a long Tasmanian wool coat, a silk crepe shirt, a satin kamarbandh, black pants and an 18K gold cane.

2) Diljit Dosanjh

Designer: Prabal Gurung

One more name in the Met Gala Indian celebrities list is Diljit Dosanjh, who allegedly honoured his Punjabi roots and appeared in a white turban, drape, Golecha’s jewels, and carried a ceremonial sword case that completed his royal Maharaja attire.

3) Manish Malhotra

Designer: Manish Malhotra

Manish Malhotra flaunted his own creation, a silk shirt, with a cluster of brooches, partially covered by a long black drape with white embroidery and glass beadwork. Even his tie was intricately embroidered, which highlighted his craftsmanship and alignment with the Met Gala 2025 theme.

4) Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Designer: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Sabyasachi showcased his own creation, a velvet cap having a dark yellow plume and a jewel at the centre, glasses, a white shirt, a satin kamarbandh and high-waisted pants. His layered attire was completed by a soft and long overcoat, giving a touch of comfort.

International Icons in the Met Gala 2025 Guest List

Here are the top 5 international icons in the Met Gala 2025 guest list:

1) Madonna

Designer: Haider Ackermann

The pop legend, Madonna, who came with her boyfriend Akeem Morris to the Met Gala 2025, was one of the best-dressed personalities. The red lips, white floral decoration on the left of her jacket, a matching bow tie, white shirt, embroidered gloves, a cream tuxedo and matching pants all added to her beauty.
However, what made her appearance bold was the massive cigar! Though the blue carpet does not allow to smoke one, Madonna just held it gracefully to make a pose at the Met Gala 2025.

2) Kylie Jenner

Designer: Maximilian Davis

Kylie Jenner, one of the international Met Gala celebrities, wore a dramatic black-and-gray piece, which included a grey bralette, torso covered with black, a long grey skirt with a high slit, opera gloves and the killer heels. These heels are called killer for a reason, as she reportedly fit her feet by taping them as advised by Maximilian Davis, the creative director of Ferragamo. Further, she informed her fans about her well-being after calling a team to pull (peel) them out.

3) Kim Kardashian

Designer: Dilara Fındıkoğlu

Kim Kardashian arrived on the blue carpet in a black leather hat tilted on the right side, hair with soft curls, diamond necklaces, a corset and a skirt with crocodile-like leather and pearl strings attached to her waistband. Overall, that’s how she left a mark through her unique fashion.

4) Dua Lipa

Dress By: Chanel

Following the Met Gala 2025 theme, Dua Lipa wore a black chiffon dress, full of pearls and feathers, with an open back and a long bow. The number of embroidered elements in this dress went to 45,000, which required over 2,000 hours and highlighted a high level of craftsmanship.

5) Rihanna

Designer: Marc Jacobs

As one of the 2025 Met Gala celebrities, Rihanna announced her third pregnancy uniquely as the final arrival. She wore a satin cravat with polka dots, a wool bodysuit showing her baby bump, a cropped woollen jacket, diamond brooches and a woollen skirt with white stripes. Thus, as the seven-time attendee, Rihanna once again made headlines for her appearance at the Met Gala.

Co-Chairs for Met Gala 2025

The co-chairs for the Met Gala 2025 were:

1) A$AP Rocky

Designer: AWGE

An Entrepreneur, rapper and actor. His bold fashion included neatly styled cornrows, black Ray-Ban sunglasses, diamond earrings, a platinum necklace, gold rings, a white shirt with a black tie, black pants and a black jacket, and he was seen holding an umbrella with a gun handle.

2) Lewis Hamilton

Designer: Wales Bonner

The Formula 1 World Drivers’ champion, Lewis Hamilton, wore a white beret, a custom-designed white ivory suit with a cropped jacket, white bow tie, high-waisted trousers and black shiny boots, all while showing off a tattoo on his right hand.

3) Colman Domingo

Designer: Valentino

Another name in the 2025 Met Gala celebrities and co-chairs was Colman Domingo, an Oscar-nominated actor, who wore a dramatic royal blue Valentino cape with intricate white lace detailing, all covering his sharp Valentino look that included a black coat with white stripes, a floral arrangement near the left shoulder and grey pants.

4) Pharrell Williams

Designer: Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. Jewelry

The popular music producer, Pharrell Williams, appeared in black sunglasses, a sleek suit, a double-breasted blazer with silver buttons, black pants and boots. Moreover, with his wife, Helen Lasichanh, he coordinated Louis Vuitton looks and grabbed his fans’ attention.

Final Thoughts

Every year, the Met Gala welcomes about 650-700 guests, including the fashion icons, young creatives, stars and personalities from politics, sports and the arts and fashion. The Met Gala 2025 theme focused on Black dandyism and provided an opportunity to experience this colour in fashion too. From Indian to international icons, all grabbed attention in their unique way. Thus, like every year, this theme included a deep meaning and helped fans find out how much their favourite Indian and international celebrities could follow it.