Isha Ambani’s Manish Malhotra x Swadesh Bandage Dress For Met Gala Pre-Party Took 450 Hours To Make
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The ensemble features 26 distinct borders representing India’s rich heritage, from Banarasi brocade to Parsi gara embroidery.
Isha Ambani’s Manish Malhotra x Swadesh Bandage Dress For Met Gala Pre-Party Took 450 Hours To Make
For this year’s Met Gala, the buzz has already begun, thanks to the glittering MET pre-party and Isha Ambani. Wearing a custom masterpiece by Manish Malhotra x Swadesh, Isha wore an entire culture on her back at this event.
Styled by the expert hands of Anaita Shroff Adajania, Isha’s dress was a sartorial love letter to India, taking the theme of ‘Costume Art’ and making it beautifully and meaningfully personal. Far from your standard evening wear, this garment was a reimagining of the classic bandage dress, not through structured fabrics, but through an intricate architecture of 26 distinct borders.
Isha Ambani In Manish Malhotra X Swadesh
Businesswoman, arts patron and philanthropist, Isha Ambani arrived at Vogue’s Pre-Party in this gorgeous and custom handcrafted look. Each border on the bandage dress represents a specific region of India, a geographically vast and artistically deep archive of textile heritage. Over 450 hours of artisan labour were poured into this custom gown. The sheer complexity is breathtaking. It integrates a world of techniques: from the rich zari work of Uttar Pradesh and elegant Parsi gara embroidery to the earthy beauty of Maheshwari weaves and the intricate textures of kantha and tilla work.
As the eye travels up the strapless gown, it crosses the subcontinent. We see the heavy, shimmering luxury of Kanjeevaram silk from the south, the royal heritage of Paithani and Banarasi brocade from the east, and the sophisticated geometry of the north. These different textiles, separated by geography but united on this gown, created a living tapestry, celebrating the country’s rich artisan heritage while simultaneously presenting a unified expression of culture, craftsmanship, and modernity.
While the dress in itself is completely spellbinding, Isha’s minimal jewels and makeup also deserve the spotlight. Isha’s hair was kept slicked back, ensuring all focus remained on the high jewellery. She wore oversized, intricate diamond earrings and a dramatic matching cluster ring. But the best part was the ornaments from the Outhouse Jewellery that Isha chose to wear in the length of her hair for the event.
A soft smoky eye and warm, terracotta-toned lips, by makeup artist Ash Kholm, and deep, shimmering dark nails completed the sophisticated, polished look. It was a flawless exercise in high-low texture, with deep velvet red pumps adding the perfect cherry on the cake.
