I adored the theme of the Met Gala this year. Cryptically called ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’, I’ll admit the title required a footnote. Perhaps, if better explained, the many guests would not have come in mere black ensembles, and would have indulged in a little more peacockery.
The Met Gala—the gobsmacking, show-stealing, internet-breaking annual fundraiser—is hosted by Vogue magazine’s Anna Wintour to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. The museum does a remarkable job of restoring and preserving costumes across centuries, with so many pieces so old they need to be permanently lying down or they may tear under their own weight.
‘Superfine’ is actually a cultural nod to the black dandies. Black Dandyism was a cultural movement in 18th century Europe where black men dressed stylishly and flamboyantly to assert themselves and their autonomy in a white world, especially during the Atlantic slave trade. The idea was to use fashion to destroy racial stereotypes, challenge class dynamics and bring dignity to the black identity. It’s amazing that this showcase took place in Donald Trump’s America; the new president is considered to be the most racist in recent times. It’s also amazing that he was blackballed from the event. Don’t we love fashion when it shows a spine?
But does fashion have a spine? I’m not so sure. European luxury labels are almost always headed by a white man. The African-American designers we know are Virgil Abloh (of the streetwear label Off-White, and then Louis Vuitton) and Kanye West (okay he is better known as a musician) and maybe Olivier Rousteing, but mainstream fashion has always kept the black man at bay.
Indian celebrities thronged to the Met Gala this year. The biggest surprise was Diljit Dosanjh. There were no murmurs of the brilliant singer-actor attending, but he showed up in all his Sikh magnificence. Dressed like Bhupinder Singh, the 20th century Maharaja of Patiala from Punjab, Dosanjh showed the real dandies were Indian royalty. The maharaja commissioned Cartier to make him an extravagant 1,000-carat diamond necklace (with the centrepiece being a large yellow 428-carat diamond)—the largest single order the jewellery house has seen till date. With permission from Cartier, Dosanjh commissioned Golecha’s Jewels to recreate a similar one for the Met. In an interview with The New York Times, Dosanjh says, “It’s all about carrying your identity with pride, right?”
Shah Rukh Khan attended as a guest of Sabyasachi Mukherjee and the two men played off each other to celebrate dandyism. Khan wore signature all-black and showed off his now-famous chest with multiple strings of Sabyasachi necklaces, many of them custom-made for him. In contrast, Sabyasachi wore white, and the two men appeared together signalling an equality in colours. Sabyasachi’s Parsi-style hat was a tip to Jamsetji Tata, who was famously not allowed entry to Bombay’s Watson’s Hotel, and so went on to build his own, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.
Cultural assertion and identity politics continued for Natasha Poonawalla, who wore Parsi Gara embroidery—considered heirloom pieces in her community—and tailored them to dandy styles. She wore her spectacular embroideries on a skirt, corset, cape, and collar, making her such a fashion queen on the red carpet.
Designer Manish Malhotra, who made Poonawalla’s outfit, was a feast for tired eyes in an embroidered sherwani-cape mix. Kiara Advani’s baby bump made its debut enrobed in a Gaurav Gupta gown and Isha Ambani looked so elegant in an Anamika Khanna caped outfit and a long choli with a stylish little hair accessory.
The gala may have wanted to celebrate black identity, but no one better than our desis to take a theme and make it their own.
X@namratazakaria