Over the weekend, the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre took place in Mumbai. The NMACC “aims to preserve and promote Indian arts”; one of those arts being fashion. One of the centre’s opening shows is aptly named ‘India in Fashion’ as it showcases “the layered impact that traditional Indian dress, textiles and craft have had on the international fashion sensibility since the 18th century.” As fashion is so central to the NMACC and to Indian arts and culture, it makes sense that the celebrities attending the three-day opening event pulled out all the stops.
Disha Patani
While actress Disha Patani may be receiving backlash online for her daring sari from the second night of the event, we personally loved it. The look was made up of a silver sparkling bustier with a low-waisted skirt and sari to match. Disha has been known to experiment with both traditional and western styles and we think that this look blends them perfectly.
Zendaya
One thing about Zendaya is she always nails a dress code. Whether it’s the Met Gala or the Oscars, Zendaya is always on theme and ensures that her outfit fits the event that she is attending; the NMACC Gala was no exception. Zendaya opted for a custom look by Rahul Mishra that incorporated the astrological designs that he often uses in his designs. The midnight-blue look had glistening stars hand-embroidered throughout it that perfectly tied in with the gold bralette that the actress wore. The lower parts of the skirt and sari were also embroidered with delicate florals, adding additional dimension to the look as well as introducing another one of Rahul’s key design themes.
Anusha Dandekar
One of the events’ three hosts absolutely stole the show at the NMACC Gala; Anusha Dandekar wore a red two-piece gown with statement layered necklaces. The most beautiful part of this look was its dramatic sleeves; the sheer embroidered material flowed down from the shoulders and gathered at the floor with the train of the skirt. The sleeves draped so perfectly that they appeared almost fluid. We honestly love when hosts of the event get their moment; and with this look Anusha Dandekar truly earned hers.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid was a golden goddess on this pink carpet. Wearing a custom look from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla the golden Chikankari sari truly displayed the immense artistry and intricate detail that makes Indian fashion so beautiful. Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla described the look as:
“Kamasutra-inspired, South Indian temple jewellery cropped sleeve jacket blouse edged with bold tassels paired with a slim chikankari skirt and chikan sari drape. The chikan is exquisitely hand-embroidered by female artisans at Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla atelier in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Crystals and sequin highlights and bold, gold zardozi borders add to its ethereal elegance to create a masterpiece fit for a Goddess.”
Nitya Arora
Nitya Arora showcased modern Indian Haute Couture at this event wearing a custom Gaurav Gupta mini dress. The grey dress was paired with matching tights and shoes to create the monochromatic look that has been exceedingly popular in recently years. The dress itself was sculptural yet delicately structured, the combination of tulle used for the skirt and high neckline with the silhouette of the look mimicked the shape of petals, accentuating the soft beauty of the design.
Suhana Khan
Suhana Khan wore a sparkling gold sari by Sabyasachi. The sheer material was delicately embroidered with beautiful craftmanship. The skirt and sari were in a rich almost-burnt gold tone that perfectly complemented the more metallic gold of the embellished bralette. The gold-tones of this look made it regal and ethereal and was easily one of our favourites from the weekend.
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra provided us with multiple looks throughout this weekend, but our favourite has to be her blush pink look from the first night. The sparkling gown was beautifully embellished with sparkling gemstones tightly covering the upper half of the look before dispersing further away from one another throughout the skirt. The best part of this look, however, was the cape detailing. This weekend gave us many fantastic cape moments and, honestly, we are still not over it.
Emma Chamberlain
Emma Chamberlain blew us away this weekend. Her looks were immaculate, whether she was attending red-carpet events or casually exploring the city, she did it in style. The highlight, however, had to be the vibrant yellow look that she wore on the second night. Designed by Falguni Shane Peacock the two-piece was yet another look that did justice to the sheer artistry that goes into the Indian fashion industry. The colour was bright and bold, maintaining Emma’s fun and quirky style whilst drawing inspiration from traditional Indian designs.
Kushi Kapoor
Kushi Kapoor wore potentially one of the most elaborately embellished looks of the entire weekend, and we loved it. It was one of those looks that was so beautifully beaded that you can’t help but wonder how heavy it was to move in. But regardless of the answer to that question, we can confidently say that it was worth it. The beautiful tulle sleeves that stemmed from just below the bust was such a unique detail that made the look standout amongst the crowd.
Young Emperors
Content creators Young Emperors took their matching couples’ looks to Mumbai. Wearing golden pieces from Vaishali S Couture the pair looked amazing on the pink carpet. Vaishali S Couture prides itself on creating “Classic Indian weaves that transcend into wearable art” and that is exactly what these looks did.
Sonam Kapoor
Sonam Kapoor wore an archival piece from Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla that was “made with 20 unique individual panels spanning 35 years of Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s design history.” Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla described the look on Instagram as:
“This gajji silk lehenga is hand embroidered with panels in zardozi, resham, vasli , marodi and tikki in a multitude of floral and moghul motifs and paired with a vasli and Swarovski corset and finished with a silk tissue throw hand embroidered in Gold and silver work to create a veritable masterpiece.”
Law Roach
Stylist Law Roach matched with Zendaya in a look by Rahul Mishra. The hand embroidered custom sherwani Jacket was paired with a matching lehenga skirt. The bold floral embroidery starkly contrasted the smaller details that we had seen throughout the night, daringly standing out against the crowd whilst still acknowledging the importance of embroidery in India’s fashion history.
Tahira Kashyap
Tahira Kashyap wore one of the few suits we saw throughout the weekend and, honestly, it was amazing. The rich red colour paired with beautiful gold embroidery perfectly paid homage to Indian fashion tradition but added modern western elements to the look through the chosen silhouette of the suit. We loved the blending of both traditional and modern influences as well as Indian and western fashion trends in this look.
Kriti Sanon
Kriti Sanon wore a black and gold ensemble by Monisha Jaising. The exceptionally detailed gown featured a high slit down the leg and an encompassing cape that draped just below the shoulders, allowing the asymmetrical single shoulder detailing of the gown to be fully visible. Our favourite aspect of this look, however, was the way that it was accessorised, the beautiful statement earrings were on show thanks to the sleek plait hairstyle that Kriti opted for, and the earrings perfectly matched the intricate gold rings that tied the whole look together.
Words by: Amelia Gregory
Header Image: The NMACC Gala Pink Carpet
