Well, it’s not every day you see an Indian prince and princess making their debut at the Met Gala fashion carpet, and this year’s heritage moment had it all. The event may be fashion’s biggest stage, but this year, it doubled as a royal revival as the Princess of Jaipur, Gauravi Kumari, made her debut, alongside the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Padmanabh Singh.The sibling duo turned the carpet into a heritage runway, where one carried a vintage grace and the other brought the regality of a forgotten textile into a space that rarely looks beyond Western couture. Both their looks were developed by designer Prabal Gurung and looked nothing less than a royal dream.
(Image Credits: Instagram)
For the occasion, Princess Gauravi Kumari chose a beautiful saree from her grandmother Maharani Gayatri Devi’s closet. Drenched in pink hues with subtle self-sequins, the shade of pink carries its own familiarity and is tied to Jaipur as much as to her family. The saree has been reworked by Gurung into a gown while keeping the chiffon in order so it lies across the body with a swift ease, making one feel moved.She matched its prowess with beautiful pearls drawn from The Gem Palace in Jaipur, teamed with uncut diamonds and stunning rubies. The reference to wearing pearls and chiffon is closely associated with Maharani Gayatri Devi, who was known for this royal balance, and Gauravi’s Met Gala debut is a natural ode to her grandmother.Her brother, on the other hand, brought a Phulghar coat to light, which featured a deep midnight blue velvet base with a quilted cotton blend, aari and zardozi embroidery and was finished with dabka and resham grace. This statement royalty piece took over 600 hours of work and was also developed by Prabal Gurung.
(Image Credits: Instagram)
The whole idea of this was to bring the Rajasthani craftsmanship to the forefront, where the coat carries the elegance of a bandhgala and has an evenly spread weight that looks mesmerising. He paired this with black formal trousers that featured references to the city of Jaipur.‘Pacho’ as Padmanabh is fondly called went for a mirror sun motif, drawn from the Sri Niwas at the City Palace in Jaipur, which connects the entire garment to his Suryavanshi lineage. He completed the look with polki and jadau necklaces associated with Johri Bazaar in Jaipur, which sat perfectly with his Maharaja personality.Together, these two didn’t just attend the event but reframed the entire narrative. They proved that the Indian legacy, when worn right, can outshine even the most avant-garde spectacles and become the highlight of the hour.
