In March, English singer-songwriter Lily Allen kicked off a tour in an unusual gown created by designer Anna Fleshley for her album, West End Girl. Printed on her flowing green dress were text and handwritten notes that her ex-husband David Harbor had sent to other women during his marriage to her, and receipts from Chanel, Nobu, and NYC’s The Plaza Hotel, where she had spent money on them. It seemed more appropriate than something off the runway – several West End Girl songs reference Harbour’s infidelity. Alan really brought himself into it and took control of his story.
All spring long, she’s been a viral example of just how high power dressing has gone in showbiz today. “What are you wearing?” The question no longer cuts across the red carpet. To stand out, an organization must now have a backstory, take a stand, show solidarity, and teach a history lesson.
It might be because we’re tired of post-Oscars, post-Grammy, post-Met-Gala best-dressed slideshows. Or that we already know how some of the magic works: skin-tone mesh under a nude dress, a tailored corset into a gown, an update on a classic style. Or that celebrities don’t want to feel like clothes horses on the GRWM reels. Or that luxury designed homes are struggling to remain relevant. But something has changed. “Storytelling is now more important than showing that you’re being considerate and respectful,” says stylist Akshay Tyagi, who has dressed celebrities for the Cannes Film Festival and the International Emmys.
So, what new stories are red-carpet dresses telling? Let’s break it down.
character is destiny
Until recently, no one expected an actress to promote a film wearing costumes specifically designed to reflect the film’s theme. But zoom in on Carrie-Anne Moss’s Oscar de la Renta black dress at the 2021 premiere of The Matrix Resurrections. The green sequins below mimic the franchise’s cascading digital rain. Subtle, clever, viral. Remember Margot Robbie as Barbie in the promo tour in 2023 (she did it again, playing the role while promoting Wuthering Heights this year). Or Zendaya, seen at the press tour for Challengers 2024, in a tennis-inspired fit, with shoes with tennis balls plugged into the heels.
It goes without saying that Ariana Grande spent 2024 and 2025 in frothy pink tulle that echoed her character, Glinda, as she promoted the Wicked movies. But here’s the Easter egg: On the last day of her appearance, she wore a gown from Hubert de Givenchy’s Fall 1995 couture collection. Pink, yes. tulle, yes. But it was also the last look in the designer’s last couture show before leaving the house. It was another farewell wrapped inside a farewell. Tyagi says celebrity outfits are now deliberately chosen to convey “the behind-the-scenes story of looking put together for someone who is not in the room”. It rewards the invested. It creates more content. This keeps the chatter going.
The method of dressing in India has evolved rapidly and rapidly. In Mr. & Mrs. Mahie (2024), Janhvi Kapoor plays a doctor whose cricket skills develop only after marriage. Her promo-tour outfits included customized sarees with cricket ball imagery on the drape and her player number, on her saree blouse, in red sequins, rendered in jersey style.
hearts on their sleeves
It used to be that if a celebrity supported a cause – perhaps aid, or LGBTQ+ rights – they’d simply add a ribbon or pin to their otherwise unrelated organization. But in these difficult times, activism is inseparable from appearance.
In 2024, when Cate Blanchett went to the Cannes Film Festival, photographers dutifully began taking pictures of her black and white Jean Paul Gaultier gown. It was only when she lifted the back hem, revealing the bright green lining, that it made headlines. The color, as well as the red of the Cannes carpet, refers to the Palestinian flag. Blanchett did not need the pin; Her entire outfit was making a statement.
American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez knew, when she was invited to the Met Gala in 2021, that this specific event was at odds with her socialist politics. So, she let her dress protest: Tax the Rich in a white gown made by Black-owned label Brother Vellies that was painted deep, bright red down the back.
Indians in the spotlight have long used red-carpet events to showcase the country’s rich handlooms and crafts. Reena Singh, who has dressed everyone from actors to courtroom lawyers in her luxury artisanal brand Eka, has worked with Arundhati Roy for a long time. Singh dressed the firebrand author and activist in soft silhouettes and a mix of earthy and bright colors to promote her memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me last year. “Given the situation the world is in today, she wanted to make a statement with her clothes,” says Singh. Wearing India’s obscure crafts while touring the world was another way Roy could demonstrate her politics.
Designer Ikshit Pandey says he is now taking a tough stance on what celebrities want to say through their clothes. His high-end streetwear label Quad has been seen on Shruti Haasan, Dhi and Kavya Trehan, all of whom oscillate between artistic disciplines and are open to “using fashion for more than just a great look”. In August 2021, Dhi posed in a quad shirt for the cover of Rolling Stone India magazine. It was off-white, with a pointed collar and heavy Victorian sleeves, and featured an abstract portrait of a woman whose face was made up of overlapping, jagged lines. “She has a very clear idea of who she is and what kind of things she wants,” says Pandey. The shirt reflected Dhee’s eccentricities but within a defined silhouette, showing that there was a method to her madness.
Hassan, on the other hand, likes a little goth-rock: lace, leather, corsetry, dark colors. They help actor-musicians to stand out in fields dominated by men.
history lesson
“I remember I dressed Hrithik Roshan in a tomato-red suit for the IIFA Awards in 2015,” says Tyagi. “It was the first time an Indian celebrity wore Tom Ford, and it was a big deal.” Indian stylists then sought recognition from the West. They don’t do that anymore. Even Indian designers are no longer seen as mere providers of clothes. Fashion houses are creating and investing in archives. Fashion schools teach old clothing-making traditions as well as modern design history.
Mentor and former model Nayanika Chatterjee says a lot has changed in the three decades she has been working in the fashion field. But some challenges are inherently Indian. She says, “We cannot wear the tricolor as a costume; we cannot depict gods and goddesses on our clothes. It prohibits power dressing.”
And yet, new statements are possible. Take a look at what Isha Ambani wore to the Met Gala this year. Saree: Custom Gaurav Gupta, in woven gold tissue with hand-painted Pichwai-style motifs. Blouse: Studded with 1,800 carats of heirloom jewelery from the family collection. Handbag: A 20-year-old steel mango-shaped bundle created by Indian artist Subodh Gupta. “She could have worn clothes like this,” admits stylist Jhanvi Sharma, who has worked in India, London and Paris. “But the fact that she chose to wear Indian craftsmanship on such a stage rather than a Dior gown is a statement.”
The boldest step for many may be breaking out of the boss-lady/bimbo binary expected of Indian women. Designer Suket Dhir understood the politics of power dressing from the day he started his label in 2011. He had seen his wife and co-founder, Svetlana, shed their baggy clothing better than him, and introduced men’s apparel in women’s sizes in 2018. Her cashmere sherwani, printed khadi blazer, jumpsuit and reversible ikat bomber jacket have been worn by Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, actor Ranveer. Singh, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor.
Unexpected ambassador for the genre: “Mira Nair”. The film director (and mother of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani) has worn Dheer’s jewel-toned brocade pantsuit repeatedly over the years. “She’ll wear a pantsuit six different times, six different ways. She’ll sometimes wear a blazer with something else, or pants with something else. Isn’t that great?” Dheer asks. This is the way dressing is done – only this time, she’s following her own script.
From HT Brunch, June 20, 2026
Follow us at www.instagram.com/htbrunch
