Shah Rukh Khan's Met Gala Debut in Sabyasachi

Shah Rukh Khan walked the Met Gala carpet for the first time on May 5, 2025, in an all-black look by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The coat, the jewellery and a tiger-head cane drew most of the attention. Sabyasachi's own page, Vogue India, CNN and The New York Times describe it in detail, and the actor spoke about his nerves.

The look

Sabyasachi's page says Khan wore a floor-length, elongated coat in Tasmanian superfine wool with monogrammed Japanese horn buttons. It was hand-canvassed and single-breasted, with a peak collar and wide lapels, over a crepe de Chine silk shirt and tailored superfine wool trousers. A pleated satin kamarbandh completed the outfit.

The jewellery was a custom stack from Sabyasachi Jewellery in 18-karat gold, with sapphires, tourmalines and diamonds. Vogue India says it included a crystal-studded pendant in the shape of the letter K and a diamond star brooch at the lapel, with rings on his fingers. He carried the Bengal Tiger Head Cane in 18-karat gold, set with tourmalines, sapphires and old-mine and brilliant-cut diamonds.

The idea behind it

The 2025 theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style", with a dress code of "Tailored for You". Sabyasachi's page says his interpretation of the Black dandy drew on the noble houses of India and replaced the necktie with handcrafted Indian necklaces. Vogue India says the look connected the shared histories of Black and Indian dandyism, two traditions that reimagined tailoring.

Mukherjee told Vogue India, "Shah Rukh Khan is one of the greatest superstars in the world," adding that his interpretation of the Black dandy was meant to demonstrate Khan's stardom "on a global stage". Vogue India notes that the Mughal-inspired cut and the layered jewellery recalled historic portraits of maharajas.

The actor's nerves

The New York Times quoted Khan on the afternoon before the event: "I've never been nervous like this." He added, "I'm wondering if I can run away from this now," and said he is very shy. CNN reports that he told the Vogue livestream hosts he typically skips red carpets.

He also told CNN he asked Mukherjee to stay close to his style staples. "I told Sabya I only wear black and white, but what we designed for me is what I'm most comfortable in," he said. "That's how I think it should be."

A first for India

CNN reports that Khan, known as SRK to fans, made his Met debut in understated style. Hollywood Reporter India writes that he became the first Indian male actor to grace the gala and says Priyanka Chopra, Kiara Advani and the singer Diljit Dosanjh also attended that year. The "first Indian male actor" claim is that outlet's, and we did not find an official record.

Restraint as a statement

Vogue India says the impact came from subtlety: there was no exaggerated embroidery and no dramatic train. The statement was carried in silhouette, proportion and the talismans worn close to the body. The magazine reads the layered necklaces as personal symbols and heirloom motifs, though that is its interpretation and Khan did not explain each piece.

What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the meaning of individual pieces of jewellery, since Mukherjee's page describes the stack in general terms. We have not independently verified the "first Indian male actor" claim. We did not verify the value of the cane or jewellery. The designer's page is promotional.

Sources

*Cover photo: Laura Lee Dooley, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shah_Rukh_Khan_at_SLAM_The_Tour_-_20_September_2014.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shah_Rukh_Khan_at_SLAM_The_Tour_-_20_September_2014.jpg)* (CC BY 2.0).*