Sudha Reddy decided to bring high-jewellery drama on Met Gala 2026 red carpet. The 47-year-old Hyderabad-based entrepreneur and philanthropist stunned everyone in a fashion that combines her Indian traditional craft skills with an $15 million necklace which features a 550-carat tanzanite.
The centre-piece necklace, which was already a part of Sudha Reddy’s own collection, instantly caught everyone’s attention on the red carpet. According to stylist, Mariel Haenn the necklace featured a Victorian chain embedded with huge triangular and pear-shaped diamonds that were placed in floral groupings. In the middle of all this splendor lay the ‘Queen of Merelani,’ a very rare and precious 550-carat violet-blue tanzanite that came from Tanzania’s Merelani Hills.
Her ensemble screamed ‘heritage and maximalism.’ Along with the necklace, Sudha Reddy made some other high jewellery statements. This included a 40-carat Asscher-cut Colombian emerald set within a diamond halo in 18k yellow gold, along with a 30-carat rose-cut polki diamond ring.
Manish Malhotra created a unique costume for Sudha Reddy. The theme of the costume was based on the ’Tree of Life,’ which is the pattern used in the Kalamkari technique of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Symbolism was used throughout the entire design instead of separating them in compartments. The Kalpavriksha tree served as the main motif of the design. It was accompanied by images of the Palapitta bird, which was associated with the Telangana Bathukamma festival, and Jammi Chettu and Tangedu plants. Solar and lunar motifs were included in the fabric design representing different harvests and festivals.
At the back, the embroidery took on an intense form to create a concentration of patterns. This particular part was considered by Sudha Reddy to be her favourite area, wherein detail comes alive as she rotates. The work was created through zardozi and resham embroidery.
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