We're just going to come out and say it, Deepika Padukone's campy glam IIFA Awards look would have faired better at the Met Gala - and in fact, looked a bit too similar to someone's dramatic couture vibe from the 2019 Met Gala.
Deepika showed up at the 20th IIFA Awards in a custom-made electric violet gown, designed by the avant-garde trailblazer Gaurav Gupta. The number is quite epic, with dramatic, mid-arm sleeves and a gossamer tulle veil-like hood, and also had a long and soft feather trail.
Gupta revealed on Instagram that the electric violet is inspired by stained glass windows that reflect a blend of lavender and amaranth purple hues, and mimics the colour of the dusky sky, and the embroidery features Gupta's signature plumage of faux feathers. This doesn't surprise us - Gaurav's latest festive line-up is all about cascading foliage gowns and plumy and moody sculpted longline numbers. Moreover, Deepika has been a Gaurav loyalist for a while now.
What really makes us delve deeper is the styling on the number (Deepika has been styled by Shaleena Nathani) which closely resembles Kylie Jenner's look from this year's camp-themed Met Gala. Kylie wore a bespoke and strong-silhouetted, feather-covered Atelier Versace ball gown, with chain mail embroidery and Swarovski crystals. While both stars go for the head-to-toe purple effect, the tone is vastly different in both the looks
The influencer and beauty mogul also carried exaggerated muff-like faux feather wings, and her lilac hair matched the palette of her ensemble flawlessly. Deepika, too, went for the puffy separate winged sleeves and the matching purple hood and the mid-length feather detailing, too is almost alike. But while Deepika's vibe is dreamy and had a fantastical element to it, Kylie's look had a burlesque vibe and undertones of the signature Kardashian fierceness.
It's important to note how both these looks are important milestones in the history of fashion, especially considering how Deepika is now an international figure and was, in fact, present at this year's Met Gala (and even hung out with Kylie's sister Kendall Jenner). And it is hands down, a big step up for Deepika, who rarely gives in to sartorial whimsicality involved in couture; you might even say, it is her most iconic look, ever. But we have to wonder if Kylie's MET Gala look was on the mood board when Nathani curated Deepika's IIFA look, or if it acted as any point of reference, at all?