Natasha Poonawalla wears a Sabyasachi sari to attend 2022 Met Gala

'I often wondered when I would see the sari at big global fashion events like the Met Gala,' designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee reflected of the sartorial moment

Natasha Poonawalla in a Sabyasachi sari paired with an ornate Schiaparelli Couture corset. EPA

India businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion-themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, on Monday, May 2, 2022. Reuters

Poonawalla is the executive director of the Serum Institute of India and chairperson of Villoo Poonawalla Foundation. AFP

Poonawalla attends the 2022 Prince's Trust Gala at Cipriani 25 Broadway on April 28, 2022 in New York City. AFP

Poonawalla married Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, in 2006. EPA

From left: Dua Lipa, Marcus Piggott, Kristen McMenamy, Mert Alas and Poonawalla attend a cocktail reception ahead of The Fashion Awards 2021 at London's Royal Albert Hall on November 29, 2021. Getty Images

Editor-in-chief of British 'Vogue', Edward Enninful, and Poonawalla attend an exclusive party hosted by Frieze and Versace to celebrate London's creative community at Toklas on October 15, 2021. Getty Images for Frieze

Poonawalla attends the British Vogue x Tiffany & Co. Fashion and Film party at The Londoner Hotel in London on September 20, 2021. Getty Images

Poonawalla attends the LuisaViaRoma for Unicef event at La Certosa di San Giacomo on July 31, 2021 in Capri, Italy. Getty Images for Luisaviaroma

Indian actress, model and singer Priyanka Chopra and Poonawalla on day 12 of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London on July 10, 2021. Getty Images

Poonawalla at the Exhibition Opening of L'Exibition[niste] by Christian Louboutin as part of Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2020/2021 on February 24, 2020. Getty Images For Christian Louboutin

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Royal Founding Patron of the British Asian Trust, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meet American musician Katy Perry and Poonawalla as they arrive at a reception for supporters of the British Asian Trust in London on February 4, 2020. Getty Images

Kristina O'Neill, Poonawalla, Imran Amed and Nikhil Mansata at an intimate presentation and cocktail event in celebration of BoF China Prize 2018 winner, Caroline Hu. This was held at Hotel Ritz in Paris. Getty Images for The Business of Fashion

Evangelo Bousis, Natasha Poonawalla and Peter Dundas at the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. AFP

Poonawalla at Michael Muller's HEAVEN, presented by The Art of Elysium, on January 5, 2019 in Los Angeles. AFP

Serum Institute of India's Executive Director Adar Poonawalla and his wife Natasha launch the country's first nasal H1N1 vaccine, 'Nasovac', at a news conference in Mumbai on July 14, 2010. AFP

Indian businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla is a Met Gala regular, and this year she pulled out all the stops wearing a golden sari on The Metropolitan Museum of Art's red carpet.

Poonawalla's striking look was created by Sabyasachi, worn with an ornate Schiaparelli Couture corset that curves over her head.

According to the label's Instagram, the sari "celebrates Indian craftsmanship", the gold handcrafted piece is "embroidered with silk floss thread and embellished with bevel beads, semi-precious stones, crystals, sequins and appliqued printed velvet".

The look was accessorised with custom Sabyasachi Fine Jewellery pieces.

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee wrote of his design: “For me the sari is a truly unique and versatile garment that owns its identity even as it transcends boundaries and geographies. Back when I was a young fashion student, I often wondered when I would see the sari at big global fashion events like the Met Gala.”

Celebrity stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania styled Poonawalla for the event, and her sari was draped by Dolly Jain.

On Instagram, Jain said she was "in awe of this Indian take on Gilded Glamour".

"To be able to witness such an iconic fashion-meets-art moment in New York, and be a small part of it feels truly surreal. Between the flowing drape of her bespoke embroidered gold Sabyasachi sari and the architectural lines of her armour-esque gold metallic Schiaparelli couture bustier, Natasha strikes a note that is both feminine yet strong, bold yet beautiful," Jain wrote.

This year, the Met Gala's Gilded Glamour theme honoured New York's 19th century golden age between 1870 and 1890, with full Regency-style dresses expected on the red carpet. Like Poonawalla, a host of the A-list names in attendance took the gilded theme literally, dressing in head-to-toe gold.

Moschino seemed to be the fashion house behind many of the golden looks — the label dressed Khloe Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, Michaela Jae Rodriguez and Ariana DeBose, who was co-ordinated with designer Jeremy Scott in a black and gold design.

See all the looks from the 2022 Met Gala: