The Glorious Nation of Melandia

Round 1 - 2026 (Costume Art / Fashion is Art) - Match 90 of 128

Bhavitha Mandava (Chanel), left

"My look is a couture version of my opening look for Métiers d'Art in New York." "When she and artistic director Matthieu Blazy began dreaming up her Met Gala look (her first), she sent him her favourite brand moments as a starting point. Blazy, being Blazy, didn’t see the everyday street-style look as an obstacle for fashion’s biggest night of the year. Instead, he made it couture. “I had to pause when I saw the sketch, because that subway show was already one of the most significant nights of my career,” says Mandava, who became the first Indian model to open a Chanel show that night. “Turning it into something reimagined for the Met felt like carrying that memory forward, but in a more elevated way that still respects the original spirit and the theme of the evening.”" (x)(x)

vs. Miles Chamley-Watson (KidSuper), right

"This features my paintings in jacquard fabric turned into a suit and a giant rug and then that rug cut up into a jacket (bringing a carpet to the carpet). This was a perfect combination of all things I love - art, fashion, and [fencing] - and so we had to hand paint the mask and wrap the foil (sword). Fun fact: Miles won an Olympic medal in that mask." (x)

Big Pencil | Virginia | Fuji 400