Chanel’s 'denim' gamble for the Met Gala: creativity in play or fashion blunder?

Luxury fashion giant Chanel is under fire following the strikingly understated appearance of Indian model and brand ambassador Bhavita Mendava at the Met Gala 2026 red carpet, an outing that quickly spiraled into debate across social media.

With the theme “Fashion is Art,” Mendava confidently walked in what could only be described as a minimalist “jeans” and top ensemble. While she expressed joy over her Met Gala debut, the internet’s feedback was, almost immediately, split down the middle.

The discrepancy led many to question whether the styling choice was more than just a fashion misstep. Viewers pointed out how her look, a sheer full-sleeved top layered over a white tank, classic blue jeans, white heels, and minimal jewelry, felt unusually subdued for an event known for excess.

Critics were quick to contrast her appearance with the high-octane glamour of fellow model Awar Odhiang, who stood beside her in a hand-beaded fringe dress that ticked every expected Met Gala box.

“Why did they send Bhavitha to the Met Gala in jeans?? This feels like a microaggression,” one X user wrote. Another added, “Every other ambassador is in custom couture, and she’s in a mall outfit? It feels a bit racist.”

On Instagram, watchdog account Diet Prada delved into the growing outrage, particularly within the Indian and South Asian community. Fashion content creator Sufi Motiwala accused the brand of “tokenising” the model.

He wrote, “The overly casual look which the design house has prioritised for their first ever Indian ambassador seems to peddle a narrative which excludes her from the glamour of her counterparts. Mandava’s Chanel counterparts, by the way, include Jennie, Margot Robbie, Lily Rose-Depp, Gracie Abrams, and Anna Wintour herself who each wore luxurious evening gowns to the gala. As did Awar Odhiang, a fellow Chanel model of comparable viral fame. In a bathroom selfie taken by Mandava, the discrepancy of her jeans-and-a-casual-top outfit is impossible to ignore. Thoughts?”

Still, not everyone read it as a misfire. Some argued that Chanel may have been attempting to challenge rigid definitions of formalwear, an idea not entirely foreign to a dress code as open-ended as this year’s.

In a British Vogue feature, Mendava and her artistic director Matthieu Blazy explained that the look referenced her opening walk at Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2026 show last year. The model had reportedly sent her “favorite brand moments” as reference, while Blazy maintained that a street-style approach need not be excluded from fashion’s biggest night.

Chanel, for its part, insisted the concept was deliberate. The look, it said, recreated what Mendava wore the day she was discovered on a New York subway, a personal origin story reframed as couture.

“What I know is that the subway wasn’t a backdrop for my story, it was the story. And every time it comes back around, I’m reminded that ordinary moments hold everything. I wasn’t trying to be seen that morning. I was just existing. And somehow that was enough,” Mendava told British Vogue.