If you thought Isha Ambani had clocked out after the Oscars red carpet, sike! For the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, she pulled out a second look: a custom Swadesh X Dilara Findikoglu ensemble that mashed up Benarasi brocade with Findikoglu’s signature gothic corsetry.
The look, styled by Jamie Mizrahi (who also styled her earlier red-carpet moment), comprised a gold brocade skirt suit layered with black organza, as if it had taken a quick detour through Findikoglu’s dark little universe. The short-sleeved jacket was sharply corseted, cinching the waist before falling into a fitted skirt with organza ruffles and a short trail. Beneath the sheer layers, gold beadwork glinted while black beading shimmered above it, creating a chiaroscuro effect.
The textile did the heavy lifting in terms of storytelling. Handwoven in Varanasi with mulberry silk and light gold zardozi on a traditional pit loom, its geometric motifs echoed the latticed windows of old Benarasi architecture. The pattern was executed by master artisans using the do dama technique, which balances motif clarity with the fluidity of fabric.
Findikoglu, the London-based designer known for her punk-gothic romanticism, has been on a roll with the fashion-forward girlies lately: Margot Robbie wore a series of her looks on the press tour for Wuthering Heights, while Wednesday star Jenna Ortega wore an all-black Dilara Findikoglu outfit at the Golden Globes earlier this year.
It’s not the fashion crossover anyone would have predicted, but that’s precisely what makes it so good. A centuries-old weaving technique on display on a global stage.
