{
  "id": 5930468,
  "title": "From a subway platform to the Venice red carpet in a mermaid dress: Bhavitha Mandava's 1,250-hour Chanel dress",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/from-a-subway-platform-to-the-venice-red-carpet-in-a-mermaid-dress",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-06T06:51:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/from-a-subway-platform-to-the-venice-red-carpet-in-a-mermaid-dress-bhavitha-mandavas-1250-hour-chanel-dress-1.500664744"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nine months ago, Bhavitha Mandava was an unknown figure outside the world of fashion. This week, the Hyderabad-born model made her Venice Film Festival debut in a Chanel gown that took the atelier 1,250 hours to embroider. The dress, designed by Chanel artistic director Matthieu Blazy, features 30,000 domed heart-shaped sequins in shades of iridescent blue, along with 96,000 oval sequins adorning the flounces at the back and hem. The embroidery process alone required roughly 1,250 hours of work from Chanel’s Lesage atelier. The aqua and turquoise gown is meant to evoke the movement of light across water, with the flounces appearing as if surfacing from beneath the surface. Mandava kept her styling understated, wearing a camellia brooch, gold-tone earrings, and silver strappy sandals mostly concealed by the hem, paired with straight black hair worn sleek. Her previous major red carpet appearance was at the 2026 Met Gala, where she donned a custom Chanel quarter-zip jumper and jeans, a design that directly referenced her outfit from when a scout from 28Models approached her at a subway station in Brooklyn in 2024. That earlier appearance made her the first Indian model to open a Chanel show. In the months leading up to her Venice debut, Mandava closed Chanel’s spring haute couture show as the bride, was named a house ambassador by Chanel, and received praise from Blazy for her down-to-earth demeanor and joyful presence. Despite initial reservations, Mandava eventually accepted the ambassadorship, acknowledging Blazy’s approach to the house that balances innovation with respect for its heritage. When approached by a scout in 2024, Mandava initially declined the opportunity, considering her student debt, but reconsidered when the conversation shifted towards financial considerations. She has spoken about the importance of representation for young brown girls, stating that she simply wants to show up as herself, regardless of the impact she may have on others.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Nine months ago, Bhavitha Mandava was a name most people outside fashion had never heard. This week she walked the Venice Film Festival red carpet in a Chanel gown that took an atelier 1,250 hours to embroider. The Hyderabad-born model made her Venice debut at the 83rd edition of the festival, attending the premiere of Shin'ya Tsukamoto's Mr Nelson, Did You Kill People? in the closing look…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}