Shah Rukh Khan has been recognised by The New York Times for his now-iconic Met Gala debut, earning a spot on its “67 Most Stylish People of 2025” list. The feature celebrates names who shaped fashion and culture this year, and SRK appears alongside global heavyweights like Sabrina Carpenter, A$AP Rocky, Jennifer Lawrence and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
For an industry that has watched him dominate romance, action, and box office records for over three decades, this is a different kind of milestone: Bollywood’s biggest star being officially treated as a global style reference, not just a film icon.
The Met Gala Look That Did the Talking
The recognition is rooted in one very specific fashion moment: Shah Rukh Khan’s Met Gala 2025 debut. As the first Bollywood male actor to attend the event, Shah Rukh Khan walked the Manhattan steps in an all-black custom ensemble by Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
The look: a floor-length coat in Tasmanian superfine wool with wide lapels and Japanese horn buttons, layered over a black silk shirt and tailored trousers, cinched with a pleated satin kamarbandh. Jewellery did the rest — talismanic chains, a crystal-studded ‘K’ pendant, and the now-famous Bengal Tiger Head Cane crafted in 18k gold with diamonds, sapphires and tourmalines.
It was a studied kind of drama: more “modern maharaja” than costume, letting SRK’s persona carry the theatrics rather than the outfit.
Why the NYT Nod Matters
The NYT list is not just a “best-dressed” gallery; it’s a curated roll call of people who steered style conversations over the year. In SRK’s case, the write-up highlights how “Bollywood’s biggest star” brought the Met Gala “into his orbit” as a first-time guest — a telling reversal of who is lending clout to whom.
For Indian cinema and fashion, that line is the real headline. An Indian superstar in Indian couture is being framed not as an exotic outlier but as part of the global centre — sharing space with athletes, pop stars, and high-fashion regulars on equal footing.
Indian Couture, Global Carpet
This moment also cements the rise of Indian designers at the world’s most-watched fashion event. Sabyasachi’s Met Gala outings with Alia Bhatt earlier and now Shah Rukh Khan have pushed his label — and by extension Indian craftsmanship — deep into the global fashion conversation.
SRK’s presence in a meticulously tailored, culturally rooted look underscores a simple truth: India doesn’t have to dilute itself to be global. The tiger cane, the ‘K’ pendant, and the kamarbandh — they are all local signatures that read as luxury statements anywhere in the world.
Beyond the Red Carpet
As editors, we can argue that this is “just” a style list. But it quietly marks a shift: an Indian leading man, at 60, being cited by The New York Times as one of the faces of how the world dressed in 2025.
In other words, Shah Rukh Khan hasn’t just walked the Met steps — he’s walked Indian cinema straight into the global fashion archive.
By – Juhi