Who Is Mona Patel? The Tech Tycoon Who Stole The Internet’s Heart At The Met Gala

I’ve stopped having much hope for the Met Gala looks, and this year was no exception. Every year, celebrities with access to the most expensive fashion in the world end up looking played out, uninventive, and just plain old “bad.” When it was announced that the 2024 Met Gala theme would be “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” with a “Garden of Time” dress code, my immediate thought was, “Oh great, we’re going to see a bunch of boring floral looks.” And on May 6, that’s exactly what we saw.

But amongst a sea of awful Met Gala outfits that were uninspired, ill-fitted, or too fitted (hi, Kim), there were a few (and I mean, very few) standout looks that served as an example of what the Met Gala red carpet is all about (and no, I don’t mean the exhibit). Of course, there was the Zendaya (who was also a co-chair for the event) along with Mindy Kaling, Taylor Russell, Tyla, and Emma Chamberlain who all not only played creatively with the theme but just looked absolutely stunning.

But there was also a “unknown” attendee who stole the show and stunned with her first-ever appearance at the Met Gala. Mona Patel, dressed in a custom Iris Van Herpen gown, became one of the best looks of the night and left the internet in a frenzy (in the best way possible).

Who Is Mona Patel?

Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris via Getty Images

Mona is a super successful entrepreneur who has single handedly built a multi-million dollar empire across different industries. She’s originally from Gujarat in India, and moved to the U.S. to further her studies. Along with attending Rutgers University, she’s also an alum of Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and MIT Sloan School of Management. So basically not only is she stunning and fashion-forward, she’s also the definition of a girlboss (and I didn’t even mean that sarcastically!).

Why Did Her Dress Steal The Show?

Mona knew that she had to pull out all the stops for her first Met Gala appearance, and for her that meant recruiting Law Roach. Yup, she had the same stylist as Zendaya, so it’s no wonder how she was able to achieve one of the internet’s favorite Met Gala looks.

Not only was the dress beautifully fitted, but there were so many different layers to it. The gown was handcrafted in India and features a butterfly corset and a sweeping train with shapes that allude to the “Garden of Time.” And the part that really wowed everyone: butterflies that wrapped around her arms and actually moved — a detail that Mona thought of herself.

And overall, she just looked damn good in the dress.

Best Reactions To Mona Patel’s Met Gala Dress