Bhavitha Mandava Is British Vogue’s March Cover Star | PLUS First Thoughts From Dior

When Bhavitha Mandava got word that she was cast as the Chanel Bride for Matthieu Blazy’s highly anticipated Spring 2026 couture show, she approached the role the same way she tackled her research papers at NYU. She headed straight to a Paris library to pore over books on couture and watched every Chanel bride video she could find. “Then I came up with a story in my head. I was like, okay, I'm going to view the audience around me as if they're my friends and family, and I'm going to view the runway as if I'm walking down the aisle.” She told Chioma Nnadi on The Run-Through following her British Vogue cover.

Mandava also made history as the first Indian model to open a Chanel show for the Métiers d'Art 2025 2026 fashion show, staged in a New York City subway station. In a full-circle moment, she wore an outfit reminiscent of what she had on the day she was first scouted.

“I was on my way to grab biryani with a friend after getting rejected from an interview,” she recalled. “I was waiting for him at Atlantic Avenue when my now ‘mother agent’ came up to me and asked, ‘Are you a model?’ I said, ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Do you want to be one?’”

Initially skeptical, Mandava was ultimately persuaded by the prospect of paying off her school debts. Just a few months later, she had fully launched her modeling career and amassed more than 500,000 followers. “My dad is collecting every newspaper,” she said. “He’s clipping all the articles about me like The New York Times. I don’t even know how he got it. They don’t ship to India.”

Earlier in the episode, our fashion week coverage continues with Chloe and Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue’s beauty editor-at-large. Reporting live straight from the car after Jonathan Anderson’s sophomore collection for Dior, they share their first impressions. Highlights from the show are: the epic lilypad shoes, Love Story’s Paul Anthony Kelly dancing to the runway music, and the “wiglets” (you must listen to find out what that is!). Reflecting on the greenhouse setting, Arden made one bold prediction: “Sweat is in”. You heard it here first, folks!

The Run-Through with Vogue is your go-to podcast where fashion meets culture. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Head of Editorial Content, Vogue U.S.; Chioma Nnadi, Head of British Vogue; and Nicole Phelps, Director of Vogue Runway, each episode features the latest fashion news and exclusive designer and celebrity interviews.

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