This is The Close-Up, where the biggest names in entertainment explain the story behind their latest personal style statement.
For one heart-racing hour every Thursday, The Pitt viewers spent 15 weeks this spring seeing Supriya Ganesh as fan-favorite resident Dr. Samira Mohan in exactly one outfit: black, ER-proof scrubs and cushioned sneakers, with a stethoscope slung around her neck. Don't let the onscreen uniform fool you, though. In the 18 months since the Columbia University alum made the leap from MCAT tutoring to a recurring role on one of TV's most critically-acclaimed medical dramas, she’s proven her red carpet bona fides.
"I love almost getting to play dress up and having fun with it," Ganesh tells Marie Claire. "I am pretty experimental."
After walking down the Emmy Awards and Actor Awards red carpets with The Pitt's sprawling ensemble cast, Ganesh spent May 9 preparing for a special solo honor: attending the Gold Gala, an annual event hosted by the nonprofit Gold House. It's an evening celebrating breakthrough talents in the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) community—and this year, Ganesh made the 2026 Gold100 list of honorees.
Even as the actor spoke from her getting-ready chair, she couldn't quite believe this was the event she'd spent "the whole day" prior planning her hair and makeup for. "I remember looking at photos of Gold Gala, like, five years ago when it first started, as I was just starting to take off in my career, and going, I really hope I'm there one day," Ganesh reflects. "Not even as an honoree—I just wanted to meet people that I've idolized for so much of my life."
For an evening honoring AAPI luminaries—and the start of AAPI month—Ganesh knew she wanted to spotlight designers within the community alongside the "Modern Gold" dress code. After casting a wide net with stylist Amanda Lim, a Spring 2026 strapless gown by Naeem Khan was the eventual winner.
"While our options included Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Nepalese, and Singaporean designers, she stated clearly early on in the process that if the look was genuinely right for this event, she would love to wear an Indian American designer," Lim says. "Supriya fell in love with the heavenliness, the lightness and timelessness of her final look choice, [and] when she learned it’s one of Naeem’s designs, all elements of our search fell into place." The piece was inspired by Khan's time working with legendary designer Halston and orbiting the artist Andy Warhol, manifesting in gold poppy flowers along Ganesh's skirt.
For Lim, the look sums up all the juxtapositions that have made styling Ganesh such a special experience throughout her tenure on The Pitt. "I really enjoy working with a person who curiously leans into her feminine and her masculine at every opportunity we have to fit," Lim says, "Her aesthetic choices range from glamorous, to effortless, to strong and edgy—I adore her lightness of being."
In this Gold Gala Naeem Khan dress—plus an array of Shaneli fine jewelry and Alevi heels—Ganesh found even more style contradictions to explore. The dress isn't as princess-like as the layers of tulle and raffia first suggest. "It feels almost like armor in a way," they explain. "The corset up top was so structured, but then there's just this incredible skirt that's so flowy and billowy. I just thought it was really whimsical and beautiful in a way that I can't remember the last time I did that on a carpet."
After spending the ceremony with stars like Priyanka Chopra, Arden Cho, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Ganesh got to show her style range with an after-party outfit change. "I also try to do a switch-up if I can," she says, "because I love spotlighting designers' work as much as I possibly can."
When the Naeem Khan dress went back into the garment bag, a black and white Raisa Vanessa dress took its place. The hemline rose to a mod mini length; Ganesh's hair fell into loose waves, pulled back with pins to spotlight a pair of Shaneli Jewelry diamond earrings.
Ganesh's days scrubbing in to the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center ended with The Pitt season 2, to fans' dismay. But with the September Emmy Awards on the horizon and more roles certain to follow, the actor's red carpet shifts aren't ending anytime soon.
Whatever comes next, don't expect Ganesh to suddenly adopt a step-and-repeat uniform (the haute couture equivalent of scrubs). "I think when I'm on carpets, I want to play and have fun while still being true to myself," Ganesh reflects. "I want to hold on to that somehow, so I can still feel like myself in a setting that can feel so strange. [Fashion] lets me have fun, in a way."
Photographer Ian Martin, Amanda Lim | Stylist Amanda Lim | Hair Stylist Miles Jeffries | Makeup Artist Kara Yoshimoto Bua | Location La Perla Hotel
