Trends that once took over the fashion industry by storm are coming back! Whether it is the frill sarees, bell bottoms, anarkalis or midi dresses, shararas, gararas to name a few, all have once been "The talk of the town" during the 60s and 70s! All thanks to the Indian Cinema for bringing these iconic trends, often inspired by the regional attires back into the 21st century.

The fashion and movie industry have always been two peas in a pod, runway trends have often lit up the silver screen as evidenced by numerous films over the decades. Due to the heavy influence that Bollywood has on the Indian population, it's not uncommon for the reel lifestyles to boom into full-blown trends that change the course of the fashion curve. Here are some iconic trends born out of flicks that had the crowds religiously following them:

Women:

Gararas and Shararas

One can easily spot any female character with an Islamic background donning a sharara or gharara at some point of the film. Although, been around since forever they graced the silver screen quite a few times with actresses like Meena Kumari wearing them in iconic movies like Pakeeza and Bahu Begum. In the more recent years, young actresses like Katrina Kaif and Sara Ali Khan have adorned them with grace, bringing them back to the spotlight.

Bell Bottoms

The 80's were an era of bell bottoms and became a staple for the portrayals of progressive women in the films. Hema Malini, Parveen Babi, and Zeenat Aman were some of the pioneers, inspiring women everywhere to fill their closets with tons of high waisted bell bottoms. Running full circle you can now spot divas like Deepika Padukone, Priyanka and many others flaunting similar styles.

Floor Length Anarkali

Anarkali, the name itself fills one head with the images of the beauty of Madhubala with "Jab Pyaar Kia toh Darna kya" in the background. Being a prominent Mughal attire, Mughal-e-Azam aptly brought in a wave of Anarkalis on the Indian fashion scene. It never went out of the cycle with actresses like Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Diya Mirza, and Sonam Kapoor continually delivering us iterations of it!

High Neck and Full Sleeve Blouses

Rekha certainly goes down as a legend not only as a remarkable actress but also someone with an impeccable style. When the industry was going towards contemporary designs she nailed the classic saree with equally graceful and tasteful collared blouses. Full sleeved blouses also bounced back during her reign and remain the standard of modesty.

Jumpsuit Palazzo

The rebellious ladies of the golden era of cinema often clad jumpsuits that sparked the interest of women pan India to turn towards western wear. Suddenly women strutted the streets in renditions of jumpsuits complete with heels and chunky jewelry. This particular look has topped the hot charts again with designers experimenting with various fabrics and cuts.

Lehenga with a Long Choli

We are no strangers to a good old lehenga choli which is also the wedding attire for a typical Indian Hindu bride, but we are always up for shaking things up a little. That's exactly what happened with Padmavat, Deepika instead of flaunting her midriff slipped into long cholis with lehengas, which quickly caught on!

Straight Slit Cut Suits

Suits have wildly experimented in the past, but straight cut suits took the nation with a storm, with top-notch actresses ditching the A-line; the tailors were swarmed with women demanding the straight cut. Elite stars like Rekha, Neetu Singh wore them in their time but Dia Mirza brought it back with Rehna hai tere dil mein. These cuts are still in momentum with designers churning out fresh designs each season.

Collared Kurtas

With Bunty and Babli Rani Mukherjee resurrected the collared kurta style. Although film showed her in pompous shades of crimsons, greens and more it since has been experimented with much toned-down hues and design renditions.

Dhoti Sarees

Saree is the most common attire of Indian women, but diversity has played a major role in its draping style. Each region wraps this 9-yard garment in a unique and identifiable manner. Designers in the brilliant genius have come up with dhoti style which in a way combines all styles while creating its own league but the Maharashtrian wrapping style is a clear influencer. Shilpa Shetty and Sonam Kapoor are often seen in such amalgams.

Asymmetrical Frill/Drape Sarees

Talking about sarees we cannot leave out the iconic tier style draping from the 70's. All heroines of the time at least wore it once. This fever caught on quicker than wildfire and has become one of the most defining moments in both fashion and cinema history. This look for resuscitated by Deepika in Ok Shanti Om and by Priyanka Chopra in Teri Meri Kahani. Divas like Shilpa Shetty, Sonam Kapoor, Sushmita Sen as well as Kriti Sanon are known to donn it now and then.

Men:

Experimenting with Drapes

This category is completely dominated by the designer duo- Shantanu and Nikhil. They have redefined the traditional sherwani by adding pleated sashes, elemental sleeves, and asymmetrical hemlines. Men no longer must settle for the basic sherwani, thanks to them!

Jodhpuri Suit

A Jodhpuri suit is an absolute must-have for men these days thanks to all the dashing hunks gracing the red-carpet events. Ranveer Singh, Randeep Hooda, Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor have worn this classic Indian suit on multiple occasions. Various fabric and pattern iterations have emerged since revival for men of all ages to wear.

White Pants

Who can forget the enthusiastic Jumping Jack in white pants! Although risky he truly pulled off the all-white look and made it mainstream. Over time this look has come down to white pants but it never left the limelight!

Mughal Sherwanis

No one, I mean no one can resist Hrithik Roshan in Jodha Akbar! His good looks with the Mughal sherwani gave us life. We saw a lot of grooms ditching the plain sherwani and kick it Royal style at their weddings.

Colorful Saafas

Men's clothing seems rather toned down compared to the glam,glitz and shimmer of womenswear. Saafas have come to their rescue, they have long dropped the solid act for the vibrant patterns. Many Bollywood celebrities like Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan have stepped out in floral saafas resulting in a tectonic shift of fashion foundation.

We can debate all day about if Bollywood influences the fashion industry or it's the other way around, but the truth is it's a beautiful mixture of both. Many looks from movies have changed the fashion narrative of the nation and vice versa, regardless we are ever so grateful. If you want to recreate some of these looks make sure to check us out at Fabriclore for all your fabric needs or you can create your own look and start your own fashion wave!

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