Bollywood actresses and sarees have a long history together. For a faultless image, actresses have always loved to drape themselves in gorgeous Indian saris with matching blouses since the golden era of Bollywood. On-screen and off-screen, the six-yard drapes worked their magic.
The actresses have carried off the sari look with remarkable elan and Indianness on the big screen. This dates back to a time when Indian cinema was still dominated by black-and-white images. The enchantment of saris and diverse forms of saree blouse designs was unparalleled, whether it was Nargis in Shree 420 or Nutan in Anari. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was no such thing as glamour. With the popularity of Indian cinema in technicolour, the actresses’ wearing trends were elevated to a new level. It was at this time that Bollywood fashion began to take cues from the West. That era was governed by Sharmila Tagore and Asha Parekh. In the 1970s, the most popular clothing was a conservative sari drape worn with a full-sleeved blouse.
Numerous sari blouse patterns emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, but they lacked the glam aspect. The most popular neck styles at the time were the boat type, collar style, and round neck style. Later, the timeless Mumtaz saree draping technique emerged, which transformed the entire Indian fashion concept. Another innovation that came into favour with Vaijyanthimala’s film Sangam was a sleeveless blouse with a V neck and ribbon knots at the back.
The 1990s were a time when fashion became more daring and sexier. With bolder cuts and detailing, the conservative form of the saree blouses became sensuously modern. Sridevi’s body-hugging sleeveless saree blouse designs in Chandni and Madhuri Dixit’s tiny yet tastefully worn blouse in the song dhak dhak karne laga ushered in a new sari blouse trend.
The sexiest kinds of saree blouses – noodle straps, halter style, corset style, front key-hole style blouse, and bikini style blouse patterns – have been introduced by recent designers to increase the glam aspect of traditional sarees. It is often believed that the pattern of a blouse worn with a saree may make or break the image of the nine-yard drape. Designer saree blouse designs are distinct in style and fit due to variations in sleeve and neck design, as well as the use of various fabrics and embellishments.
Vidya Balan’s choice of blouses has always made her look seductive and aesthetic when she wears a saree. With full sleeve brocade blouses, her Kanjeevarams and silk sarees seem traditional yet modern. Deepika Padukone, Elena D’Cruz, Malaika Arora Khan, Mandira Bedi, Priyanka Chopra, and Kareena Kapoor have all made a name for themselves in the industry by wearing sarees with iconic blouse styles.
Today, internet shopping websites carry several readymade blouse styles in a wide range of materials, embellishments, and designs to provide a mix-and-match aesthetic.