A Sari is a traditional outfit of the Indian woman and her wardrobe is not complete without saris of different materials like silks, chiffons, georgettes, cottons, etc. The grace that a sari lends to a woman is unmatched and the style quotient is raised several notches when a woman makes an entrance in a dazzling sari at functions, weddings and festivals.
A decade ago, the sari had been sent to the back of the wardrobe with western wear taking over as the new fashion. Everyone was seen in jeans, trousers, salwar kameez and the sari got demoted in importance and was seen as cumbersome to the working woman on the run. That was the time when Bollywood, the Indian Hindi film industry started bringing the sari back into the fashion scene by draping the actress in a sari to give her a sensual and exotic look.
Who can forget Sridevi in blue chiffon in Mr. India or Madhuri looking sensuous in an orange sari ensemble? The Indian masses follow Bollywood celebrities and like to imitate their styles and this has worked in favor of the sari to bring it back onto the fashion scene. Today, award functions are a rage in the film industry and it gives every celebrity a chance to show off their fashions to everyone watching.
Rekha, the senior actor always makes it a point to be present in a Kanjivaram silk saree and she does have a large Kanjivaram collection. Sridevi is another actress who most often will be seen in a Kanjivaram silk too. These actresses are avid patrons of this silk. Aishwarya Rai, the former Miss World and actress chose Benarasi silk sarees to be a part of her trousseau and the fame of the silk zoomed up. Sushmita Sen made the chiffon sari a must have for every woman when she wore it with such style in her recent movies. Deepika Padukone took the world by storm when she made her first appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in a designer saree. Many of the movie stars today prefer designer sarees which are elegant and stylish.
The saree has also made its way to the west. Many celebrities in the west have donned the sari at some point of time. Elizabeth Hurley wore a sari at her wedding and has a nice collection which is shown off at big occasions. Madonna has also fallen to the lure of donning a sari. Many celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Ashley Judd, Cherie Blair, Anna Kournikova, etc have donned the sari with élan and pushed the sari up the popularity charts. Indian designers have moved to the west and are responsible for designing and draping sarees for celebrities in the west.
The sari is a fashion for all seasons and its timeless quality has been enhanced by it being adopted by celebrities in a big way. The popularity of the saree-designer, silk, georgette, chiffon, whatever be the fabric, will never be diminished if it continues going the path it is on at present