draped around a woman’s body; this, of course, the most well known. Other words have cropped up as well, such as salwar-kameez and dupatta. The salwar-kameez refers to a women’s suit that usually consists of a kameez (tunic), a salwar (pair of loose pants), and a dupatta (matching scarf worn in various ways). These garments, traditionally worn by women of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, are now becoming globally known. In fact, the fashion world within India itself has undergone a transformation. According to fashion designer Ritu Kumar, ‘in India, the fashion scenario was in confusion as it was a turbulent period of conflicting ideologies, when the consciousness of an Indian national identity was beginning to find political expression and the struggle for Indian independence was getting momentum’. Fashion trends prior to Bollywood were dictated by higher echelons of society. This, in turn, was strongly influenced by the British. In addition, the body image of the femme fatale of Hindi women has undergone a similar transformation. Formerly ‘voluptuous’ and ‘wide-hipped’, a new standard has become the rule. The desirable image is now sleek and slim: ‘the high visibility of the indigenous fashion industry also changed the look of the screen siren and shaped a new body image’ (Rao 2003). The influence of film has played a huge role in changing that. Film clearly has a symbiotic relationship with fashion. What is shown on the silver screen often makes its way into our own lives on some level. There are a number of dynamics at work here. As Entwistle has asserted, ‘dress is tied up to social life in more than one way: it is produced out of economic, political, technological conditions as well as conditions shaped by social., cultural, aesthetic ideas’ (2000:111). The link between cinema and mainstream fashion is easily apparent. What is seen on the silver screen by movie viewers one day, will often end up being a popular commodity the next. Movies provide an outlet for viewers—a chance to step out of their own lives and into the lives of other—usually glamorous—people. Fashion does this in a similar way, allowing its adherents the freedom to ‘re-invent’ themselves. Often, the selves they try to emulate are those of the icons they admire in film; therefore it seems natural that they emulate the style of dress of those they consider role models. As Joanne Entwistle has so aptly stated it, ‘fashion opens up possibilities for framing the s>