The timeless beauty and epitome of style, Madhubala, lived a brief yet impactful life. Born as Mumtaz Begum on 14th November 1933, she went on to rule the hearts of men and women alike from her very first on-screen appearance. But it wasn’t just her innocent beauty or her phenomenal acting talent that made her iconic, she was much more than that.

Even her sartorial choices were unique and made a statement. She was one fashionista who was way ahead of her time and she is still one of the biggest style inspo to most of us. She wore anything and everything from sarees to mid-length dresses with confidence and style. But the first fashion trend of hers that comes to my mind, and I am sure most of you all would agree with, is the way she donned her sarees.

A Still Of Madhubala From A Movie
A Still Of Madhubala From A Movie

Looking at pictures of Madhubala in a saree is just so soothing to the eyes. Her choice of sarees was mostly light-weight and flowy. She popularised the trend of light fabric sarees with big floral prints on them, which by the way, is still trending! And of course, her signature style of tucking in the corner of the pallu around her waist could only be pulled off so beautifully by her. Even today, a lot of designers take inspiration from her and include this type of sarees in their collections. And with summer season almost here, we will be spotting many more of these. It wasn’t just the designers but it seems like Bollywood beauties, too, have taken her saree style as a reference. Scroll down to check out how!

Another iconic style moment happened after the release of Mughal-E-Azam in which she twirled in a beautiful anarkali for the song Jab Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya After that, women all over the nation took to wearing anarkalis and it hasn’t died down since. We still spot celebrities who wear anarkalis to almost any kind of occasion. Here’s all the proof and inspo you need.

Aditi Rao Hydari

Aditi Rao Hydari

Bipasha Basu in Anita Dongre

Bipasha Basu in Anita Dongre

Athiya Shetty

Athiya Shetty

Be it midi skirts, sarees or anarkalis—Madhubala aced every outfit like an absolute beauty. And we can’t help but think about how perfectly she’d still fit in today’s modern world, too!

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