From Veer Zara to Parineeta, the latest Bollywood hits are also driving the popular fashion trends this season.

While clothes worn by Hindi film stars have always been a rage with the masses, of late these have become much more popular, say fashion experts.

Thus you have Veer Zara suits, Bunty and Babli dresses, Parineeta blouses and Hum Tum sarees which have become popular among the fashionistas.

"Bollywood is definitely the largest fashion guider as a vast majority of public is influenced by Bollywood trends - clothes, jewellery, etc," says designer Aparna Chandra.

"Rather than introducing new designs on ramp, it makes more commercial sense to introduce them through films," she says.

A recent study by a fashion trade magazine infact says Bollywood can be a catalyst for booming Indian retail trade sector and push merchandise worth over four billion dollars in the next two years.

The report says that Bollywood has bigger draw on customers than any other medium. Each film is a brand in itself and with every new movie there is a fresh new brand of fashion and lifestyle products.

But film critic A C Tuli says "only those designs which can be worn daily by the masses become a fashion statement. Rest do not."

Tuli says in last decade or so, most of the new heroines are shown wearing skinny tops, skirts, gowns etc. They fail to become popular as they cannot be worn daily and by the middle class."

Agrees Ritu Sethi, a boutique owner, "we are getting lot of orders for Parineeta's blouses and Babli's fitted pathani shirts with contrast collars and cuffs."

Also in demand are colourful kurtis teamed with baggy, equally colourful pyjamas and cloth bags for women and fitted sleveless shirts and denims.

"Bunty and Babli has defined hip street style this season," says Sethi.

The trend of Bollywood inspiring fashion is not new, Saystuli. In the early 50s, clothing materials were named after Suraiya and Madhubala.

Nargis, the lady in white brought to fore, white sarees -both embroidered and bordered. Raj Kapoor's trousers with folded up holes and scarf in the neck remained popular for a long time. Infact, those who did not adopt this trend were called backward.

"Dev Anand popularised full sleeves top collared shirts and puffy hair, Sadhna's fringe, leg-hugging pyjamis and no side split kurtis were a rage with college girls in 60s, even though they were very uncomfortable to wear," he says.

In 70s, as the heroes shifted from trousers to bellbottoms, so did the young crowd in cities. Rajesh Khanna's guru shirts (collarless) were popular with young men.

However, he says most of these fashions last only a season or till another new hit comes.