The Nehru jacket, inspired by a style worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, lacks lapels and has a small collar. It became popular in the West in the 1960s and is now a classic style, with various fabrics and designs available for both men and women.
A Nehru jacket is a tailored coat lacking a collar and lapels, with a sleek, plain front. Nehru’s jackets are inspired by a style of jacket worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was Prime Minister of India from the 1940s to the 1960s; such jackets became very popular in the West in the 1960s and 1970s, when many people wore oriental-inspired clothing. Since then, the style has become classic, with many stores offering Nehru jackets as the style’s popularity waxes and wanes.
This jacket is inspired by the achkan or sherwani, which has been a form of native clothing in India and Southeast Asia since the 18th century. Nehru popularized the style while in office, frequently photographing himself in the design, and it became hugely popular in India and abroad, especially among members of the counterculture movement.
The distinctive feature of the Nehru jacket is the lack of lapels and the absent or small collar. In cases where a Nehru jacket has a collar, it is usually small and stands up, rather than folded over. Nehru jackets are also shorter than their eastern cousins, falling only to the hip, rather than lower down the leg, in keeping with western styles. Many modern Nehru jackets look more like understated suit coats than achkans, which tend to be longer and a bit looser.
A wide variety of textiles can be worn with a Nehru jacket, from lightweight linen for warm weather to heavier brocade and embroidered fabrics for cool weather. Many designers keep the style of their Nehru jackets simple and understated, allowing people to dress the jacket up with various accessories, from matching pants to brightly colored scarves.
The Nehru jacket can be worn by both men and women, although the styles for men and women differ slightly. Since a Nehru jacket tends to look best when it hugs the body with a tailored fit, women benefit from designs that emphasize the waist and provide room in the chest, while men look better in more fitted designs. Several options include features like pockets, although some people don’t like to wear pockets because they can ruin the line of the coat when worn.
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