The
Nehru jacket is a hip-length tailored coat for men or women, created in
IndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the 1940s. The jacket essentially blends the collar of the
achkanAchkan is a long jacket worn in South Asia, and together with the Sherwani, is traditionally associated with the Northern Indian aristocracy.-History:...
, historically the royal court dress of Indian nobles, with the Western suit jacket. It was popularized by
Jawaharlal NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, the first
Prime Minister of IndiaThe Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
.
The garment was created in Northern India, possibly in
JodhpurJodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
,
RajasthanRājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, in the 1940s as
Band Gale Ka Coat (Hindi/Urdu: "Closed Neck Coat"). It was intended for daily use by Indian government officials and leaders who did not want to adopt the Western suit, but wanted a more practical garment than the traditional Indian
achkanAchkan is a long jacket worn in South Asia, and together with the Sherwani, is traditionally associated with the Northern Indian aristocracy.-History:...
or the
sherwaniSherwani is a long coat-like garment worn in South Asia, very similar to an Achkan or doublet, and is traditionally associated with the Muslim aristocracy of the northern Indian subcontinent....
, which are knee-length coats. The Nehru jacket is not only shorter, but in all respects other than the collar, resembles a suit jacket.
The jacket has been popular on the
subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
since its creation, especially as the top half of a suit worn on formal occasions. For official uses, the jacket is typically made from dark,
worstedWorsted , is the name of a yarn, the cloth made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from the village of Worstead in the English county of Norfolk...
fabrics. Politicians sometimes have their jackets made from
khadiThe term khādī or khaddar means cotton. khādī is Indian handspun and hand-woven cloth. The raw materials may be cotton, silk, or wool, which are spun into threads on a spinning wheel called a charkha. It is a versatile fabric, cool in the summer and warm in the winter...
. In other formal and party wear, it may be made in styles similar to achkans or sherwanis, and may feature elaborate embroidery. Such suits featuring Nehru jackets are sometimes known as
JodhpuriA Jodhpuri suit or Bandhgala is a blend of Indian and western taste. Also known as prince suit, it is a western suit-like product, with a coat and a trouser, at times accompanied by a vest. It brings together the western cut with Indian hand-embroidery escorted by the very famous Nehru collar....
suits.
The jacket was first marketed as the
Nehru jacket in the West in the mid-1960s. It gained popularity between the late 1960s and early 1970s by growing awareness of Eastern cultures, by the
minimalismMinimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
of the Mod lifestyle, and in particular, with its adoption by the Beatles and the Monkees.
Musicians
- The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
wore Nehru jackets for their famous Shea Stadium performance of 1965.
- Singer and bass guitar player Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
is wearing a Nehru jacket in the rare concert footage of CreamCream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
at the Palais des SportsPalais des Sports is the name of multiple sporting venues, mostly in the French-speaking world, including:* In France:**Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes**Palais des Sports de Fetes, Limoges**Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon...
in Paris on June 1, 1967.
- Davy Jones of The Monkees wore Nehru jackets throughout the second phase of the second season of the show which was shot after the summer of love
The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
in 1967. Fellow Monkees Micky Dolenz & Peter Tork wore them as well.
- The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Tommy James & The Shondells, Iron Butterfly, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Procol Harum, and other notable counter-culture musicians also wore them.
- Musician Christoph Eschenbach
Christoph Eschenbach , born February 20, 1940, Breslau, Germany is a German-born pianist and conductor. He currently holds positions in Washington, D.C. as music director of the National Symphony Orchestra and music director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.-Early...
in known for wearing black Nehru jackets in performance.
Television personalities
- Johnny Carson was commissioned to wear Nehru jackets on his show during the mid-1970s in the hopes of making them popular again. His wearing one in 1966 launched the Johnny Carson brand of men's apparel manufactured by Hart Schaffner & Marx.
- Sammy Davis, Jr.
Samuel George "Sammy" Davis Jr. was an American entertainer and was also known for his impersonations of actors and other celebrities....
claimed to have over 200 Nehru jackets.
- Paul Merton
Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...
, a comedian famed for his unusual dress sense, has worn a Nehru Jacket on Room 101Room 101 is a BBC comedy television series based on the radio series of the same name, in which celebrities were invited to discuss their pet hates and persuade the host to consign them to a fate worse than death in Room 101, named after the torture room in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is...
.
- NBA sideline reporter Craig Sager
Craig Sager , is currently a sportscaster for TNT and TBS. Sager is a graduate of Northwestern University. He has previously covered sports for CBS and CNN. His nickname is "America's Sideline Reporter"....
, known for wearing outlandish attire, has worn a Nehru jacket.
- Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
wears Nehru jackets, as well as a variety of other Asiatic styles.
- Comedian Richard Lewis
-Early life:Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York City and was raised in Englewood, New Jersey. His father worked as a caterer and his mother was an actress. Lewis is Jewish. He later attended Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity....
wears Nehru jackets in homage to comedian Lenny BruceLeonard Alfred Schneider , better known by the stage name Lenny Bruce, was a Jewish-American comedian, social critic and satirist...
.
Sports personalities
- Former professional ice hockey player Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
reportedly owns 75 Nehru jackets, collected during his stint as an NHL player.
- Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
commentator Ken HarrelsonKenneth Smith Harrelson , nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former All-Star first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball...
was well-known during his playing career for wearing Nehru jackets, and is occasionally seen wearing one on-screen.
Politicians
- Mahathir Mohammad, the former prime minister of Malaysia, is well known for his signature Nehru jackets.
- Charles Barron
Charles Barron is a Democratic politician who represents the 42nd District of New York City in the New York City Council...
, New York City councilman, frequently wears Nehru suits.
Notable wearers in popular fiction
- The Master
The Master is a recurring character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is a renegade Time Lord and the archenemy of the Doctor....
, a recurring character in the BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
and archenemy of the Doctor, wore a black Nehru jacket as part of his signature attire from 1971–73, when the role was portrayed by Roger DelgadoRoger Caesar Marius Bernard de Delgado Torres Castillo Roberto was an English actor, best known for his role as the first Master in Doctor Who....
.
- Dr. No
Dr. No is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 31 March 1958. The story centres on Bond's investigation into the disappearance in Jamaica of a fellow MI6 operative, Commander John Strangways and his secretary, Mary Trueblood. He...
, the villain in the first "James BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
" movie wears a Nehru jacket and has Bond outfitted with one when he is captured and held prisoner.
- Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
, a recurring villain in the James BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series, wore clothing similar to the Nehru jacket.
- Dr Evil from the Austin Powers film series
The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
is fond of wearing a Nehru jacket.
- In the Jonny Quest
Jonny Quest is a media franchise that revolves around a boy named Jonny Quest who accompanies his father on extraordinary adventures. The franchise started with a 1964-65 television series and has come to include two subsequent television series, two television films, and a video game.-1964–1965...
franchise, the character Hadji, the Indian sidekick of Jonny, sports a Nehru jacket.
Elsewhere in popular culture
- On an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mary Tyler Moore Show is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns that aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977...
, the dimwitted news anchor Ted Baxter recalled wearing a Nehru jacket, and then asked, "Whatever happened to that Nehru designer?" When told that NehruJawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
had been the Indian prime minister, Ted expressed relief that Nehru had found a steadier line of work.
- In his song Everything You Know Is Wrong, Weird Al
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
is wearing a Nehru jacket when entering heaven at the pearly gatesThe pearly gates is an informal name for the gateway to Heaven according to some Christian denominations. It is inspired by the description of the New Jerusalem in Book of...
. Saint PeterSaint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
dislikes the outfit, stating that they have a "dress code," but lets him in anyway.
- In Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
, BarbieBarbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
tortures KenKen or KEN may refer to:*Ken meaning "prefecture" in Japanese - see Prefectures of Japan*Ken , 1964 Japanese film*Kèn from Vietnam*Komisja Edukacji Narodowej, Polish National Board of Education...
to get him to reveal information by tearing up some of his outfits. He refuses to reveal anything until she begins to tear his green Nehru jacket. Ken reveals the evil plans in order to save it.
- In Season 2 of The Golden Girls
The Golden Girls is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris, which originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992. Starring Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, the show centers on four older women sharing a home in Miami, Florida...
, Dorothy invites a man she's been flirting with at the school she's teaching at over for dinner. Unbeknownst to Dorothy, however, the man happens to be a priest. That night he decides to wear his clerical clothing for the first time in front of Dorothy. As she walks into the living room to greet him, she gives a quick pause and says "Please tell me that's a Nehru jacket."
- Himanshu Suri of Das Racist
Das Racist is an alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, New York City, composed of MCs Himanshu Suri , and Victor Vazquez and hype man Ashok Kondabolu...
releases a mixtape entitled 'Nehru Jackets' in 2012
External links