Not currently on display at the V&A

Jacket

1988 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Jackets of this style - tailored, hip-length, and with a standing collar and long placket of buttons - became popular in places including Europe in the late 1960s. These garments were widely referred to as 'Nehru jackets' as they take inspiration from garments worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964. Nehru wore the archkan, a knee length coat and the more informal bundi waistcoat, both of which had standing collars and long button plackets. Those who wore 'Nehru jackets' outside of India in the 'Swinging Sixties' tended to be expressing an interest in breaking away from traditions, sartorial and otherwise. This helps to explain why 'Nehru jackets' were often made from luxurious fabrics such as silk and velvet that were colourful and/or patterned, rather than the plainer materials that had long been favoured for menswear by many cultures. The style had its heyday in the late 1960s but was revived in the 1980s and 1990s in places including Britain and the United States.

Scott Crolla was one of the designers who championed the revival of decoration and colour in late twentieth-century European menswear. This 'Nehru jacket' with fly-front fastening is made in a dramatic silver and black silk. In a modern mixing of traditions, Crolla uses a fabric based on an Italian Renaissance textile design. Crolla drew inspiration from a range of cultures and periods.

Crolla also worked for Georgina Godley for some time, producing collections that reinvigorated London's fashion industry in the 1980s.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk
Brief description
'Nehru jacket', menswear, patterned silk, designed by Scott Crolla, England, 1988
Physical description
'Nehru jacket' of black and silver patterned silk. Features a standing collar and a fly front.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 0.94kg
Credit line
Given by Mr E.J.S. Kulukundis
Object history
Registered File number 1992/884.
Summary
Jackets of this style - tailored, hip-length, and with a standing collar and long placket of buttons - became popular in places including Europe in the late 1960s. These garments were widely referred to as 'Nehru jackets' as they take inspiration from garments worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India from 1947 to 1964. Nehru wore the archkan, a knee length coat and the more informal bundi waistcoat, both of which had standing collars and long button plackets. Those who wore 'Nehru jackets' outside of India in the 'Swinging Sixties' tended to be expressing an interest in breaking away from traditions, sartorial and otherwise. This helps to explain why 'Nehru jackets' were often made from luxurious fabrics such as silk and velvet that were colourful and/or patterned, rather than the plainer materials that had long been favoured for menswear by many cultures. The style had its heyday in the late 1960s but was revived in the 1980s and 1990s in places including Britain and the United States.

Scott Crolla was one of the designers who championed the revival of decoration and colour in late twentieth-century European menswear. This 'Nehru jacket' with fly-front fastening is made in a dramatic silver and black silk. In a modern mixing of traditions, Crolla uses a fabric based on an Italian Renaissance textile design. Crolla drew inspiration from a range of cultures and periods.

Crolla also worked for Georgina Godley for some time, producing collections that reinvigorated London's fashion industry in the 1980s.
Collection
Accession number
T.184-1992

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Record createdSeptember 25, 2008
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