An oft unacknowledged credit is due to India’s first prime minister for adding a dash of desi spice to the fashion circuit of international leaders. In a 1946 photo of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammad Ali Jinnah at Simla in 1946, it is Nehru’s dark Sherwani that stands out from Jinnah’s Saville-row suit.
In his public life, Nehru became known for sporting a Sherwani in winters and his trademark Nehru jacket in the summer. Succeeding generations of prime ministers and presidents followed suit – the Sherwani held a place as the garment of the Indian elite.
The Sherwani differs from the Kurta; the latter is visually similar but fairly lightweight in comparison. The Sherwani is a suit-type garment akin to a longer style of Kurta, that is usually worn over a Kurta. Some even call it a buttoned frock-coat.
Over the years, it’s been assumed that the Sherwani was a Mughal creation; websites like The Big Fat Indian Wedding claim that Mughal grooms would wear royally-embellished Sherwanis. It took a researcher in fashion history to unearth the surprising origins of the Sherwani – the British.
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