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Nehru & Mao attires among top political fashion
16 Jan '12
2 min read
Stylish attires worn by India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Chinese leader Mao Zedong have made it to the list of top political fashion statements in the world, the Time magazine has said.
Prime Minister Nehru popularized a jacket, a variant of the north Indian achkan, which can be described as a closed-neck coat like apparel that was generally considered court dress for Indian nobility at that time.
The magazine states that the jacket became popular as 'Nehru jacket' when it was marketed in Western countries.
The jacket was worn by the Charismatic Prime Minster in public appearances while serving his tenure.
The report says, later on, the jacket was also worn by other prominent figures like Sammy Davis Jr. and the Beatles. While Sammy Davis boasted of owning over 200 'Nehru jackets', the Beatles put it on for their performance at the Shea Stadium.
Like Nehru, Chinese Premier Mao Zedong wore safari suit during his 30-year rule, which is labeled as 'Mao suit'. In China, it is popular as 'Zhongshan suit'.
Actually, Mao took the fashion trend of earlier Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen forward.
The magazine says, the stale grey, blue or green colour Mao suit has today become synonymous with communism and Mao.
However, both the Nehru jacket and Mao suit are not much in popular fashion anymore. The Nehru jacket is still adorned by few Indian politicians during their electoral campaigns while the Mao suit is worn by Chinese leaders during some important state ceremonies.
Another leader who finds mention in the list of top global political fashion statements is the Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro, who is mentioned to have popularized tracksuit.
Lately, however, the ailing 85-year-old leader has included brands like Puma, Nike, Fila in his athletic wear, in addition to the red, white and blue Adidas version.
Prime Minister Nehru popularized a jacket, a variant of the north Indian achkan, which can be described as a closed-neck coat like apparel that was generally considered court dress for Indian nobility at that time.
The magazine states that the jacket became popular as 'Nehru jacket' when it was marketed in Western countries.
The jacket was worn by the Charismatic Prime Minster in public appearances while serving his tenure.
The report says, later on, the jacket was also worn by other prominent figures like Sammy Davis Jr. and the Beatles. While Sammy Davis boasted of owning over 200 'Nehru jackets', the Beatles put it on for their performance at the Shea Stadium.
Like Nehru, Chinese Premier Mao Zedong wore safari suit during his 30-year rule, which is labeled as 'Mao suit'. In China, it is popular as 'Zhongshan suit'.
Actually, Mao took the fashion trend of earlier Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen forward.
The magazine says, the stale grey, blue or green colour Mao suit has today become synonymous with communism and Mao.
However, both the Nehru jacket and Mao suit are not much in popular fashion anymore. The Nehru jacket is still adorned by few Indian politicians during their electoral campaigns while the Mao suit is worn by Chinese leaders during some important state ceremonies.
Another leader who finds mention in the list of top global political fashion statements is the Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro, who is mentioned to have popularized tracksuit.
Lately, however, the ailing 85-year-old leader has included brands like Puma, Nike, Fila in his athletic wear, in addition to the red, white and blue Adidas version.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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