Nehru jackets are modeled on a style of jacket worn by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was Prime Minister of India from the 1940s through the 1960s; such jackets became very popular in the West in the 1960s and 1970s, when many people wore Eastern-inspired clothing. Nehru jackets are also shorter than their Eastern cousins, falling just to the hip, rather than further down the leg.
The Nehru jacket's popularity was spurred by growing awareness of foreign cultures, by the minimalism of the Mod lifestyle. The Monkees and the Beatles,popularized the garment. The Nehru jacket can be worn to a "White House" dinner or over "jeans" has seen a recent resurgence in popularity.
