MORNING WEAR

Nouveau Jackets

AKA: ‘Nehru/Neru Jackets’

Intro: A relative newcomer to the Morning Wear collection, the Nouveau, or Nehru, was first seen on the UK shores in the early part of the last Century and was introduced by an Indian statesman by the name of Shri Jawaharlal Nehru (hence the name). Further popularised by the Beatles in their heyday, the Nouveau is worn by Grooms who want to appear both modern and sophisticated.

The Look: The Nouveau looks similar to the Prince Edward apart from one stand-out aspect, the collar. A ¾ jacket whose bottom will finish mid-way between the hip and knee, the Nouveau is available in both a single breasted version with typically five buttons that can be (and often are) fastened, or a rarer double breasted version with typically ten buttons (five on each side) although no buttonholes. The jacket is characterised by its short (about one or two inch) stand-up round collar and no lapels – rather than a Prince Edward jacket whose top-most button is around chest height, the Nouveau’s top button is at the neck. Available in a number of colours and patterns, the Nouveau isn’t the easiest to locate as it isn’t stocked in every Men’s Formal Hire Outlet, but some will say that this adds to it’s appeal. 

Essential Extras: A waistcoat is optional and very much depends on how the jacket is to be worn – if the jacket is to be buttoned up, a waistcoat will not be needed, but if it is to be left unbuttoned it is very much down to personal preference. A winged collar shirt looks good, but another option is to plump for the Nehru shirt - with exactly the same style of collar as the jacket it looks superb and is ideal for evening weddings although it is just as home during the day. Trousers can again be striped or single-coloured, and with regards the neckpiece, a European tie looks particularly effective if you are heading down the winged collar shirt route, or sport no neckpiece at all if you are wearing a Nehru shirt (this look is sometimes referred to as Evening Nouveau).

Finishing Touches: Canes look the part, and tie pins with the European tie, or an ornate button cover for the top button on the Nehru shirt looks smart.