Sherwani
Encyclopedia
Sherwani is a long coat
-like garment worn in South Asia
, very similar to an Achkan
or doublet
, and is traditionally associated with the Muslim
aristocracy of the northern Indian subcontinent
.
It is worn over the Kurta
and Churidar
, Khara pajama, a shalwar. It can be distinguished from the achkan
by the fact that it is often made from heavier suiting fabrics, and by the presence of a lining. It is notably known as Pakistan
's national dress.
with the British frock coat
. It was gradually adopted by most of the India
n aristocracy
, mostly Muslim, and later by the general population, as a more westernized
form of traditional attire. Like Urdu
, it also became a symbol of Muslim nobility. Before the independence of India
and Pakistan
, the Sherwani was closely associated with founders of Aligarh Movement
. Following Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, all the professors and students wore Sherwani. The name "Aligarh Sherwani" was also coined, inspired by the popularity of the design at Aligarh Muslim University
. At the Aligarh Muslim University, these Sherwanis are still worn to keep alive a long running tradition of academics.
, the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah frequently wore the Sherwani and made it the national dress of Pakistan despite the fact that English culture had greatly influenced his personal preferences, particularly when it came to dress. Earlier, Mohammad Ali Jinnah donned Western style clothing and he pursued the fashion with fervor. It is said he owned over 200 hand-tailored suits which he wore with heavily starched shirts with detachable collars. It is also alleged that he never wore the same silk tie twice. But after the creation of Pakistan, he started to wear Sherwani.
Following him most government officials in Pakistan such as the President and Prime Minister started to wear the formal black Sherwani over the shalwar qameez on state occasions and national holidays. But as Dr. Tariq Rahman writes about the western style officers that "the impeccably dressed South Asian officers, both civilian and military, never wore in public till the 1970s when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
gave respectability to this dress by wearing it in public. However General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
made it complusory of all officers to wear Sherwani on state occasions and national holidays.
It has also become almost customary for bride grooms to wear a sherwani on their wedding almost always accompanied by a turban. Wedding sherwanis usually tend to have embroidered collars and have been popularized in recent times by designers like Amir Adnan and Deepak Parwani. One major difference between Sherwani wearing habits in India and Pakistan is that Pakistanis very rarely wear it with chooridar pyjamas prefering a shalwar instead while their Indian counterparts are distinguished by their preference for chooridars.
, the sherwani is generally worn for formal occasions in winter by those of North Indian descent, especially those from Rajasthan
, Uttar Pradesh
and Hyderabadi-Muslims. The sherwani is generally associated with Muslims while the achkan
was historically favored by Hindu nobles. The two garments have significant similarities, though sherwanis typically are more flaired at the hips. The achkan was also modified into the Nehru Jacket
, which is popular in India.
The Hyderabadi Sherwani was the dress of choice of the Nizam of Hyderabad and Hyderabadi nobles. The Hyderabadi sherwani is longer than normal sherwani reaching below the knees.
Sherwanis have been designed by Rohit Bal
for British Airways
cabin crews serving on flights to South Asia.
Music director A.R. Rehman appeared in a black Sherwani to receive an Academy Award.
Coat (clothing)
A coat is a long garment worn by both men and women, for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a belt, or a combination of some of these...
-like garment worn in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
, very similar to an Achkan
Achkan
Achkan is a long jacket worn in South Asia, and together with the Sherwani, is traditionally associated with the Northern Indian aristocracy.-History:...
or doublet
Doublet (clothing)
A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is fitted and shaped to the man's body which was worn in Western Europe from the Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The doublet was hip length or waist length and worn over the shirt or drawers. Until the end of the 15th century the...
, and is traditionally associated with the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
aristocracy of the northern Indian subcontinent
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
.
It is worn over the Kurta
Kurta
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women...
and Churidar
Churidar
Churidars , or more properly churidar pyjamas , are tightly fitting trousers worn by both men and women in South Asia and Central Asia. Churidars are a variant of the common salwar pants. Salwars are cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle. Churidars narrow more quickly, so that contours of the...
, Khara pajama, a shalwar. It can be distinguished from the achkan
Achkan
Achkan is a long jacket worn in South Asia, and together with the Sherwani, is traditionally associated with the Northern Indian aristocracy.-History:...
by the fact that it is often made from heavier suiting fabrics, and by the presence of a lining. It is notably known as Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's national dress.
History
The Sherwani originated in South Asia and was the court dress of nobles of the royals of India, before being more generally adopted in the late eighteenth century. It appeared during the period of British India in 18th century, as a fusion of the Shalwar KameezShalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez — or salwar kameez or shalwar qameez — is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic...
with the British frock coat
Frock coat
A frock coat is a man's coat characterised by knee-length skirts all around the base, popular during the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The double-breasted style is sometimes called a Prince Albert . The frock coat is a fitted, long-sleeved coat with a centre vent at the back, and some features...
. It was gradually adopted by most of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, mostly Muslim, and later by the general population, as a more westernized
Westernization
Westernization or Westernisation , also occidentalization or occidentalisation , is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet,...
form of traditional attire. Like Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, it also became a symbol of Muslim nobility. Before the independence of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the Sherwani was closely associated with founders of Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement
Aligarh Movement was the movement led by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, to educate the Muslims of the South Asia after the defeat of the rebels in the Indian rebellion of 1857. It had enormous success and had a profound impact on the future of the subcontinent...
. Following Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, all the professors and students wore Sherwani. The name "Aligarh Sherwani" was also coined, inspired by the popularity of the design at Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University ,is a residential academic university, established in 1875 by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan as Mohammedan Angelo-Oriental College and later granted the status of Central University by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 1920...
. At the Aligarh Muslim University, these Sherwanis are still worn to keep alive a long running tradition of academics.
- The NizamNizamNizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
of Hyderabad, Mir Sir Osman Ali Khan , Asaf Jah VII, the richest man in the world, having a fortune estimated at US$2 billion in the early 1940s. always used to wear Sherwani. He ascended the throne in 1911. In his time, all the nobility at the court and all officers of the state also used to wear Sherwani.
Pakistan
After the independence of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah frequently wore the Sherwani and made it the national dress of Pakistan despite the fact that English culture had greatly influenced his personal preferences, particularly when it came to dress. Earlier, Mohammad Ali Jinnah donned Western style clothing and he pursued the fashion with fervor. It is said he owned over 200 hand-tailored suits which he wore with heavily starched shirts with detachable collars. It is also alleged that he never wore the same silk tie twice. But after the creation of Pakistan, he started to wear Sherwani.
Following him most government officials in Pakistan such as the President and Prime Minister started to wear the formal black Sherwani over the shalwar qameez on state occasions and national holidays. But as Dr. Tariq Rahman writes about the western style officers that "the impeccably dressed South Asian officers, both civilian and military, never wore in public till the 1970s when Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
gave respectability to this dress by wearing it in public. However General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq , was the 4th Chief Martial Law Administrator and the sixth President of Pakistan from July 1977 to his death in August 1988...
made it complusory of all officers to wear Sherwani on state occasions and national holidays.
It has also become almost customary for bride grooms to wear a sherwani on their wedding almost always accompanied by a turban. Wedding sherwanis usually tend to have embroidered collars and have been popularized in recent times by designers like Amir Adnan and Deepak Parwani. One major difference between Sherwani wearing habits in India and Pakistan is that Pakistanis very rarely wear it with chooridar pyjamas prefering a shalwar instead while their Indian counterparts are distinguished by their preference for chooridars.
India
In IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, the sherwani is generally worn for formal occasions in winter by those of North Indian descent, especially those from Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Hyderabadi-Muslims. The sherwani is generally associated with Muslims while the achkan
Achkan
Achkan is a long jacket worn in South Asia, and together with the Sherwani, is traditionally associated with the Northern Indian aristocracy.-History:...
was historically favored by Hindu nobles. The two garments have significant similarities, though sherwanis typically are more flaired at the hips. The achkan was also modified into the Nehru Jacket
Nehru jacket
The Nehru jacket is a hip-length tailored coat for men or women, created in India in the 1940s. The jacket essentially blends the collar of the achkan, historically the royal court dress of Indian nobles, with the Western suit jacket...
, which is popular in India.
Modern sherwanis
Achkans and sherwanis are worn by many Indian grooms as wedding dresses. These garments usually feature detailed embroidery or patterns.Sherwanis have been designed by Rohit Bal
Rohit Bal
Rohit Bal is a fashion designer from New Delhi, India. He designs for men and women, and has bridal and evening collections in addition to day-wear and ready-to-wear.-Early Life:...
for British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
cabin crews serving on flights to South Asia.
Music director A.R. Rehman appeared in a black Sherwani to receive an Academy Award.