Dandies in Kaftans

Carnaby Street, 1967

When it comes to male fashion, kaftans will always be associated with that brief period between late 1966 and early 1968. For  those several months kaftans were all the rage - an obligatory component of psychedelic dandy/peacock/hippie look. 

The term 'kaftan' is not really correct. Kaftan is a garment of Persian origin - a type of overdress usually reaching the ankles, with long sleeves. 'Kaftans' worn by fashionable men in late 1960's were in reality Nehru Jackets. It is a garment of Indian origin, named after Pandit Jewarharlal Nehru - a Prime Minister of India between 1947 and 1964. He often wore front-buttoned, knee-length jackets with mandarin collar known as ackhan or sherwani.

    Pandit Jewarharlal Nehru

 In the late 1940's, the garment based on ackhan was created in India, and it was known as Band Gale Ka coat ('Closed Neck' coat). It was considerably shorter that ackhan, usually only reaching hips rather than knees. In fact, apart from the mandarin collar, the garment closely resembled normal suit jacket. Band Gale Ka coat were popular in India as a top half of the suit for formal occasions. In early 1960's, it was popularised in western Europe in America, where it was known as 'Nehru jacket' (Even though Pandit Jewrharlal Nehru never actually wore it himself!). One of earliest examples of Nehru jacket in Western popular culture was the outfit of Dr. No -  the villain from 1962 James Bond movie.

 By the mid-1960's, the Nehru jacket became a part of late Mod/early Hippie Carnaby Street look. 

The Who's Roger Daltrey (second left) wearing a nehru jacket appropriated for late-period Mod style, 1966

From 1967 Carnaby Street Modern Man catalogue - note the incorrect use of the term 'Kaftan'.

These clothes were a little bit of hybrid - they were too short to be proper Kaftans, and often too long to be proper Nehru jackets. Nevertheless, both terms were often used (just like Peacock style was often referred to as 'Regency', even though it hardly ever resembled actual Regency-era styles - but that's a subject for a different post).  These Nehru Jackets/Kaftans ere often designed with a generous use of Paisley, Liberty prints, various kinds of embroidery or 'Eastern' patterns (Indian, Chinese, Persian, there were even elements of Russian and Central European peasant dress) - a true mish-mash of styles and influences.

Here are my favourite examples:

Probably most famous one - The Beatles in Kaftans/Nehru Jackets designed by The Fool for Magical Mystery Tour.

Paul McCartney in 1967

 Paul outside his St. John's Wood home, 1967

John Lennon, 1967 

George Harrison, 1967

Hippies at the Woburn Abbey festival in England, 1967

John's Children modelling 'kaftans' designed by John Stephen, 1967

The Flowerpot Men, 1967

 British psych band The Flies, 1967

British psych band The Onyx, 1967

Rave magazine's resident model Johnny Rave, 1967

Kaftan which Peter Daltrey wore on the cover photo of Kaleidoscope's first album, Tangerine Dream, 1967

Davy Jones wearing the same kaftan.., 1967

Jimi Hendrix also had one...1967

Strawberry Alarm Clock, 1967

 Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz  of The Monkees, 1967

Legendary DJ John Peel, 1967

The Hollies, 1967

English hippies, 1968

 Jean Shrimpton and Paul Jones on the set of Privilege, 1967

Justin Hayward from The Moody Blues and Ian Gillian from Episode Six (who of course would soon move on to bigger things as a frontman of Deep Purple) modelling Carnaby Street 'kaftans' designed by John Stephen, 1967

Eric Burdon sporting 'kaftan' and Afghan coat - ultimate hippie combo - on the day of his wedding, 1968.

Dantalian's Chariot, 1968

British psych band The Mode outside Walthamstow Town Hall, 1968

Spanish psych band Los Kifers, 1968

Italian band I Nomadi, 1967

Italian psych band Le Orme, 1967

French pop star Johnny Hallyday, 1967

Keith Relf  of The Yardbirds, 1967

Jimmy Page, 1967

 Cliff Wade and The Roll Movement, 1968

 Actor David Hemmings with his wife Gayle Hunnicut, 1969

Ringo with Eva Aulin, 1968

Mick Jagger, 1967

Psychedelic kaftans/Nehru jackets went out of mainstream fashion around 1968. Very strongly associated with late 1960's, they are popular among revivalists. Clothing labels strongly influenced by 1960's fashions such as Art Gallery or Pretty Green, make kaftans and Nehru jackets today. 

Yours truly..

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND IMAGES
The 60's by Bill Harry
Hippie by Barry Miles
Wikipedia
Anorak Thing , Smashingbird, Away From The Numbers, Afterglow
Sea Of Joy (I Don't Like Mods)

 

Permissive (1970)

The film Permissive, directed by Lindsay Shonteff and released in 1970, was another British movie penetrating the promiscuous Rock scene of late 1960's and early 1970's. Just like Groupie Girl (also made in 1970), Permissive, focuses on the groupie phenomenon. The film tells the story of Suzy (Maggie Stride) - a shy and slightly naive teenage girl who comes to London to stay with her old friend Fiona (Gay Singleton). Fiona is an experienced groupie, who hangs out with prog band Forever More (who were a real-live band signed to RCA). She introduces Suzy into a world of scuzzy toilet venues, musicians on the rise, dodgy roadies, grubby hotel rooms and of course, sex and drugs..

But soon, the student beats the master. Initially shy Suzy quickly finds her way in this new, promiscuous world, which inevitably lead to a conflict with Fiona, since they both fighting for attention of Forever More's lead singer Lee (unbelievably hairy Allan Gorrie).

   There are interesting similarities between Permissive and Groupie Girl. Both films were made with an intention to cash-up on notoriety of groupies and rock musicians. Both sought to explore - not necessarily exploit - counterculture. Both were made by directors known for making sexploitation flicks, which resulted in Permissive and Groupie Girl being unfairly branded as such. Although sex exploitation is depicted in both films, it is not a main focus point of either. It would be wrong to put them in the same category as, for example, Confessions Of Pop Performer (1974). Neither Groupie Girl nor Permissive try to glamorise the scene or a lifestyle.But although the films were aimed at the older audience, they don't overly try to moralise or condemn the choices of protagonists (something American films of the era often did). Permissive and Groupie Girl are characterised  by their brutal realism which brings to mind kitchen-sink dramas of early 1960's (such comparison is furthered by unmistakably British sets -  gray skies, rain etc. and the depiction of grubby, un-swinging London in Permissive).

But there are substantial differences between two films as well. Unlike Groupie Girl, Permissive almost aspires to be an arthouse film which is particularly visible in the way film was shot. There is a generous use of flash-cuts, clearly inspired by Easy Rider (1969). Just like in Easy Rider, where you can see a flash-cut premonition of Peter Fonda's and Dennis Hopper's death during a scene at the brothel, in Permissive, the viewer is teased with the flash-cuts of future (and past) scenes all throughout the film, but without major disruptions in film chronology.

 But the biggest difference between the two films is whom the films vilify. In Groupie Girl,, it was the musicians.In Permissive, it's the groupies.As  film critic IQ Hunter writes in his essay about Permissive, "If not exactly feminist, the film echoes feminist disillusionment with the counterculture's ideology of free love. As in "Groupie Girl", the men are arrogantly misogynistic and possessive and women are tolerated insofar as they are useful for sex or chores. (...) Suzy succeeds as as a groupie because she understands the band's misogyny(...) and learns to beat the men at their own game of strategic promiscuity (...) What is missing of course is any sense of female solidarity, and it is Fiona who pays the price for Suzy's own icily methodical exploitation of men's fecklessness and lust.

The original score in permissive is really good - a mixture of heavy psych and prog. Acts that contributed songs to Permissive (apart from Forever More) include prog rockers Comus and Titus Groan.

And, of course there are some great 1960's and early 1970's fashions, both male and female. That alone is a reason enough to watch Permissive...
      

Permissive was recently released on DVD by BFI Flipside. One of the bonus features on the disc is an hour- long comedy from 1971 titled Bread. This film, dug out from a deep obscurity by BFI, was directed by Stanley Long and written by Suzanne Mercer (who, incidentally, were both involved in Groupie Girl - Suzanne Mercer wrote a script based on her own experiences as a groupie). The film follows the misadventures of a group of hippies, who decide to organise a rock festival on the grounds belonging to rich businessman. It is a pretty funny comedy of errors and while watching it, I couldn't help wondering whether it inspired short-lived (but much - underrated) 90's sitcom set in 60's titled Hippies, which starred young Simon Pegg... 

Stills from Bread (1971)

I recommend both, Permissive and Bread to anybody who is interested in music and fashion of late 1960's/early 1970's counterculture.

Source of the quotation: Essay "Permissive" by IQ Hunter in a booklet  - part a BFI Flipside DVD release of "Permissive".