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Zoot suit

For other uses, see Zoot Suit (disambiguation).
African American teenagers in zoot suits, 1942

A zoot suit (occasionally spelled zuit suit[1]) is a men's suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed, pegged trousers, and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. It is most notable for its use as a cultural symbol among the Hepcat and Pachuco subcultures. Originating among African Americans it would later become popular with Mexican, Filipino, Italian, and Japanese Americans in the 1940s.[2][3][4][5]

The zoot suit originated in African American comedy shows within the Chitlin' Circuit in the 1920s. Comedians such as Pigmeat Markham, Stepin Fetchit, and many others would dress in rags or in baggy suits for their comedic routines. This style of oversized suits would later become more stylish and popular in the inner city ghettos. Many tap and Lindy hop dancers would wear loose fitting suits to the clubs and ballrooms. These suits made it much easier to navigate through the dance floor while dancing. Jazz and Jump Blues singers helped popularize the style in the 1930s and 40s. Cab Calloway called them "totally and truly American". The suits were worn mainly by African American men, including a young Malcolm X.[6] During the rationing of World War II, they were criticized as a wasteful use of cloth, wool being rationed then. In 1942, the War Production Board issued restrictions aimed at stopping the sale of zoot suits.[6]

In the so-called Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, groups of predominately Mexican zoot suiters became victims of repeated racial mob violence.[7][8] Wearing of the zoot suit was never banned, despite a debate of its prohibition by the Los Angeles City Council in the aftermath of the riots.[6][8][9] The zoot suit become an important symbol of cultural pride and defiance of oppression in the Chicano Movement.[10] It experienced a brief resurgence in the swing revival scene in the 1990s.[11] The suit is still worn by Chicano in Mexican subcultures for memorialization events, regular celebrations, and special occasions.[12][13][14]

  1. ^ Calderin, Jay (2013). The Fashion Design Reference & Specification Book: Everything Fashion Designers Need to Know Every Day. Rockport Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59253-850-8.
  2. ^ Walker, John (1992). A Glossary of Art, Architecture and Design Since 1945 (3rd ed.). G. K. Hall & Co. ISBN 9780853656395.
  3. ^ Maddan, Heather (April 29, 2007). "Zooting up / Brighten prom night with flash, dash – and panache". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  4. ^ "L.A. In the Zoot Suit Era :: Zoot Suit Discovery Guide".
  5. ^ "The Zoot Suit and Youth Culture".
  6. ^ a b c Peiss, Kathy (2011). Zoot Suit: The Enigmatic Career of an Extreme Style. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780812204599.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Macias, Anthony F. (2008). Mexican American mojo : popular music, dance, and urban culture in Los Angeles, 1935–1968. Durham: Duke University Press. pp. 105–115. ISBN 978-0-8223-8938-5. OCLC 308677458.
  9. ^ Orozco, Christian (2023-06-02). "Where and how the Zoot Suit Riots swept across L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-08-21. The council approves the resolution, but the ordinance never goes into effect. Instead, the council urges the War Production Board to take even further steps to curb the production of zoot suits.
  10. ^ Sandoval, Denise M. (2013). "The Politics of Low and Slow/Bajito y Suavecito: Black and Chicano Lowriders in Los Angeles, from the 1960s through the 1970s". In Kun, Josh; Pulido, Laura (eds.). Black and Brown in Los Angeles: Beyond Conflict and Coalition. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. p. 197. ISBN 9780520956872.
  11. ^ Howard, Sarah Elizabeth (2010). "Zoot to boot: the zoot suit as both costume and symbol". Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. 28: 112–131. doi:10.1353/sla.0.0004. ISSN 0730-9139. PMID 20836266. S2CID 30345366.
  12. ^ "78th Anniversary of LA's Zoot Suit Riots in Commerce". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  13. ^ Little, Emerson (2021-11-17). "Estrella Family Fashions Zoot Suits at El Pachuco". fullertonobserver.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18. Some of the store's busiest times of the year include Halloween and prom season.
  14. ^ Estefania, Rafael. "Pachucos: The Latinx subculture that defied the US". BBC News. Retrieved 2023-09-14.

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