Fashion in 1940s

The Zoot Suit Riots

The Zoot Suit was an iconic fashion statement that opened the door to other fashion/cultural fusions such as Teddy Boys, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Punk  and hip-hop fashions today.

Zoot suit (occasionally spelled zuit suit) 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. 


This style of clothing became popular within the Chicano and African American community during the 1940s. In Britain the bright-coloured suits with velvet lapels worn by Teddy Boys bore a slight resemblance to zoot suits in the length of the jacket.

The Zoot suit  come from the New York jazz scene in the late 1930’s and very quickly became the uniform of young Black and Mexican Americans. It’s a totally exaggerated style, almost cartoon like with really wide baggy legged trousers, worn high on the waist with tight cuffs at the ankles. 

The jackets are long, almost 3/4 length with exaggerated shoulder pads and wide lapels. The finishing touches were the classic wide brim felt hat with a long feather and a watch and chain that hung down to the knee. Spatz were also common and pin stripes were definitely in.