Benny Holiday
My Mail is Forwarded Here
- Messages
- 3,805
- Location
- Sydney Australia
I never thought I'd ever get to see an original zoot suit. Thanks a heap for posting those photos Marc, what a great find.
Wasn't it first a style primarily worn by minorities, until middle American teens got ahold of it (some things never change....)?
Although it's not certain who exactly invented the zoot suit (there are three main claimants), the style came out of the Harlem jazz scene of the late-1930s. From there, it drifted over to the West Coast, and caught on with Pachucos, with whom it really became a sign of rebellion. It later caught on in a limited way with White teens, and some sellers even tried to push it onto older men (Little Abner wore a zoot suit for a few panels).
European American zoot-suiters, Washington, D.C., 1942.
YETI said:Wasn't there a Laurel and Hardy flick where they sported zoots?
European American zoot-suiters, Washington, D.C., 1942.