ZOOT SUIT

The zoot suit is an extravagant men's suit that became a symbol of the youth subculture of 1940s America, especially among African-American and Latino youth. Its recognisable silhouette is a jacket of excessive length and width with broad padded shoulders, tapered high-waisted trousers with deep pleats, a wide hat and a long watch chain. The zoot suit was a bold, defiant statement of identity, pride and resistance in the era of racial segregation — no wonder it ended up at the centre of social conflict (the 'Zoot Suit Riots' of 1943). The style is inseparably tied to jazz, swing and dance-floor culture. The zoot suit is a powerful symbol of self-expression, dignity and youthful rebellion that entered fashion history forever as a manifesto of character and freedom.