Zoot Suit Riot
Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Zoot Suit Riot
Origination of Zoot Suits
The zoot suit has a vague origin and complex history. In fact, the exact origin of zoot suit will never come to light. The zoot suit played a major role in the urban music and dance scene during 1930s. It served as a symbol of minority social resistance, urban youth and working class pride.
A Zoot suit is a suit with high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed pegged trousers and a long coat with wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. The suit was always worn with a long keychain that looped almost to the ankle. It was the rebellious fashion of young men during 1930s and 1940s. The oversized suit was an extravagant personal style and a declaration of freedom and auto-determination. Many people still consider it as a "rebellious garment of the era”. The zoot suit is described as a "killer-diller coat with a drape shape, reet pleats and shoulders padded like a lunatic's cell."
Harold C. Fox, the Chicago clothier and big-band trumpeter created and named the zoot suit. The zoot suit crated by Fox had reet pleat, reave sleeve, ripe stripe, stuff cuff and drape shape, and it was the stage rage during the boogie-woogie rhyme time of the early 1940's. The credit also goes to Louis Lettes who as a tailor in Beale Street and Nathan (Toddy) Elkus who was a Detroit retailer.
This style of clothing is popularized by African Americans, Mexican Americans, Filipino Americans, Italian Americans and Hispanics, during the late 1930s and 1940s. The Zoot Suit first gained popularity in Harlem jazz culture in the late 1930s where they were initially called "drapes". The suit became very popular among young Mexican Americans, especially among those in Los Angeles who styled themselves as "pachucos". It was popular in the Latino community.
Everyone wants to find the meaning of the zoot suit, but no one is quite sure what it means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "zoot" comes from a reduplication of the word 'suit'. It was probably first coined by Mexican American pachucos as part of their slang, "Caló", evolving from the Mexican Spanish pronunciation of the English word "suit" with the "s" taking on the sound of a "z". But whoever coined the term created a splendidly apt name for what is surely the most bizarre raiment ever worn by the American male.
Zoot suits were used for special occasions such as a dance or a birthday party. The amount of material and tailoring required made them luxury items. Many young people wore a more moderate version of the "extra-bagged" pants. Often zoot suiters wear a felt hat with a long feather and pointy and French-style shoes.
Recently Stanford University, celebrated 1940's Mexican-American culture and the 50th anniversary of the Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles, highlighting the complex relationships between fashion and social interpretations of the zoot suit, with screenings of Luis Valdez's "Zoot Suit" movie.
About the Author
Joe Thomas is an expert author, who is presently working on the site Mens Wool Suits, Pinstripe Suits. He has written many articles in various topics. For more information about Mens Style Suits, Mens Long Suit. Visit our site Mens Wedding Suits. Contact him at mensitaly.joethomas@gmail.com
Can I get some help w/ WWII European and American history?
I just need a BRIEF explanation of these terms/events:
Office of War Mobilization,
North Africa Campaign,
Battle of the Bulge,
Yalta Conference,
Congress of Racial Equality,
Zoot Suit Riots.
Thank You!
Ok the North Africa campaign. Remember that the Italians had military control of Ethiopia so it was axis controlled. FDR and Churchill decided to invade North Africa and basically chase them out. In which they were victorious.
The Yalta Conference was where Stalin, FDR, and Churchill met to discuss what would happen to Germany. They decided to divide Germany into four quarters. One for the Americans, One for the Brits, One for the French, and One for the Soviet Union.
The Battle of the Bulge was I think was when German tanks tried to break though Allied lines.
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 Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin Daddies CD Oct 20  US $1.00
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 CD Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin Daddies CD Oct 20 US $6.99
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Cherry Poppin' Daddies Handbill Poster Band Shot Its a Zoot Suit Riot The Poppin Popping $9.99 This poster is approximately 11 inches by 17 inches. It is in mint condition.... |
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Pair of Zoot Suit Wearing African American Men Walking Down the Street and After Wartime Race Riots Photographic Poster Print Pair of Zoot Suit Wearing African American Men Walking Down the Street and After Wartime Race Riots is digitally printed on archival photographic paper resulting in vivid, pure color and exceptional detail that is suitable for any museum or gallery display. Finding that perfect piece to match your interest and style is easy and within your budget!... |
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Zoot Suit Riots In August, 1942, the murder of a young Mexican American ignited a firestorm in Los Angeles. The tension that had been building betwee Mexican and white Angelenos boiled over. Seventeen "zoot-suiters" were tried for murder. Using evocative orginal photography and interviews with eyewitnesses "ZOOT SUIT RIOTS" tells the story of the trial and the violent events of the following summer, including ful... |
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American Experience, The: Zoot Suit Riots Named for the clothes they wore, 17 young Mexicans were tried for murder in Los Angeles in 1942. Their convictions on scanty evidence made them Latino martyrs, provoking riots between servicemen and local residents. Did official prejudice and spectacular media coverage inflame a bad situation and thwart justice, as a citizen's committee later claimed? You be the judge... |
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Cherry Poppin' Daddies - "Zoot Suit Riot" (original video)