Zoot Suit, 1940–1942, Los Angeles County Museum of Art [3454 x 4320]

“Flamboyant in style and exaggerated in proportion, the zoot suit is linked to a relatively small subculture, yet it represents a significant moment in the history of menswear. Its exact origin is unknown, but it was closely associated with urban youths, particularly those of African American, Latino, Jewish descent, and those from immigrant communities, who frequented swing clubs and dance halls during the 1930s and early 1940s. Their zoot suits, defined by overtly broad shoulders with wide, pegged sleeves, narrow hips, and deeply pleated pegged trousers, allowed for ease of movement while creating an image of extreme dandyism.

The availability of authentic zoot suits are limited because WWII-era restrictions imposed by the War Production Board in March 1942 in order to reduce the amount of fabric used in garment construction, limited the production of the voluminous zoot suit. Later, many examples may also have been remade into other garments, as zoot suits required much more fabric to create than a typical suit. And zoot suits simply may not have survived use, whether from day-to-day wear, nighttime dances of the fashionable jitterbug or Lindy Hop, or the so-called ‘Zoot Suit Riots’ that erupted between American servicemen and zoot-suiters across America and beyond.” From [LACMA](https://unframed.lacma.org/2016/01/26/search-authentic-zoot-suit)

Riot!

So stylish