Suits

The suits that the gentlemen wore had several distinctive characteristics--keep these in mind when looking for your own suits. There were:
  • Baggy pants with cuffs
  • Wide lapels with notches in them
  • Wide straight ties (not bow ties)
  • Suspenders (the button-on type, not the clip-on type)
  • Vest (optional)










Both single-breasted and double breasted suits were worn during the 1940s.
Another famous kind of suit that got its start in the '40s was the zoot suit. A classic vintage example of zoot suits is Cab Calloway and his orchestra and dancers in the movie Stormy Weather, starring Lena Horne. Zoot suits have made a comeback in recent years, as indicated by songs like Mr. Zoot Suit and Zoot Suit Riot. Zoot suits are often in bright colors, and can be worn by men and women alike, although they more often worn by men.

The main characteristics of zoot suits are:

  • Baggy pants with high waist and tight cuffs;
  • Wide, but short, tie;
  • Long suit jacket with a fitted waist;
  • Two (or at least one) long watch chain;
  • Tando (the hat). Tandos have wider brims than fedoras, and often sport a long feather.

Although there is not a zoot-suit store in Fort Collins (that I know of), there are several places on the web you can get them: