Long Zoot Suits

When it comes to suits, most of us would choose the standard style of the suits. Slim fit suits and classic fit suits are the ones that are most popular in recent times. But if you are bored with the usual styles and want to try out a new style then you should be choosing the Zoot suits. There is a high chance to you being unaware of the Zoot suit style but there is a rich history behind the style. We go with the formal suit style when there is a formal event involved but there are casual and fun events where we want to get creative with our outfit. In that case, you can choose to go with the long suits for men style.

If you are hearing about the Zoot suit for the first time then get ready for a impromptu history lesson. Though they might not be very popular in recent times, the long suits have a interesting story behind them. If you are a person who loves the vintage suit styles then you should be thinking of trying out the long Zoot fashion suits.

Before delving into the history of these mens suits, here is the description for you to know how these Zoot suits differ from the usual suit style that we are used to. The Zoot suits came with a broad shouldered jacket that was also longer than the style of suit jackets that we have now. As for the trousers, the suits came with the balloon type leg trousers that usually matched the fabric and style of the jackets. This street style Zoot suit was often paired with a dress shirt, maybe a tie and a flamboyant style hat. This was a very common style of the outfit during the mid 1900s.

So how did this unique style of the suits come into existence? The origin of the Zoot suits is often traced back to the 1930s. With the African American show which was popularized by the jazz singers, the Zoot suits came into style. Soon the long Zoot trend suits became a style favorite among the mixed communities like Mexican American, Italian American and more in America. The young people especially the Mexican Americans who wore this Zoot suit style were called the Zoot suiters.

These Zoot suits remained to be a popular style among the youth but the trouble started in the early 1940s when America got involved in the Second World War. The rationing of the important resources began and this also included restrictions on the manufacture of the wool suits and other clothing. There was also a ban on the manufacture of the long Zoot mens suits since they used a lot of fabric for the making. But a group of bootleg tailors continued to manufacture these style of the Zoot suits. This caused a stir and the Mexican Americans who wore the Zoot suits at that time were dissed to be anti Americans.

This issue with the long Zoot dress suits continued to brew but it achieved a breaking point with the Sleepy Lagoon murder. You might start to wonder on how a simple suit style can be linked with a murder. But this murder was the start of one of the historic racial events to happen in America.

In August 1942, an young man called Jose Diaz was found dead and the police immediately blamed it on the group of Zoot suiters in the vicinity. Fueled by the local tabloids, the issue became a hot topic and soon the Los Angeles police department rounded up about 600 young men and women and almost all of them were Mexican Americans. These people were arrested and tried. By January 1943, they were convicted of murder. But due to the public outcry against the miscarriage of justice, the convictions were reversed in October 1944.

But the media continued to portray the Zoot suiters as dangerous gang members and soon this paved the way to the Zoot suit riot. It began in June 1943 when a group of sailors claimed that they were attacked by a group of Zoot suiters. Soon there were many sailors coming into the Mexican American Community while seeking out the Zoot suiters for revenge. When they found people wearing Zoot suits, they attacked them and stripped them on the spot. A local newspaper even printed an article on how to de-zoot a Zoot-suiter. Within a matter of days, this grew into a full-blown riot with the sailors prowling the streets of Los Angeles for attacking the Zoot suiters and also the minority people who were not even wearing the long suits.

The long suits were banned from use with no explanation given for the riots. But the minority communities protested by flaunting Zoot suits. Some even bought two suits to sew them together in the likes of the designer suits. Thus the iconic style long suits became a symbol of protest for the rights of the minority communities. Even today the Zoot suits costume is a favorite among people dressing for the fashion and costume events. If you are thinking of trying out the popular long suits style then we would suggest you to go through the various collections before making your pick.

If you want an impressive look then you could either choose the long designer Zoot suits or the branded suits for men. You could check out the stores that have the suits on sale or you could also try purchasing the suits online. You could use the long suits near me option to find the styles that are available nearby. There are different styles of the mens Zoot suits and you can find the one that could suit you. For a simple style go with the long Zoot formal suits but if you are looking for a trendy and fun style then you could try choosing the shiny long suits.