zoot suit
noun

- man's suit consisting of baggy trousers and a long jacket

- a suit (= a jacket and trousers that are worn together) that has wide trousers that become narrower and fit tightly at the bottom, and a long jacket with wide shoulders

- a suit of extreme cut typically consisting of a thigh-length jacket with wide padded shoulders and peg pants with narrow cuffs

Collins Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORÌGIN

The word “zoot” likely originated in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), particularly in the jazz and swing circles of the 1930s and ’40s. It's thought to be a playful, rhythmic alteration of the word “suit”, a kind of nonsense reduplication typical of jive talk.

The full term “zoot suit” entered American English around 1942, though the style itself had already gained ground in African American communities in Harlem, Chicago, and Detroit during the 1930s. It soon spread to other urban centers and cultural groups, notably embraced by Mexican American pachucos in the Southwest.

Jazz icon Cab Calloway, in his 1944 Jive Dictionary, defined “zoot” as “exaggerated”, a term that described not only the fashion but also the swagger and musical style of the era. The suits—high-waisted, wide-legged, long-coated—were a bold statement of identity, energy, and defiance.

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NOT JUST A SUIT

The zoot suit was never just a suit.

Worn by young African American and Mexican American men in the 1930s and ’40s, it was bold, flamboyant, and completely unapologetic. Long jackets, wide lapels, padded shoulders, ballooning trousers—this wasn’t a look meant to blend in. It was meant to be seen. For many, especially in Black and Chicano communities, wearing a zoot suit was a way to claim visibility in a society that often ignored or erased them.

But during World War II, when the U.S. introduced fabric rationing, the zoot suit’s excess came under fire. Many viewed it as wasteful, even unpatriotic—especially when worn by young men of colour. In Los Angeles, tensions boiled over in 1943, when white servicemen roamed the streets, violently attacking anyone in a zoot suit. The so-called "Zoot Suit Riots" exposed deep racial divisions in America. Victims, not attackers, were often arrested.

For many, the zoot suit became a lasting emblem of pride, defiance, and cultural identity. Today, echoes of the zoot suit can still be seen—especially in the oversized cuts and retro tailoring at fashion events in the U.S.,... including this week in New York City, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Met-Gala fashion show.

Helga and Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

baggy suit, bold attire, bold/boogie threads, cat daddy getup, daddy drape, drape shape, drape suit, extreme cut, flamboyant attire, flash gear, flashy suit, gangster glam, (wrap), hepcat style, high-waist wonder, hip attire, inner city fashion, jazz age outfit, jive suit, night crawler kit, pachuco style, peacock suit, retro drape, rhythm rig (wrap), Saturday-night skin, sharp drape, showboat/swing suit, shoulder storm, slick getup, smooth threads, statement piece, street jazz fit, swagger shell, swing skin, swing era fashion, wide-leg wonder, ZOOT SUIT

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SMUGGLE OWAD into an English conversation today, say something like:

“It’s interesting to see echoes of the ZOOT SUIT in today’s oversized streetwear and runway fashion.”

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P L E A S E   S U P P O R T   O W A D

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