zoot suit
Forties flashy threads
A zoot suit is a men's suit style from the 1940s featuring high-waisted, wide-legged, tight-cuffed trousers and a long coat with wide lapels and padded shoulders.
Associated with jazz culture and African American and Mexican American youth, the flamboyant style became controversial during wartime fabric rationing and sparked the 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles.
Evoking recent past
- 1940sFourth decade, twentieth century
- classicOf lasting excellence
- nostalgiaLonging for the past
- periodPunctuation ending sentences
heritage · collectible · antique · historical · memorabilia · restoration · revival · reenactment
Adjusted to fit exactly
- baggyLoose and drooping
- trousersBifurcated lower-body garment
- pleatsDoubled-over fabric folds
- drapeHang in folds
oversized · pinstripe · gabardine · wool · pegged pants · long coat · suspenders · cufflinks
Mexican-American with activist heritage
- Mexican-AmericanOf blended border heritage
- barrioHispanic urban district
- Los AngelesSouthern California metropolis
- lowriderVehicle with dropped chassis
Year in WWII
- Los AngelesSouthern California metropolis
- servicemenMembers of armed forces
- sailorsMaritime vessel crew members
- racial tensionConflict rooted in ethnicity
discrimination · wartime · civil unrest · violence · police · military · streetfighting · curfew
Large jazz ensemble
- Lindy HopSwing dance from Harlem
- jitterbugEnergetic swing-era partner dance
- Savoy BallroomHistoric Harlem dance venue
- HarlemManhattan neighborhood, cultural landmark
Cab Calloway · Duke Ellington · Count Basie · Benny Goodman · Glenn Miller · hepcat · jive · boogie-woogie
Strikingly bold in style
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- flashyShowy, often tastelessly so
- showyExcessively eye-catching
- theatricalExaggeratedly emotional for effect
extravagant · bold · dramatic · exaggerated · over-the-top · loud · garish · dandyish
Soft creased felt hat
- watch chainTether for pocket timepiece
- wide-brimmed hatHeadwear with expansive edges
- pocket watchPortable chain-attached timepiece
- tieEqual score, or neckwear
Open resistance to authority
- youthState of being immature
- countercultureRejection of mainstream values
- identityWho someone is
- cultural prideAffection for one's heritage
resistance · nonconformity · protest · minorities · civil rights · wartime rationing
Fast, complex jazz style
- scatImprovised vocal jazz
- saxophoneReed instrument, brass body
- trumpetValved brass wind instrument
- nightclubEvening entertainment venue
speakeasy · jam session · improvisation · combo · cool cats · rhythm · syncopation · uptown
France's chief city
- FrenchOf or from Paris's nation
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- Nazi occupationWWII German military rule
- bebopFast, complex jazz style
retro
Evoking recent past
period · heritage · collectible · antique · historical · memorabilia · restoration · revival · reenactment · costume
tailored
Adjusted to fit exactly
drape · oversized · pinstripe · gabardine · wool · pegged pants · long coat · suspenders · cufflinks · pocket square
Chicano
Mexican-American with activist heritage
- Mexican-AmericanOf blended border heritage
- barrioHispanic urban district
- Los AngelesSouthern California metropolis
1943
Year in WWII
- Los AngelesSouthern California metropolis
- servicemenMembers of armed forces
- sailorsMaritime vessel crew members
racial tension · discrimination · wartime · civil unrest · violence · police · military · streetfighting · curfew · stripping
big band
Large jazz ensemble
- Lindy HopSwing dance from Harlem
- jitterbugEnergetic swing-era partner dance
- Savoy BallroomHistoric Harlem dance venue
Harlem · Cab Calloway · Duke Ellington · Count Basie · Benny Goodman · Glenn Miller · hepcat · jive · boogie-woogie · swing era
flamboyant
Strikingly bold in style
- ostentatiousShowily excessive
- flashyShowy, often tastelessly so
- showyExcessively eye-catching
theatrical · extravagant · bold · dramatic · exaggerated · over-the-top · loud · garish · dandyish · sharp
fedora
Soft creased felt hat
- watch chainTether for pocket timepiece
- wide-brimmed hatHeadwear with expansive edges
- pocket watchPortable chain-attached timepiece
tie · wingtips · chain wallet · key chain · suspenders
defiance
Open resistance to authority
- youthState of being immature
- countercultureRejection of mainstream values
- identityWho someone is
cultural pride · resistance · nonconformity · protest · minorities · civil rights · wartime rationing
bebop
Fast, complex jazz style
nightclub · speakeasy · jam session · improvisation · combo · cool cats · rhythm · syncopation · uptown
Paris
France's chief city
- FrenchOf or from Paris's nation
- resistanceCapacity to withstand force
- Nazi occupationWWII German military rule
- fashion trendsvintage fashion, retro fashion, retro style, vintage, retro
- outfitsoutfit, ensemble, matching set, coordinates, pantsuit
- retro fashionpoodle skirt, pencil skirt, petticoat, petticoats, bobby socks
- vintage fashioncorset, vintage style, vintage clothing, bustle, classic style
- Z wordszero, zone, zoo, zip, zap
- 1940s fashionvictory rolls, seamed stockings, nylon stockings, nylons, snood
suit, suitable, suitcase, suited, suite, suits, unsuitable, suitcases, unsuited