Zoot suit

Origin of: Zoot suit

Zoot suit

Originally, zoot suit is a corruption from rhyming with suit but instead of ‘zuit’ the spelling zoot was adopted. Zoot suit has come to mean one’s best clothes or one’s Sunday best, the sort of clothes a man might wear to a special occasion. The phrase originated in America when it was first used to describe a particular style of extravagant menswear during the 1930s and 1940s. Zoot suits at this time consisted of long, draped jackets with wide lapels and voluminous trousers, which were pegged at the ankle line. This style of men’s suiting was much favoured by youth of Hispanic, Italian and African origin. The extravagant use of material in these suits led to the US War Production Board banning these suits in 1943, resulting in what were known as the Zoot Suit Riots, which erupted in Los Angeles and spread to other American cities. During the war years and after, the wearing of zoot suits became a symbol of assertiveness and even rebelliousness among certain sectors of American youth. These days, however, the zoot suit is merely a harmless synonym for one’s best wear.