How were the suits in 1950s different from the ones today?
Homework assignment, Curtis? ???
This site has some info, at least about men’s suits. Your question’s a little vague though. I’m guessing you mean business suits, or at least I’m interpreting it that way.
From the link:
More at the link.
Yes.
[Moderating]
Mahaloth, if you think there is a problem with a question, please report it rather than making accusations. No warning issued.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Are you asking about style or structure. Structurally, winter suits were made of wool, summer suits of cotton or linen and “year-round” suits were made of lighter wool. They were pretty shapeless, and aside from shoulder padding didn’t have much structure at all.
Stylistically it would depend on the year. Lapels went from wide early in the decade to narrow later on. Pant legs also went from wide to somewhat more narrow. Double-breasted styles were more in fashion earlier in the decade, single-breasted later on.
Any idea where to obtain one cheaply (below 75 dollars or so).
Salvation Army or Goodwill.
Is that $75 in 1950s dollars? 
There are lots of examples to be seen on B&W TV shows & movies of the era. You can probably see plenty of examples on TCM or the internet.
That was a little before my time as an adult, but I watched an awful lot of those shows as a kid.
Compared to today, suits then were blockier. Don’t forget most people were a lot thinner. But even so the jackets were big & square. Pants had thicker legs. Often they were worn with the waistline higher up than we see today. Shirts were white, period. Ties were narrow, monocolor, and dark.
You’re not going to find a genuine 1950s suit in a thrift store today. But you can find suits from various more recent eras that have some features of the 1950s look.
Get it about 1" too big in coat & pants size & you’l be close. Add the right body shape, haircut, shirt, and tie and it’ll work. Don’t forget the porkpie.
You might check in a few costume shops. I’d give you an answer but I can barely remember the 1950s in terms of anything other than automobiles. And teenage girls. And a few songs. And drinking beer and rotgut wine and maybe that’s why my memory is failing.
Cemetery?
Good one. You made someone laugh today.
Two other things to note about suits of the era…
- They always included a vest, many modern suits do not.
- Almost always came with two pairs of pants.
Just make sure you find a good dry cleaner.
I disagree with the vest comment. Double-breasted suits were quite popular in the 1950s and they were not worn with a vest. Suits with vests would have been the rule – or at least a lot more common – in the '30s and '40s.
When was it that the waistline of suit trousers was above the navel and men wore very short and very wide ties? Was that a '40s thing?
Sounds like zoot suits, late 30s into the 40s. I don’t think they were ever standard, but considered in-your-face flashy.
Hm … I think of zoot suits as being very flashy, with huge lapels and huge hats and flashy shoes adn pinstripes and such. Also I believe that zoot suits were closely associated with the black community in Harlem and the Hispanic community, especially the “pachucos,” of Los Angeles.
I’m thinking of fairly standard, staid, dark-coloured suits worn by middle-class white people and others – not necessarily on the cutting edge of fashion – that had very high waists and very short neckties.
Like Fred Mertz wore on I Love Lucy? Don’t know what year they were from, but he was such a cheapskate that they were at least 10 years old.