“Why would he want a Zoot Suit?” you might ask. I counter you: why don’t I want one?
So, where?
“Why would he want a Zoot Suit?” you might ask. I counter you: why don’t I want one?
So, where?
Here? I wanna see a picture of you all fitted out in it!
You can find almost anything on eBay.
With a reet pleat?
Who’s that whisperin’ in the trees?
It’s two sailors and they’re on leave
Pipes and chains and swingin’ hands
Who’s your Daddy? Yes I am!
http://www.lyricsondemand.com/onehitwonders/zootsuitriotlyrics.html[/ur]
Make your own: Simplicity 4585.
Just don’t go startin’ no riots once you get one.
If you do get one, you’ll have to post a pic.
There’s also these guys.
My favorite is this one.
It’s not just a lyrical metaphor
I remember reading about that after the song became a hit. I assumed the song’s writer was referring to it.
Be careful that when you get the suit it fills all of the qualifications-----------
It must be a-
Zoot suit
with a drape shape
and a reet pleat
and a stuff cuff
to be sharp enough!
EZ------with apologies to C.Calloway
The linked sites don’t quite catch the flavor of the zoot suit. The jacket must be loooong with exaggerated shoulders like the one on the right, baggy pants, pegged and with cuffs, and wide lapels of shiny material being de rigueur for authenticity. You simply must have a key chain, preferably doubled, that reaches below the knee and the hat with the flat brim. Then you have a zoot suit. More examples.
This is almost spooky. Just a few days ago I saw a young guy with baggy, pegged pants and a long key chain. My instant though was - zoot suit. He didn’t have the rest of the ensemble, cuffs on the pants, jacket and hat, but I thought to myself, “Old fashions come back as new.”
The site I linked has decently old fashioned and new fashioned zoot suits, as well as ankle length chains, (even double and triple chains) hats, belts, shoes, and pocket watches. (Stacy Adams, of course.)
In middle Canada, I have no clue. Where I live (southwestern U.S.), I would suggest a clothing store or a tailor that caters to Mexican-Americans, or immigrants from Latin American countries.
A word of warning: in my town, the style is most popular among Hispanic street gangs. The style often gets a very negative reaction from law-abiding Hispanics.
Finding a zoot is actually a snap compared to locating conventionally tailored men’s suits in the style of the 1930s or '40s.
A couple years ago there was a zoot suit section at the local Burlington Coat Factory (!). They even had nice bright purple ones.