Man's Zoot Suit Pattern

UNDERTAKING THE MAKING: REIGNING MEN Man’s Zoot Suit LACMA Costume and Textiles Pattern Project

Man’s Zoot Suit edges, flew away from the body as the large armscyes; the sleeve heads United States, – wearer danced. The pegged trousers appear to be roped. Sleeve cu s Wool plain weave and twill were worn high on the torso and closed show signs of alterations to shorten Purchased with funds provided with a -inch zipper fly. For maximum the length; a -inch vent at each cu by Ellen A. Michelson fullness at the knee, the fabric at the is adorned with four ¾-inch-diameter M. .a-b waist of the trousers was deeply pleated buttons; the original buttons are to allow the pant leg to billow out before missing. Flamboyant in style and exaggerated tapering with curved darts into a narrow . The jacket has one single-welt in proportion, zoot suits were born cu . Such ensembles were often acces- proper-left breast pocket, an interior from swing and dance halls frequented sorized with a wide-brimmed, narrow- single-welt proper-right breast by urban youths in the s and early crowned hat, a bow tie, or a shortened pocket, and bag pockets with flaps s. The e ect was of great move- belly-warmer tie (if a tie was worn at at both sides. The bag pockets are ment, extreme dandyism, and cultural all), and a long watch chain. secured only along the interior top expression for jazz enthusiasts and edge and are unlined; the flaps are African-American, Latino, Jewish, and NOTES: lined in dark red rayon plain weave. immigrant communities. Although a . Fabric grain follows vertical lines . The body of the jacket, collar, distinctively American fad, the zoot suit of graph paper. proper left pocket welt, and outer had its origins in s-era London, . Pattern pieces are drawn without sleeve gore are of beige wool plain where the silhouette for menswear was seam allowance. weave with red and blue horizontal the “English drape.” This new cut— . The center-front single-breasted stripes; the lapel facings, remaining heralded by arbiters of menswear as one jacket closes with three ¾-inch sleeve parts, and bag pockets are of the greatest innovations in tailoring— plastic buttons and three ¼-inch- of beige wool plain weave with blue featured a jacket with wide shoulders, long buttonholes; the original vertical stripes. The jacket fronts, large armscyes, and trim hips, and was buttons are missing. sleeves, and upper back from the worn with full, lightly draping trousers neckline to inches below are lined with front pleats. As the English drape . The collar is underlined with grey in dark red rayon plain weave. All grew popular throughout Europe and wool felt, and is secured with other exposed interior seams are America, jazz enthusiasts not only a straight stitch along the neckline bound with grey ribbon. embraced this fresh style of suit, but and fine whip-stitches around the inflated it. edges. The center-front opening and . The center-front trousers of beige The jacket of this zoot suit has lapels are faced; a -inch-long flower wool twill with horizontal blue stripes a strong, overtly broad shoulderline hole is at the proper left lapel. close with a ¾-inch-diameter plastic accomplished with three inches of . The broad shoulderline is button with -inch-long buttonhole padding at each side, a fitted waist, emphasized with an approximately and a -inch-long zipper fly; there a long length, and wide, pegged -inch thick, -inch long, and -inch is no waistband. Six ⅝-inch-diameter sleeves inset with gores in a contrasting wide (at the widest point) crescent- suspender buttons and six belt loops striped fabric to further exaggerate shaped shoulder pad at each side. allowed the wearer to use either their fullness. The oversized free-hanging The four-piece sleeves are slightly suspenders or a belt to secure the bag pockets, stitched only along the top gathered at the sleeve head of the high-waisted trousers. . Deep pleats along the side-front waist are creased along the length of each leg into a deep dart at each cu , creating a deeply pegged pant leg. The waist shows signs of alteration with short hand-whip- stitched darts near the side seams on both the front and back. . Slash pockets are at each side-front hip, and single welt pockets are at each upper back. The back pockets are placed over a fish-eye dart. . The pant hems are folded under inches from the bottom edge and then folded up halfway to create pant cu s. Man’s Zoot Suit

PL flower hole PR JACKET PL BREAST POCKET WELT

PL breast CB pocket CB

PL CF CF

Bag COLLAR PR pocket interior breast pocket JACKET BAG JACKET JACKET POCKET FRONT BACK (cut two)

JACKET POCKET FLAP

JACKET FRONT FACING

Upper Under sleeve sleeve

FOURPIECE SLEEVE

1 2 3 4

Braces buttons Sleeve vent

Belt loops

TROUSER FRONT CF POCKET WELT CB

TROUSER BACK POCKET WELT

Creased fold line Zipper begins

PEGGED PEGGED TROUSER TROUSER PR FRONT BACK CF

Dart begins Dart begins Zipper ends

TROUSER FLY FRONT FACING

Key: 1:1 inch CF Center Front CB Center Back PL Proper Left PR Proper Right Button placement Fold line Stitches