Pachuca Style

Pachuca women of the 1940s were rebels. They adopted the subculture of “zoot suiting” and pachucos in a manner that “rejected both traditional Mexican and mainstream American culture” (Escobedo 134).

Pachuca style had variations. Some Pachucas wore cardigans paired with knee-length skirts, which were considered short skirts at the time, fishnet stockings, saddle shoes, huarache sandals, or platform heels. Others opted for a more masculine look and sported the zoot suit that challenged traditional ideals of what Mexican American womanhood should look like. The Zoot Suit features high-waisted loose pants and oversized, broad-shouldered, extremely long blazers. Excess fabric was used throughout the suit, especially in the pants and sleeves. Sleeves extended down to the fingertips. The Zoot Suit also went by the name “drapes” or el tacuache. The pants were loose and billowing but tapered at the ankle and they were called “Punjab” pants (Ramos 563).

Not only was the Pachuca style extremely fashionforward and stylish, but it was also a method of drawing attention “to her body as a site of multiple contestations. She was not a demure, obedient girl but a bold, rebellious young woman who refused to accept that she was inferior because of her ethnicity. “ (Ramos 563)