Men’s Fashion in the 1940s •
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Men’s fashion during the 1940s was also reflective of the ominous tones of the wartime era. For special occasions, men wore suits made of rationed materials, or V-neck sweater vests or knitted waistcoats over a shirt and tie. An iconic men’s suit to emerge in the 1940s was the illicit zoot suit. This suit was usually worn at nightclubs and consisted of an oversized jacket, wide lapels, broad shoulders, low crotches, and the pants narrowed toward the ankles Natural fibres weren't used for civilian wear, because they were needed for uniforms. Men's suits lost their vests, pocket flaps and trouser cuffs. Since most of the men were at war, those who remained at home mostly wanted to look as austere as possible. During the war, civilian men generally wore plain, functional suits in solid, plain colours like navy or black, with plain white shirts, and very little embellishments. After the war ended, the working man could go to the office in the elegant suits usually associated with the 1940s emerged. The most notable new design was the Esquire jacket which featured a loose fit and broad shoulders common in many men's suits today. The Zoot suit was The Jazz Era's wide suit, hugely popular in Harlem in the 1930s, was worn predominately by AfricanAmerican and Mexican-American youths in the 1940s. It was considered unpatriotic and even illegal because it went so far against the standards of rationing.
Zoot suit
Esquire jacket