For LACMA's new exhibition on men's fashion through the years, the curators really wanted to get hold of a real zoot suit from the World War II era. Zoot suits were such a strong fashion statement ...

To some men, the suit’s ostentatiousness was a way of refusing to be ignored. The garment had “profound political meaning,” wrote Ralph Ellison, author of Invisible Man .

The 1943 Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles are a prime example of the ... Tensions came to a head after a fight between a number of U.S. sailors and young Mexican-American men in zoot suits.

80 years ago, young men of color were attacked for their “unpatriotic” fashion choices, leading to the Zoot Suit Riots. The repercussions can still be felt today.

Wearing a zoot suit, back in the 1940s became popular among working-class minority men, especially Mexicans, making the clothing synonymous with certain racial groups.

The Zoot Suit Riots erupted in June 1943, when groups of white sailors and soldiers clashed with young Mexican American men who wore flamboyant zoot suits—a style characterized by high-waisted ...