Zoot suit occasionally with a long feather as decoration, and pointy, French-style shoes. A young Malcolm X, who wore zoot suits in his youth, described the zoot suit as: "a killer-diller coat with a drape shape, reet pleats, and shoulders padded like a lunatic's cell". Zoot suits usually featured a watch chain dangling from the belt to the knee or below, then back to a side pocket. A woman accompanying a man wearing a zoot suit commonly would herself wear a flared skirt and a long coat. The amount of material and tailoring required made them luxury items, so much so that
Drape suit waistline, which smoothed over the hips as opposed to flaring back out (like the tail coat or the frock coat that preceded it). The shoulders were not padded, looking natural, broad and masculine. The drape suit was a more comfortable, athletic alternative to the slim suits of the preceding war years and their restrictions. It had more fabric through the shoulders and chest, causing a slight drape or wrinkle. Like other suit jackets, this style could be made single or double-breasted. The pants were also cut fuller “with pleated fronts and wide legs that tapered slightly to the ankle”. The