I love dressing up for Halloween and other occasions, and I like many types of costumes but my favorite are vintage or retro styles. Judging from their popularity, I am one of many fans. Most are reproductions of actual costumes, but it is also popular to use real legitimate clothing, although this is more expensive and tough to do. My friend Jim for example has complete sets of formal wear for every decade from the 1890s on forward and they are quite amazing. For we mere mortals who sometimes make a mess at parties and do not want to worry about messing up a vintage white suit or dress, there are inexpensive options available.
One my favorites is the Zoot Suit. The Zoot Suit, popularized in the 1940s is a formal suit made with a jacket with very wide padded shoulders, very wide lapels, and long and oversized. These match with pants made of the same material which are also wide although narrow at the cuffs, and extra high on the chest.
Often worn with a hat of the same material as well, these were considered very extravagant as they used lots of fabric which was in short supply because of the war. A pocket watch and lomg metal chain is a nice addition too.
Pinup girl costumes are also very popular. A pin up girl is a model or actress with extremely popular pictures. The pictures were often “pinned up” on walls and in lockers. Examples of pinup girls include Betty Grable, Joan Crawford, Mae West, Lauren Bacall, and Ingrid Bergman. Fashionable dresses and outfits of the era that usually expose significant flesh by standards of that era make wonderful costumes. Sometimes they are in a military or nurse style. Plenty of reproductions are available and they immediately scream “1940s” or before.
Gangster costumes from the Al Capone era, usually a pinstriped suit with matching pants and a gangster style black hat are also common. Often the shirt, tie, and jacket are one piece; a silk screen shirt with pictures of the jacket and tie. A toy machine gun easily completes the look.
Also Disco outfits are very popular. With wild colors and patterns not common today, and absurdly dated features like extreme bell bottoms, these are always a hit. The variety of disco dresses, shirts, suits, pants, and jewelry of that era available today is simply amazing. It’s hard to remember that people actually dressed like that except at costume parties!
