LACMA Nabs Authentic Zoot Suit From Augusta Auctions

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No stranger to showcasing influential fashion, LACMA is working overtime to fill its upcoming show, Reigning Men: Fashion in Menswear 1715-2015, with a covet-worthy collection of the best vintage finds. On our radar? A seriously stylish, authentic zoot suit with a voluminous, exaggerated silhouette, acquired for $78,000 at a New York auction (and originally purchased at an estate sale for less than $20).

Getting hold of an original zoot suit, a style so influential in LA during the 1930s-'40s, proved a major challenge for LACMA, which spent over a decade hunting one down. The cream-colored, woolen suit will be on display from April 10th-August 21st, and the museum's department of Costume and Textiles intends to publish the zoot suit's pattern later this spring as part of LACMA's Pattern Project: Undertaking the Making.

Zoot Suit

Photograph © Museum Associates/LACMA