GRFR(12)NOTES (3)

[Paul Mackin]

Thanks, Terrance. I had another thought after writing my post. People
would stand around on street corners and swing these chains in wide arcs
around their index fingers. It was a kind of menacing gesture and phallic
too I suppose.  Think that's where my memory of keys rather than watches
comes from. Also I may be completely fantasizing the whole thing. :-)

		P.

On Mon, 18 Oct 1999, Terrance F. Flaherty wrote:

> It comes from Harold Fox's Obituary. He claimed to have
> created and named the zoot? 
> 
> In my day, they were worn to costume parties, so what do I
> know. 
> 
> TF
> 
> Paul Mackin wrote:
> > 
> > On Mon, 18 Oct 1999, Terrance F. Flaherty wrote:
> > >
> > > GR.251.1 Zoot
> > > the zoot suit--a wide-shouldered jacket with
> > > high-waisted pants, often offset by a long-chained
> > > watch--favoured by fops of the 1940s
> > 
> > Where did the info come from that zoot suiters had watches on the ends of
> > the chains. The long chain dangling down to the level of the radically
> > pegged trousers was de rigour in a zoot suit but as I recall there would
> > only be a set keys on the end. Of course  who knew what these menacing
> > pachuchos (as they were called) had in their pockets in addition to
> > the assumed switch blades. We anglo high school kids in wartime LA
> > tried not to get too close to them although we admired their life
> > style and affected modified zootdress ourselves, if not the jackets at
> > least the pegged trousers and key chains. Actually pocket watches had
> > almost passed out of existence by that time and surely weren't being
> > manufactured and didn't come back into fashion until years later. The few
> > you could steal would never have meet need.
> > 
> >                         P.
>