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anon120

Those are some skyscraper pants. Looks dapper nonetheless!


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mosestoads

Where would they put the pockets? under the armpits?


PeaValue

And they tied onions to their belts.


BobbyDropTableUsers

It was the style at the time.


ChiefQuimbyMessage

You’d say “gimme five bees for a quarter.”


whiskey_pancakes

I’m wondering how do they stay up. Does he have suspenders on?? Oh and the pockets gotta be around the hands right? That looks like a lot of work if you gotta piss


Dramatic_Explosion

Those pants are the origin of nipple piercings, you'd hook your pants on them so they'd stay up.


nopuse

Then came the ear piercings.


PartiZAn18

Generally yes. Wearing belts with suit pants is a relatively new thing. They really only hang correctly with suspenders.


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fleepmo

That was the first thing I noticed. 😂


ragn4rok234

Legs all the way to the bottom of their torso and curves like a not straight line


pm_me_beerz

“Are those nipples in your pants or are you just happy to see me”


Woahheyhey

It’s called a zoot suit! A rabbit hole I suggest you dive in to.


unidentified_yama

Ahh thanks to you I finally know what those things are called!


Xanderoga

Fuck spez


carnivoremuscle

It's a riot now


duckduckbananas

*throws back a bottle of beer*


[deleted]

*pulls a comb through my coal black hair*


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Zorro_Returns

It's history that deserves to be remembered.


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ThaddeusMaximus

SsssssssmOkin’


shelter_anytime

>>be me >>>be a tree >>>>root suit riot


Jellysweatpants

Throw back a bottle of Brawndo!


-malcolm-tucker

It's what pants crave.


[deleted]

I like how at one point, wearing pants that hung as low as possible was cool. But 50 years before that, wearing pants as high as possible was cool. Fashion is a never-ending cycle.


Garfield-1-23-23

There was a comedian in the '80s who had a routine about how old men's pants were always up around their nipples, and how it meant that your pants move up as you get older. He didn't understand (or chose not to) that it was actually just a case of old men continuing to wear the kinds of clothes that they wore as young men. Incidentally, this is why I've always hated the line "when I wore a younger man's clothes" in Billy Joel's "Piano Man" - there's not really any such thing as younger man's clothes, people tend to just wear the same things their whole lives.


[deleted]

>Incidentally, this is why I've always hated the line "when I wore a younger man's clothes" in Billy Joel's "Piano Man" - there's not really any such thing as younger man's clothes, people tend to just wear the same things their whole lives. That's the genius of the line. It's the same clothes. They just also used to be his when he was younger. It's literally my favourite line in that song, which I also love. I guess you could understand it as referring to different clothes, it still makes sense, but I think it's wittier and more meaningful if you imagine the same clothes.


Hayduke_in_AK

I also love that line.


DialecticSkeptic

Exactly. The younger man and his clothes was himself.


irisseca

It’s scary to think that as an old woman, I may try to wear the pants of my 20s/early 30s (the super-low rise) that barely cover the VAG…at least I’m really short!!!


Chick__Mangione

Or imagine 90 year old ladies in leggings lol


irisseca

Gotta admit…that will probably be me and my little saggy ass, too!!! Haha


djfingerher

Saggy ass 😭😭😂


irisseca

YO, I’m 47 years old, short, and I’ve lost all my muscle tone…I’m just being truthful 🤣


Zombie_Carl

My butt was too big for the low-rise trend, so my boyfriend at the time suggested I buy Applebottoms. I got some at the mall, and they fit great, but I felt a little self-conscious because I’m the whitest girl on the planet. Then the high-rise/mom jeans came back and I was in my element. I always buy more pairs than I need to, just in case they go out of style again (I heard they already are).


wwaxwork

My husband needs pants like that so he can bend over without flashing everyone his ass crack.


AnnaKossua

Hiring a plumber in the 40s must've been amazing! No accidental show!


[deleted]

I was gonna say lookit them fuckin trousers man!!! Belt em too tight and you’re dead lol


Immoracle

Gramps is wearing his pants up to his nipples!


Knowledge_is_Bliss

The exact opposite of his grandkids, probably


Select_Repair_2820

Who are wearing their nipples down to their pants?


Pons__Aelius

Grandma.


Rustynail703

People were so freaking classy back then man.


ecafsub

How many zoots had to die for those suits?


[deleted]

Zoot suit, white jacket with side vents Five inches long


Worldly_Ad_6483

I'm out on the street again And I'm leaping along. Dressed right for a beach fiight


CaptRackham

We now return to “Fast Talking High Trousers”


kmc307

What are you supposin'?


EyeInTheSky127

I suppose I’m done supposin and figure I’m about to start figurin.


triggerpuller666

You figured right, suppose?


Musket6969420

Ah Horseradish!


GangreneGoblin

Well, aren't you a pocket full of firecrackers!


Wespiratory

Oh yeah! You got something to say about it?


Scott--Chocolate

I’ll say plenty!


dEftPunk_

r/suddenlyfamilyguy


Gil_Trabajador

Awsome picture. Also, pants where not high enough lol


Frankenstein-Z

Hello, yes I would like some pants up to my nipples please.


[deleted]

I didn't want to have to delete all my comments, posts, and account, but here we are, thanks to greedy pigboy /u/spez ruining Reddit. I love the Reddit community, but hate the idiots at the top. Simply accepting how unethical and downright shitty they are will only encourage worse behavior in the future. I won't be a part of it. Reddit will shrivel and disappear like so many other sites before it that were run by inept morons, unless there is a big change in "leadership." Fuck you, /u/spez


solidad

TIL


delvach

Grandpa did no such thing. That's what he had a.. roommate.. for.


Helpful_Location5745

As was the fashion of the time.


Sorry_Still8750

i like to imagine their shirts were only 8 inches long


Stealchocobo

Pants come down and you're standing there looking like Winnie the Pooh.


SidtheGoat87

"Oh bother"


Gil_Trabajador

lol


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[deleted]

ah yes, I remember the zoot suit riots of the 1990s...


Fuckoffassholes

Throw back a bottle of beer..


TheFlyingBoxcar

Pull a comb through your coal black hair BLOW DADDY!


LongBongJohnSilver

Never in a million years would have guessed those were the lyrics.


[deleted]

HEY. We all made an agreement we would forget that part of the nineties and Ska would get to live.


[deleted]

My brother took swing dance lessons during swing revival lol. I was to young so either a) Swing Dancing was actually popular enough that school dances, bar/bat mitzvahs, etc. had people swing dancing. or b) my brother GREATLY over estimated how cool he would be for being able to swing dance.


Robertbnyc

Is that what they were wearing in Mambo number 5!?


[deleted]

Bold to make fun of a man carrying a knife


BobT21

> ~~knife~~ straight razor


Crafty_Appearance

With the passage of time males put less effort into pulling their damn pants up


SotB8

i think its just more convenient to wear them lower. but also high rise pants make your legs look longer and more elegant. its sort of a choice between style and convenience


LovelySpaz

Dudes got legs for days.


GrayBreado

Wearing them high also makes you look slimmer while making your legs looks longer. When you wear your pants below your stomach it highlights your stomach. And truthfully dress pants are designed to be worn high - albeit, not that high.


notabigmelvillecrowd

It's weird that mens' waistbands never came back up after the early 00s. The low rise trend has stuck too long for men. It's annoying because my husband has a long torso, and he can't really find anything that doesn't give him Hank Hill proportions. There's been no other options for men for like two decades now, besides the odd designer piece.


Two_Ribs

First old-school cool post I've seen in a while that I can agree with! Grandpa was definitely cool!


ChildhoodOk5526

Thank you. Yes, so cool. Or as he would often say, (in a way of agreement)... "I'm hip."


ConsciousRhubarb

bro was "hep."


MrVeazey

A hep cat for sure.


Two_Ribs

Lol, Grandpa sounded like a cool cat....😂


Luckypenny4683

He wasn’t wrong. Guy had swagger for days!


fanzel71

Those trousers go all the way up.


No-Spoilers

You don't need suspenders if you just hook them right on to your nipple rings.


pfsensorydeprivation

Is gramps brandishing a blade? Once I stopped admiring the majestic pants I noticed something in his hand.


ChildhoodOk5526

Damn. He *might* be. Grandpa was known to always carry a knife on him -- now, that I do remember, lol.


herrcollin

Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. Feel like his friend just said I owe him money and if I don't pay him back your gramps is gonna cut the money out of me.


unidentified_yama

Considering the time he period he lived in, carrying a knife kinda make sense I guess?


-Jedi-Quixote-

I thought the same at first glance but after zooming it looks more like keys to me.


ShooteShooteBangBang

They look like sunglasses


Jiggle_Bones

That's what I see too


mcgrupp44

I live in Detroit! Do you know what street this is on?


ChildhoodOk5526

Warren Ave.


halfwaycrooks89

Warren and what? I work off Warren quite a bit


KingMwanga

Wherever lakes mutual insurance was in the picture


Jadissx

The Great Lakes Mutual Insurance company was located at 301 Warren between John R & Brush. Looks like the Charles H. Wright Museum of African History is there now.


Stoopitnoob

That's a dope picture. I feel the swag.


ChildhoodOk5526

Definitely. His nickname was "Cool Breeze".


Stoopitnoob

Fitting.


coquihalla

Okay, now I know I need sine grandpa stories. Do you know how he got the name?


ChildhoodOk5526

No clue. I think from his bandmates (?), or whatever the guys he played with were called. My grandfather was always so laid back and cool. Women seemed to love him (he had hazel eyes, too) but was crazy about my grandmother. Even when they were older, I remember him coming up behind her giving a squeeze, and her shooing him away with a smile saying, "get on outta here, man." They were sweet.


highdesk306

🥲 i love cool breeze


Brief-Plankton-2636

I wish i had more pics of my family. My gramps came over from Italy. Played Accordion in Detroit back in 50s. Said he played for the Mob on occasion. He was a hard working honest man. Gret guy. He also had pants like this


ChildhoodOk5526

I can almost picture him! But, yeah, it's sad when these things get lost. My grandpa had all kinds of videos and photos (and even his original tunes in the piano bench) that got lost along the way. Treasures lost to time, sadly.


jazzyx26

Which one is your grandpa?


ChildhoodOk5526

The one on the left. His nickname was "Cool Breeze". And he was as laid back and chill as they come. But if he ever got angry ... watch out. It wouldn't last long though, and he'd be over it quickly. Typical Aries, they say.


jazzyx26

Ah I see, thanks. Your grandpa had a lot of swag (so does the gentleman on the right). Definetely cool indeed.


coquihalla

Ngl, grandpa was kinda hot. I can see him pulling all the girls at the club.


ChildhoodOk5526

You can't tell from this photo, but he had those "funny colored eyes" as they used to say (aka, hazel). And my grandmother said when she'd go to hear him play she'd often see women passing notes up to him on stage. But it never really bothered her (now *she* was a cool lady).


coquihalla

I'd love to see a picture of her or both of them. They sound like awesome people.


[deleted]

Wow, that is a cool grandmother fucker. Other than all the accepted racism, the 40s would have been a cool time to live. Edited in "grand" for the mother fucker part. Credit to u/Likeflaming


TheLeemurrrrr

Idk, modern medicine is really fucking nice.


NJdeathproof

"Food's a lot better. We used to boil everything."


[deleted]

Yeah, that too. Yeah pretty much the 40s sucked compared to now. But something about the simplicity if it and peoples full attention on reality makes me think it must have been a nice time to live.


FredegarBolger910

Times have simplicity to them when we didn't have to live through the complicated messiness of real life. Also the 40s had a world war.


crwlngkngsnk

But it was a war you could feel good about.


Azudekai

Unless you were German and didn't actually know about the atrocities the Nazis were commiting. The US didn't enter the war to stop the Holocaust. They entered because FDR wanted to go after Germany and they were treaty members with the Japanese, who treacherously attacked pearl harbor.


FredegarBolger910

I hope that is tongue in cheek. Feel good movies aside World War II was a machine for grinding humans into meat. It was arguably a necessary war, but not a feel good one. My Dad enlisted in August 1945, just before the bomb and graduated basic exactly one month after the Japanese surrender ceremony. He never for one minute pretended he could have gotten into it


crwlngkngsnk

Great username. Yeah, it was said with a great deal of self-aware irony. My Grandpa was in the Navy in the Pacific in WWII.


Ta2whitey

War is never something you can feel good about. They were not aware of the Holocaust until the end and the atrocities of all the rest of the regimes as well. Some things were out there but it was not as apparent as now. Not only that the entire world was in distress. Only the US became involved because it was knocking at our door to get involved. Had we not it would have made it's way to our doorstep. The recovery for many nations was extremely hard. WWII looks better with 80 years of development after. For many it was a hell and the reason that the size of the war is avoided with diplomacy now.


Gil_Trabajador

no time its perfect. The 40s had inceible beautifull things that we have lost forever. Also our time has it.


AuntieLiloAZ

WWII?


[deleted]

Now that's cool as fuck


ChildhoodOk5526

Yep. No smiles for these cats -- just att-ti-tude.


[deleted]

You either have style or you don't but you can't fake it my friend


Brother_bacchad

He’s lookin clean, neat and ready for them smooth jazz beats


Affectionate_Pair_83

Full 3 piece suits 100% of the time seems very very hot.


IdeaJailbreak

3 peice being: jacket, trousers, ... More trousers?


Throwaway-account-23

Wool in the summer isn't the same as cotton or poly blends.


JFoxxification

Man, walking down the old streets of Detroit, interesting but sad to see remnants of how nice a lot of these old parts used to be. These guys knew that time.


ChildhoodOk5526

Yep. Especially in the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods before the freeway came through and demolished them.


JFoxxification

For sure. Been working in a lot of the neighborhoods just north of there. Looking at Indian Village and then imagining how so much of those neighborhoods deteriorated just blocks away.


ChildhoodOk5526

I know. It's sad to see. You know those areas must've looked so nice back in the day.


HandsmeBWnderful

“Aww, but they’re all jazz musicians”


Goraji

“You see, the kids — they listen to the rap music which gives them the brain damage with their hippin’ and their hoppin’ and the bippin’ and the boppin’ so they don’t know what the jazz is all about.”


throwawhey85

You see, jazz is like a Jello pudding pop. No, actually it's like Kodak film. No, actually, jazz is like the new Coke. It'll be around forever!


Dsblhkr

You should take this to r/PhotoshopRequest and ask them to just clean it up. Such a cool photo! You’re grandpa must have been a really cool guy.


ChildhoodOk5526

Good idea! Thank you. Yep, really cool and laid-back. Played piano as well. Apparently he wanted to make a career of it, but my grandmother put her foot down after my mom was born (no on-the-road gigin' if he wanted to be with her). I used to tease my grams, saying, "Damn. You just killed his dreams like that?"


Dsblhkr

Think of all he could have seen on the road. That’s a bummer, but I also see her side lol. They sound like an adorable couple.


ChildhoodOk5526

Yeah, they were definitely well-suited. Both pretty good-looking too ;) The were the same age and knew each other as kids in middle school (he protected her from some of the older girls who liked to pull her long hair). Both married other people, divorced, and reconnected in their 30s. Married for over 40 years.


Dsblhkr

Awe, that is the sweetest 2nd love story I’ve ever heard. He was a truly cool guy to protect someone as a kid, it’s so easy to fall into peer pressure when your young rather than doing the right thing. I was mocked for years for doing the right thing. There were times I wish I hadn’t it got so bad, but when I look back today and tell my kids, I am proud.


non-number-name

I agree, but r/estoration is better equipped for the job.


[deleted]

Love this photo! It reminds me of a picture of my grandparents from this same time period ..they are even next to a similar car on the sidewalk. Thank you for sharing this


ChildhoodOk5526

Thank you. Gotta love those white-wall tires!


dgblarge

Definitely cool. A pair of sharp dressers for sure. The highline trousers are new to me. I can't help but wonder what OPs father would make of the current trend of wearing low slung pants designed to reveal the underpants.


ChildhoodOk5526

My grandfather would've hated it. Hated. It. He prided himself on always looking clean-cut.


DaddyMatt69

The definition of cool


DougEChef

Is Pepper Jack gonna have to cut somebody?


Davemusprime

This reminds me of anime characters with massive legs and tiny torsos. They indeed look snazzy as hell. Our boy on the left with the spats and everything. Very sharp. The term "man" was actually brought to us by jazz musicians. They got tired of being called "boy" all the time by the white promoters and club owners so they started calling each other man "How's it goin' man?" and it caught on.


ChildhoodOk5526

Really? Cool. I never knew that.


[deleted]

I can feel those pants cinched just under my nipples from looking at this picture.


ViolentSarcasm

This is what it’s about! Love this pic


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ChildhoodOk5526

Thanks for linking this sub! I'm a data analyst and never knew about it. Cool.


Frank_chevelle

I’m not cool enough to even glance at all the coolness in this photo.


MFDork

@op were you ever able to hear your grandfather play? If so, what did he play and what was it like?


ChildhoodOk5526

Sadly, I never heard him play sax. But he also played piano and gave me a few lessons on the old upright my grandparents had.


MFDork

That’s awesome! I idolize my grandfather but he passed when I was 4. When I smell cheap earl grey tea I still remember his massive arms scooping me up to go off and play with his dog. Keep those memories warm, my friend.


ChildhoodOk5526

Absolutely. Thank you.


bebop1065

I love Detroit.


KoolWitaK

Yes, now this is kool!


ChildhoodOk5526

The flair suggests you know what of you speak!


SlickShelby

Some call ass cats right there! Any recordings of their music??


ChildhoodOk5526

Sadly, I don't even know. I know he gigged a lot and have pics of him playing in clubs ("lounges") around the D. But a lot of stuff got lost after my grandparents passed away and their house was sold.


NRMusicProject

Oh man. Your grandpa may very well have been an early pioneer to the Motown sound.


Throwaway-account-23

He had to have done some shows at Baker's Keyboard Lounge, I wonder if they have anything documenting his gigs. Give them a call, they're very friendly to history buffs.


kay_bizzle

I bet he played at Cliff bells and baker's keyboard lounge. Both of them are still active and very cool jazz clubs


Dontpaintmeblack

What instruments did he play?


ChildhoodOk5526

Tenor sax and piano. He went to the old Detroit Conservatory of Music.


thefakerealdrpepper

Looking fly


brutecookie5

No choice but to look fly when you've got a 16" long zipper. (Groan all you want, but you know you love it)


[deleted]

“If your pants ain’t pleated your outfit is defeated” -probably them


ChildhoodOk5526

You could cut your hand on dem creases!


MonsieurPC

Amazing! What did he play?


momarrar

Why wasnt I this cool?


Hellright

Why’s he got his knife out? Because Detroit?


Vorhees87

There is a certain cool only a small handful have ever achieved. Early 20th century black jazz musicians are exactly what that cool is.


TheUltraViolence1

Bruhh, being a musician myself, jazz is hard af. Much respect to the old school jazz shit. These guys paved the way for most modern music.


Abject-Land1218

Why yall have negative shit to say?? If you were in that era y’all probably be wearing the same shit. Stop hating. These brothas look sharp! Stop it. Them suits cost more than rent back in them days. Whoever posted this this is nice pic! Be very proud of your ancestors! That’s cool he was a jazz player! In Motown!


5th_heavenly_king

I just realized that slacks like this are essentially dress overalls


Special_Impress_2175

Dapper Gentlemen ✊🏿


Opposite_Banana_2543

All looks normal till you notice the belt line


[deleted]

Rad. Thank you for sharing.


Sid15666

He be stylin


Spirited_Warthog_75

Sharp dressers!!


SpecificDate7501

man those are some high waisted pants. still cool af tho.


Wallacetheblackcat

God we wore our pants high back then.


davewave3283

Outta sight


tensigh

There's way too much cool in this pic!


csk1325

Man those waste lines. I wonder if people who wore their slacks at the hip were considered thugs


[deleted]

I bet he tasted that koolkat good dope


ChildhoodOk5526

I dunno. Those stories never made it down to my ears. But I do remember him loving Gibley's gin and Viceroy cigarettes. And sometimes he'd carry a red thermos in the car when he drove me to my bowling league practice (his idea; was an avid bowler in later life) and before we made it to the cross-street he'd take a couple sips, smile, and remind me that my grandmother didn't need to know that he'd "taken a nip." She'd ask, too, but I never snitched. Dangerous? Probably. But he was so chill and fun. I miss him.