Late 50's fashion. Costumers Please.?

Question

Looking for information from costumers about appropriate clothing for a play set in the late 50's for a 40-50 year old man. Specifically:

Tie style (wide, medium, skinny)
Hat style (Fedora?) Color?
Suit style? I'm hoping to use a 3 button single breasted, black with notch collar, unvented suit.

The play is Raisin in the sun

Answer 1

Ties were more commonly medium to wide widths, patterns included diagonal stripes and paisley. Solids weren't popular.
Fedoras were usually browns, charcoals, or navy.
Suits were more single breasted than double, with wide lapels, vented for comfort, and navy, charcoal, or other shades of gray. Black was reserved for funerals and tuxedos. The suit you suggested is a little too modern for a 50's look.

If the costume doesn't have to be something this character was wearing at work, but just at home or other casual settings, consider a cardigan instead of a suit jacket. A nice pair of slacks with the dress shirt and cardigan was one of the most popular looks in the 50's.
Think "Pleasantville", not "Grease."

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/fashion/fashion-m.htm

Answer 2

Tie style -- they ranged from medium to skinny. But the Windsor knot was the most popular.
Hat style -- the 50s was the big divide. Older men wore fedoras, usually dark brown, grey or black.
Suit style -- They had a back vent, but otherwise, what you have described sounds good.
Shirt should be solid color, usually white, and long sleeved. Short sleeve shirts or patterned shirts were regarded as casual wear and were not appropriate with suits. There was a brief period when men wore solid color shirts (including pink) with white colors, which was considered pretty jazzy but was worn mostly by the young bucks, not the middle aged man you are describing.
Good luck with the play. Which one are you doing?