Have you ever noticed that in like the 1940s and 1950s that all men wore the same clothing?

Question

I was looking through a buncha pictures from the 1940s and 1950s and allll the men wear the same thing no matter what race or social stature. they wore long trench coats with top hats LIKE Everyone wore that... does anyone have an idea why most of the men wore like the exact same clothing.. please its really important soo no offense dont say bcuz it was the style back then.... does a trench caot symbolize authroity or power or somin... could that be a reason? here are some links so u kno what im looking at http://themessagingproject.com/great-depression---soupline.jpg and http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s/front.html

Answer 1

There were a multitude of styles and colors during the 40's and 50's. Those pictures you linked were Depression era (1930's).

While then as today, most business men wore dark suits with ties, outside of that you had distinctive styles such as:
Zoot suits, Teddy Boys, Dudes, Greasers, Beatniks, etc. There's probably more but those came to mind.

Trench coats became popular from movies, like Rick Blaine from "Casablanca". Lots of men wanted to be Bogart.

Answer 2

Before the 1920s, most Americans lived on farms. After you left the home you lived within a few miles of your parents, grandparents, siblings, in-laws, cousins, etc. Families were very close knit and usually dressed in the same fashion. Besides, if you were lucky there was a clothing store within a few miles that sold clothes. These usually carried a small selection of work clothes.

By the 20s people started to leave the farms for the big cities. Living away from their parents, men (and especially women) could change the way they dressed. This is the start of the zuit suit and pinstriping. Clothing for men was far more varied then in the past.

The 30s changed that. Spending money on expensive, wild clothing was shunned. People purchased a good suit and some work clothes. Clothing styles became bland (as you can see in the pictures you connected).

The 40s were the war years. Men wore the exact same clothing, military uniforms. Those that weren't in the military had few clothing options as most of the cloth in the nation went to the war effort.

In the 50s most of the men returned home from war. They spent their formative years in the military and were used to dressing the same. Individualism was still unpopular.

The 60s changed everything. As the baby boomers reached their teen years they rebeled against their parents bland style.

Answer 3

These are photos taken during the Great Depression in the 1930's and most ordinary people only had one set of clothes suitable for going out. They were lucky to have that.
In the case of men that was a suit.
(In the photos on the links you provided there are no top hats shown.)
Both men and women, in those days, wore a hat of some kind when they went out. Women usually also wore gloves.

Answer 4

You might add to your project that men still dress uniformly today - in politics. Look at the suits of our politicians. There seems to be very little variety in the colors of the suits and the ties. Why is that? Accepted tradition?
I don't work in the business world, but don't the "suits" - the men working in the business world today - all seem to fit a certain accepted mode of dress?
This is a good idea for a paper on social behavior. Men in some walks of life dress like the "herd" to fit in. Is it to be unnoticed - not stand out - not make waves - be "in style".

In the medical world we wore white coats in the hospitals.
It was an identifier that we were the doctors. Suits tend to mean a businessman rather than a laborer such as a plumber or electrician. That was true in the 40s and 50s and still today. [Plumbers and electricians are very skilled workers, but doing their work in suits would be impractical.]

Answer 5

I grew up during the fifties, and I never noticed.

Part of the answer lies in the fact that heating (and cooling) was limited, back then. One dressed for the weather. A long coat holds the heat better. (No, they were not all "trench" coats, just full-length coats.)

Most clothing was hand-made back then, and patterns were limited. The only variation(s) would be the cloth or wool dyes.

Most of your photography back then was black and white, not color. So, the colors showed up as shades of gray. Look closer at those photos, and you will notice the different shades of gray.

wsulliva

Answer 6

they're prolly wearing the trench coats cuzz its cold outside. however everyone wore the same thing because everyone was scared to express themselves. it was called conformity. every body did the same thing, no one dared to be different until the 60's

Answer 7

folks were just more formal then. dressing properly meant something, a lot more than it does today, and it mean something to everyone, regardless of class or how much money they had, if they had to go out in public, most people would try to look the best they could.

Answer 8

A demob suit!

Seriously, when returning to civvy street, all ex service men got a new suit from the government. all the same pattern - different colours

demob is short for demobilisation

Answer 9

People did not have a lot of choices back then.