Leisure Suit

The leisure suit was a staple of men's fashion in the 1970s. It had its glory days but now its best suited for a costume party.

When one thinks of the free swinging style or the lounge act, this usually comes to mind. The idea behind these abominations came from the idea of having menswear or suitwear that would be worn outside of the office or during off-time. Why you wouldn't just wear jeans and a t-shirt, I have no idea?

This fashion was characterized by the cheap polyester fabrics. The mass-produced synthetic fibers made it easy for the common guy to pick up a couple of these. Most are two piece and not really meant to be worn with a tie or nice dress shirt. Since they were a sort of reaction to the stiff officewear common at the time, you would often see loud designs and colors. I mean LOUD! Baby blues and oranges were all the rage. It was kind of a way to bring 1960s rebelliousness into the suitwear market.

I consider these a little different from the disco suit that John Travolta wore in Saturday Night Fever. His was more of a three-piece white combo that he just wore very casually.

Now, it kind of connotates a sleazy, cheesy, and horny guy that goes to clubs a little under his age range. In fact a whole range of games called Leisure Suit Larry capitalized on this look in the 1980s and 90s. They were hilarious and definitely helped show off the whole lounge lizard culture.

As I said, these are still very popular for 70s parties. Many thrift stores rock these and their also easy to find in vintage clothing shops as well. Some leisure wear lovers have even created conventions for these.