Dressing Swing

A Brief Intro to What a Hep Swing Cat Wears
How you look is the first thing people notice about you and how you are dressed can say a lot about who or what you are. Most often, the clothes of the 1930s and 40s city dweller is often associated with the swing culture and many swing dancers and swing musicians like to dress the part. Among swing dancers, it tends to be traditional to dress in your best swing dance attire for big dances, particularly those following a day of dance workshop classes. The following is a brief introduction to some of the clothes items associated with swing culture.

SPECTATORS
Spectators are two-toned leather shoes where the toe and heel are one dark color and the rest of the shoe's body is a lighter color. They are often seen in black and white, but they can be found in other color combinations. If the shoe instead has a light colored toe and heel, and a dark body, then it is not a spectator, but rather a "saddle shoe" which is more associated with 50s rock-and-roll (more liked within rockabilly culture, for example). They come in two basic styles, wing tips and caps. True spectators have leather soles (as do many dress shoes) and are great to dance in because they slide easily across the floor. Doc Martin and other similar shoe companies make a "spectator" with thick rubber soles that are heavy and difficult to dance in, thus, you'll want to avoid those brands.
If you are new to swing, and are trying to find someone to show you some moves, look at people's feet. If they are wearing spectators, chances are that you have found a swing dancer.
For a much better explanation on what a spectator is (recommended), follow this link and [Read more about Spectators].

Aris Allen -- These more crisply shaped shoes are starting to take over where Bleyers had been the preferred shoe. These have a hard leather sole and are good as both a dance shoe or as a non-dancing shoe.

Bleyers -- An often recommended brand for swing dancing. These have been the favorites of many competitors and numerous casual dancers. Bleyers are very light, with an good sole and comfortable fit.

Elegance -- They have a few pairs of spectators, but you can mix and match the materials to your liking. Price around and up from $130. Like Bleyers and Aris Allen, these are designed for dancing, but more oriented toward the Tango and Latin dance crowd.

Stacy Adams -- they have been making spectator shoes since the turn of the century. Many of the original zoot suiters wore "Stacys". Nowadays, these can often only be found in stores with a large African-American clientele. (About $50-$150 per pair)

Allan Edmonds -- these are top of the line British dress shoes that run about $250-$300 per pair. Nordstroms can get you factory seconds at a third of that price.

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CHAINS
This use to be the watch chain attached to a swinger's pants that kept him from losing his pocket watch. Nowadays, you'll find people wearing a wallet chain which simulates the look of a watch chain while is still being functional. You might think that long chains that hang past one's knees or even ankles may look great, but they are very inconvenient and often dangerous to dance in.

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PULLIES
Pullies, suspenders, or braces are what hold your pants up. Wear button suspenders rather than alligator clips, it looks better and they hold better. Have buttons sewn into all of your pants that you intend to wear suspenders with. Any pair of quality pants should already have them sewn in at the correct places. Since both suspenders and belts hold pants up, one should wear one or the other, NOT both.

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SPATS
Spats were worn over the cuff of the shoe to accent the color of the shoe and match the suit. Because spats were relatively inexpensive compared to shoes, they allowed one pair of shoes to been worn with a wide variety of colors and patterns. A close fitting pair of spats will work just the same, and with a pair of black shoes, will simulate the look of spectators. A historical irony in this is that it is likely that spectators were designed to simulate the look of wearing spats.

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TIES
A 1930s swinger's tie was often short compared to the modern ones. Trousers were worn high waisted, at least high enough to cover one's navel. Hence, the tie was worn much shorter. Don't wear narrow ties unless you are trying for a 50s look with an appropriate style of pant to combine it with.

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ZOOT SUIT
The wide-shouldered, narrow-cuffed Zoot Suit, featuring high-waisted trousers and a long, draped jacket, helped define the look of some hep cats of the 1940's. It was more popular with the rebellious African-Americans and Latinos of the 1940s rather than those of European descent.

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HAT
A man's hat told you where he stood in the world. The fedora still remains the hat of choice for any gentleman.
The zoot hat, a wide brim fedora or a wide brimmed tando hat was often the final piece of the a zoot suiter's ensemble. The brim of a fedora that is to be worn with a zoot suit should have a brim that is about a half an inch wider than normal (approximately 3 inches as opposed to the more common 2 inches of a regular fedora).

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Jive Terms for Swing Attire

Barkers - Shoes	Long with links - fancy watch/key chain	Squeezer - tight belt
Bluff Cuffs - narrow trouser cuffs	Pinchers - tight pair of shoes	Striders - trousers
Coffee Bags - trouser pockets	Pullies - suspenders	Threads - wardrobe
Dicer - Hat	Racket Jacket - zoot suit	Violin Cases - big shoes
Choker - tie	Reet Pleats - wide pleats	White One - shirt