Typical gangster clothing.

1950's gangsters were often shown in movies and on television, which displayed their distinctive fashion. However, most gangsters in the 1950s projected an image of a typical businessman because of their formal attire. Typical gangster clothing was very similar to the common outfit worn to work by most men in the '50s. It usually included a slim-fitting suit, fedora and a skinny tie with a simple design. However, the way in which the gangsters wear the dinner suits challenges the conventions of a formal look/style as they wear their ties loose with top buttons undone in order to create a look that creates a sense of rebellion and dark violence.

Skinny Necktie

In the 1950s, men's fashion was dominated by conformity. However, there was much advancement in the men's necktie, which became a staple for the '50s gangster. For fashion aficionados or men with money, like a typical gangster, the '40s and '50s were a great time in history for the classic necktie. Men acted and dressed less conservatively after Word War II and therefore, tie designers expanded their necktie lines. The Art Deco look was born through a wider range of man-made fibers, colors and dyes as well as new weaving methods. In the late '50s, ties became very narrow and involved simple designs. Many gangsters wore the skinny tie at the time until the early '60s when the necktie became wider and more colourful.

Fedora

Another distinctive feature of gangsters in the 1950s were their hats, which was commonly a fedora. The gangster fedora originated in the 1930s and came in a variety of colours. Gangsters were looked at negatively as being thieves and murders; however, most gangsters projected an image of a typical businessman because of their formal attire. Some New York designers at the time were requested to make clothing imitating gangsters, which included a fedora, this shows how this type of clothing is influencing and dominating the fashion. Today, the gangster hat and fedora are making a comeback and sold at many hat stores.

 Furthermore, I think that the hat makes the character look ambiguous, mysterious and sinister. It also conforms to the film noir genre and not only do the costumes fit into the film noir genre, the plot/storyline also fits in as typical film noir movies usually focus on gangsters and crime.

Slimmer suits

The typical 1950s gangster dressed very similar to a common businessman not only because of their fedora but also because they wore suits. Men's suit style in the '50s remained more conservative and did not change much from the '40s styles. Suit pants typically hid the cuffs and, in some cases, the pleats. Men's suit jackets were also much slimmer than they are today, and they typically had two to four buttons. Wool was one of the more popular fabrics used for suits, while sharkskin was sometimes worn by wealthier men. Suits were usually paired with a fedora style hat and a skinny tie. The slim-styled suits that were commonly seen on gangsters in the 1950s are making a comeback in today's fashion and sold by many major retailers.

After a lot of careful research, I was able to have a clearer knowledge and understanding as to how gangsters are dressed to express themselves and to give a particular impression among the audience. We have decided as a group to follow the traditional gangster look and not challenge ourselves to offer something unique and different because even in modern mainstream gangster films, the gangsters still wear the same kind of style and if we were to change the look, I highly doubt that the audience would agree with our decision as it is not considered as the norm.