As I ventured out into the world, I was shocked to find that other people knew how to play softball and even had softball teams. I would tell people that I always thought that softball was a Chicago game and only Chicagoans knew about it. Now I know why. At the Chicago Historical Society, it is noted that Softball was invented in Chicago as a indoor game and Chicago had the first softball team in 1887 and was called softball in 1926. BUT, I have found that I have yet to find someone who knows what Piggy is if they are not a Chicagoan. Piggy One is mentioned in a rap song and I immediately (after sorting out the icky language) recognized the author as a Chicagoan. They also mention Fun Town and Ju Town and a Polish. Dead give aways.

I then started to think about the way we used to dress. Another Chicago Only peculiarity.  Ivy League or Gouster. I was a Gouster. I loved the freedom. I believe a Southside Gouster was neater than a Northside Gouster. Most kids I grew up with were Ivy League, wore the tight pants, buttoned down collar, shirt buttoned all the way up and a collegian hair cut, very short and lined.


Well, I was just thinking about the Chicago Gousters and thought that I would go on Google to see if I could find some. I went to images, put in 'Chicago Gousters' and came up with a barrage of images, but not one Gouster. Not ONE. Yes, they had images of Cooley High, North side wannabes, but Gousters were very neat and loved their pleats.  One of the images on Google=

 BUT, don't worry, there are several other images that I am going to collect to show the Gouster look.
 By the way, Gousters also had props. The hat, the cane, suspenders, sunglasses.

 Sometimes a chain or rings.

A dead give away for a Gouster, male or female was another prop...the belt. You NEVER tied or fasted you belt that looped through your jacket. The loops were not on the sides but were mostly near the rear on the sides and you just put the belt through the loops and let it hang. This way, you can also show off your suspenders.

 Gouster girls wore the hoop earrings and fluffy hair. If it were the 70s, she would be the one with the Afro, but instead she wore the curly hair, puffed up. She wore pleated skirt with suspenders that matched. If she really wanted to roll, she and her boyfriend, best friend, or brother would visit Cherry the Tailor in Woodlawan at 63rd and Cottage Grove and he would create a pattern on a Banlon shirt to go with the skirt and when you walked down the street together you were so cool.

 Usually the Banlon shirt was worn without the jacket or cane. But, every once in a while you would see a brother with a cane with his Banlon if it matched a hat (known as a crown) he had on.

These days you can see the Gouster 'look' on Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac on his DVDs of the Bernie Mac show.

Here is a picture of some Gousters in the late 50s, early 60s:  Notice that the pants hit the shoes. Ivy Leaguers' pants were a little above the ankle, tight as they were. 

Another example of a Gouster, notice hat and suspenders:

When you go to a stepper set, you can always tell the professionals or the ones who go on a regular basis, they dress like the following.  (Dress to impress)

As I stated, when I grew up in East Chatham, a neighborhood in Chicago, most of the guys were Ivy Leaguers. West Chatham had many Gousters,  but we were not allowed to hang with them. They lived on the other side of the Dan Ryan or State Street, at the time. But, my family went to Grace Presbyterian Church which was an historical church started by Ms Ida B Wells and I met a fascinating Gouster there by the name of Walter L Tolson. Walter had a brother named Claude, also another young man who  dressed in the Gouster fashion, but Walter had, what they call today...swag. He looked good dancing and he went to church. LOL That was my short experience with a Gouster because I was about 13 years old and then we went to Los Angeles. A world without Gousters. 

by Qelilah Solomon