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ASanta suit is a suit worn by a person portraying thelegendary figureSanta Claus. The modern American version of the suit can be attributed to the work ofThomas Nast forHarper's Weekly magazine, although it is often thought thatHaddon Sundblom designed the suit in his advertising work forThe Coca-Cola Company. Sundblom's work did standardize the western image of Santa, and popularized the image of the red suit with white fur trim. This has become the image of the American Santa, while in some European countries whereSaint Nicholas remains popular, the outfit worn is closer to religious clothing, including a Bishop'smitre.
The first appearance of a modernSanta Claus, complete with what we consider to be the Santa suit was in drawings byThomas Nast. Nast's original drawings were of a small Santa who could slide down chimneys, but his later works made him full size. He was also the first to draw Santa wearing a red suit, a fur-linedstocking cap, and a wide belt with a large buckle.[1]
Prior to Nast's work, Santa's outfit was tan in color, and it was he that changed it to red,[2] although he also drew Santa in a green suit.[3] This change is often attributed to the work ofHaddon Sundblom, who drew images of Santa in advertising for theCoca-Cola Company since 1931. Although Sundblom's work certainly changed the perception of Santa Claus, the red suit was shown on the covers ofHarper's Weekly at least forty years before his work for the soda company was published.[2][self-published source?][self-published source] The Coca-Cola Company itself has attributed the red color of the suit to Nast's earlier work.[4][5] Prior to theCoca-Cola advertising, the image of Santa was in a state of flux. He was portrayed in a variety of forms, including both the modern forms and in some cases as agnome. It was Sundblom's work which standardised the form of Santa to the earlier Nast work, including the red suit outfit.[3]
There are regional differences in the type of suit thatSanta Claus wears. Typically in theUnited States, which has also shaped Santa's "global" image through commercialisation,[6][7] he wears a white fur trimmed red jacket and pants with a broad buckled belt, a matching hat, and black boots.[3] In a number of regions whereSaint Nicholas still remains popular (such as theLow Countries orAustria), the outfit is closer to that of the saint, being a long robe and a Bishop'smitre.[8]
In fact, when Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus forHarper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported theUnion. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he's known for today.
