Traje de conserje

 Lorca's King of Harlem is dressed in a "traje de conserje." This is commonly translated as a "janitor's suit." Yet I have pictured it in my mind as a doorman, dressed up a bit with a top hat, almost the opposite image. He's the king of Harlem because he is well dressed? Maybe at a nightclub or hotel?  

The word can mean building superintendent (who does maintenance), concierge, doorman. Don't forget that the word janitor means doorman too, etymologically. Doesn't it come from Janus? 

How are we picturing the janitor's suit in New York, 1929? I guess I'd have to go back and look at photos or films from the period. In The New Janitor (1914) Chaplin wears a tie but is shabbily dressed.  Same for Buster Keaton in a similar role. 

Could black men be doormen in the 1920s in New York? Surely for Harlem jazz club. Maybe Lorca would have said portero if he meant that, but a portero can also do cleaning tasks. 

Perhaps I'm overthinking it. I'm thinking subservient and out of place, but at the same time a bit dressy.