Suspenders, or braces as they call them across the pond, are making a serious comeback, but this time they are coming back with a difference. Whilst once they were an understated and functional accessory solely entrusted with the simple if important task of keeping one’s pants up, today they make a much bolder statement entirely.  Whether worn casually with jeans or everyday attire or as an item of formal dress, they bring out the shirt and the man inside it in a completely new and different way. At the same time, the flair they exude ensures that they are not in any way subordinate, but rather they stand proud as an integral feature of the look that you present to the world.

Appearance, Size and Pattern

Because it is all about coordination, it is important that the right look is achieved for the right occasion.  Just as we would all take care to ensure that our shirt matches our jacket and our pants, so to suspenders need to be chosen which are “on message”.  However simple an item of clothing they may be they nevertheless should announce the mood and the intentions of the wearer.

Broadly speaking suspenders come in X-back or Y-back designs, which respectively are pretty much eponymous to the look.  Whilst the former is the more traditional model it is the latter which is definitely more up-to-date.  Or to put it another way, Y-back demonstrates that you are more up with the times whilst X-back probably better serves the objective of keeping your trousers off the floor – which is only really needed if the pants you are wearing mean that is a particular issue.

Equally important is the width of the straps.  Because of their shape and design, it can be quite surprising how much difference an extra half-inch can make to the overall appearance, and to the sentiment that is projected.  As a general rule, narrow suspenders tend to be viewed as more appropriate to casual dress whilst a broader and thicker design is more often seen accompanying formal wear, for business or special occasions.

Creating the Vibe

Suspender straps may be buttoned or clipped on. If buttoned this requires some synchronicity with the waistband of the trousers.  Lastly, colour and pattern obviously have a huge bearing on the vibe that will be created.  A printed design will have fairly much the same impact as a decorative tie, drawing attention towards it from the clothing around.  The tone of the suspender will go a long way towards helping to correctly interpret the mood.

Whatever specification is preferred, the capacity a well-chosen set has for bringing out the inner you should never be underestimated.  When carefully selected they look good, feel comfortable and speak to the onlooker about what and who you are.  Whether it is an occasion for jeans and the casual look or for suited and booted, choose your suspenders thoughtfully and never be afraid of putting on the style.

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Brace Yourself For Some Fashionable Support

Braces (English) or Suspenders (American English) are fabric or leather straps that are fabric or leather straps that are worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. These straps can be elasticated (entirely or at the attachment end) and most of these straps are of a woven cloth forming into an X or Y shape at the back. Braces are typically attached to the trousers with buttons (using leather tabs at the ends) or clips.

Braces should be finished with the traditional button fastenings, not the clips! A true gentleman would never wear clipped braces; it’s simply not the done thing (The Gentleman’s Guide To Dressing)

There have been several predecessors to braces (or suspenders) during the past the past 300 years. The type that we know and use so much today (thanks to the resurgence of the Hipster) are known as the ‘modern type’ and were invented in 1820 by Albert Thurston. Braces were worn almost universally quite simply because of the high cut of mid-nineteenth and early twentieth century trousers, these made wearing a belt uncomfortable, impractical and unstylish.

During the nineteenth century, braces were sometimes called gallouses. It was Samuel Clemens who patented “Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments,” becoming one of the first to receive a United States patent for (suspenders / braces) in 1871. After losing popularity during the first world war, as men became accustomed to uniform belts, braces were still regular attire throughout the 1920’s. Because of their image as ‘underwear’, some men switched to belts during the 1930’s as the waistcoats which had hidden braces became worn less. This also heralded the switch of position of the securing buttons from outside of the waistband to the inside.

GQ magazine stated in 1938 that 60% of men chose belts over braces. Though the return of fuller-cut trousers in the 1940’s revived braces, they did not dominate over belts again to the same extent, however in the UK they remained the norm to wear with suits and dress trousers, right up until today where they are still the darling of the ‘Saville Row’ set as well as those Hipsters.

While braces have been in and out of fashion over the last century (alternating with belts in general preference), there has been a brief resurgence in interest due to the styles seen in films like Wall Street and period dramas such as the 2008 re-make of Brideshead Revisited.

Show business wearers include actor Daniel Craig — particularly as James Bond 007. Many business people, newscasters and professionals such as lawyers also wear braces. Louis Tomlinson from the band One Direction often wears braces.

Narrow, clip-on style braces are also a typical part of skinhead, and to a lesser extent, punk fashion.  In skinhead and punk fashion braces are typically between 3⁄4 and 1 inch (1.9 and 2.5 cm) in width. To some skinheads the colour and placement of braces (either up around the shoulders or hanging down from the waist around their buttocks) may have political significance.

Materials used for making braces have also changed over time, with newer additions such as rayon, a hard-wearing synthetic fibre, now offered as well as the traditional Woolen box cloth (which is exclusive to Albert Thurston) remain available but are very costly, a style often worn by senior lawyers in London. Silks webbing, but generally a high quality rayon and elastic webbing are most common, and occasionally tubed suiting cloths from mills such as Dugdale Bros of England. So, it can be said that braces are very much a fixture of the London establishment(s).

Never under any circumstances should you wear both bet and braces. As Henry Ford once said “How can you trust a man that wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can’t even trust his own pants.”

Good quality smart braces were traditionally considered white collar, or upper or upper middle class wear. They were made to be attached to trousers by buttons sewn onto the waistband. Another noted manufacturer is Leicester based Albert Thurston who have a reputation as a high-end manufacturer and have supplied costume designers for films such as Casino Royale, Skyfall and Wall Street. There are relatively few other manufacturers in the UK, but the classic button-on ‘reform’ end is also quite widely available in the USA, where surprisingly enough it is being given a ´prep school´ upgrade thanks to Tommy Hilfiger.

In traditional or formal settings, it is considered a faux pas to wear both belt and braces at the same time, though this has not always been the case among all classes in the past. Further, braces were traditionally considered as an undergarment and, as such, considered inappropriate for them to be seen. From their invention until World War II, the waistcoat, or a jumper or cardigan for coolness in summer, covered braces for the sake of dignity. Similarly, jumpers and jackets kept the shirt sleeves hidden. In the inter-war period, however, men began removing jackets in public, and so this sensibility was being eroded over time. It is perhaps only in Britain that a few ‘die-hards’ still consider it “gauche” to wear (for example) brightly coloured braces or suspenders without jacket. Generally, it is now considered acceptable fashion, on both sides of the Atlantic, for men’s braces to be seen, and pretty much all of today´s fashion houses nod in agreement to this.

The trousers for suspenders have buttons in order to attach the leather tabs; these may be either on the outside (traditionally) of trousers that do not have belt loops. With belt loops, buttons would be sewn on the inside of the waistband. Such trousers might also have a high back in the fishtail shape, though this is not so common now; this style may also have an additional adjuster strap at the back as well as the two side adjusters placed on most belt-less trousers. Buttons should be placed about 3 to 3.5 inches (7.6 to 8.9 cm) apart, an equal distance from the back seam. At the front, the first button should be set over the main pleat or crease, the second button again about 3 to 3.5 inches (7.6 to 8.9 cm) apart. It is important to place the buttons in the correct position as trousers with braces should be slightly loose to hang correctly.

The herald of androgyny becoming acceptable in fashion meant that it has become fashionable for some younger women to wear braces, (again a style that emerged from both Mod styles in the late 1960´s through to Punk Rock styles of the late 70´s into the 80´s.) One particular exponent of this fashion was Eurhythmics’ vocalist, Annie Lennox, whose fashion styling was akin to cross-dressing as a male character, with her dark suit and red braces. Unisex fashion not only featured women wearing trousers and braces, but men in skirts with braces as an essential accessory. But this however, is an article for another day.

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The modern Braces (Uk English) or Suspenders (American English or Canadian English) were first invented in 1822 by Albert Thurston, since then they have been in and out of fashion over the last two centuries. I have noticed they are stretching their presence once again on fashion conscious celebrities. Have braces weathered the unsavoury associated storm of the Eighties to shine through in 2012 / 2013 as an on-trend “boardroom-chic” accessory?

Braces Or Suspenders?

Here in the United Kingdom men put on braces to hold up their own trousers, suspenders are a belt used to hold up ladies’ tights. To our friends from the United States they are a means of avoiding men’s pants from slipping down. Are you confused, I am.

How Do You Wear Braces

The latest materials used for braces are very exciting for the fashion adventurous this 2013:

• The Black grosgrain (non-stretch) braces with brass hardware and embossed leather fittings are very appealing. The elastic with character images are always a hit.
• Attach braces to jeans opposed to trousers. The image they still present is an element of middle to upper class.
• If you were to only own one pair, then go for the manufacturers like Albert Thurston. They also create, braces that are made to attach to trousers by buttons only.
• If you want to be remembered in interviews right now then embrace the brace.
• The One Direction band members wear loads of braces and in many colours.
• In the last James Bond movie Craig certainly stirred the room with his white braces outfit. If it’s good enough for Daniel Craig, then it’s good enough for you.
• Casual looks can be accessorised with pork pie hats, skinny ties, and even skinnier braces.
• You can find fabulous vintage braces on eBay, Amazon, Topshop, Asos and vintage shops.

If you want to stand out from the norm it takes a real fashion guru to wear braces and make sure you wear them with macho attitude.

Who says braces are uncool

Iceberg 2013 men’s braces / suspenders

G-Star Raw, loving this.

They look great with skinny jeans

One Direction embraces the braces

Vintage and leather braces are the way to go.

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