Y-back vs X-back Styles

One of the special things about wearing braces is the different styles they come in. By style, I mean the structure of the straps on the torso. Brace straps can go:

• vertical on both the front and the rear (which I'll refer to as "parallel straps")
• vertical on the front and cross/come together at the back ("standard straps"), or
• crossed on the front, and crossed on the back ("crossed straps")

99% of the time the straps are worn vertically in the front and crossed in the rear. This is the most comfortable to wear and convenient to put the straps on and off.

Before we dive into the standard strap structure let's review the other two styles. First, the crossed straps may look fashionable, but this is very distracting to have a large X in the front of your chest. For ladies, this it probably uncomfortable as it sits in the wrong place. I managed to find one photo of someone crossing the straps in the front (see right).

Second, the parallel brace straps run over the shoulders and attach to the same side on both the front and back. The straps are not connected to each other at the rear. As a result, when they don’t have sufficient tension in the straps they will easily slip from the shoulders, as nothing is holding them together. This style was the original design of braces. People eventually found that the straps slipped off their shoulders. They needed a better way to keep the straps from slipping off by holding them together at the rear. As such, people joined the straps together at the center back (H-back) or crossing the straps at the rear X-back styles.

The H-back style connects the two straps at the back, but does not cross them. These braces effectively support the pants and do not slip off the shoulders. In fact, lederhosen are designed around the H-back style. Wear H-back braces if you can find them, as they are rare.

Now onto the standard styles. They come in 2 styles: crossed over (X-back) or join (Y-back). 

Y-back braces have shoulder straps that join together at the mid-point of the back and then go into a single strap to attach to the pants. Sometimes the elastic continues down the single strap, sometimes it stops at the junction (as shown below).

Y-back braces

 

Y-back braces

 

An older variation on the Y-back style is the V-back, shown below. This was the style up to the 1950s to accommodate the higher waistlines of pants. The vertical strap was not necessary as the rear waistline rose higher on the man's shoulders.

V-back braces

Vintage photo of V-back braces

 

X-back go down over the shoulders and cross-over to the other side, generally sewn together at the junction. This allows the button placement to be broader along the rear of the pants. 

 

Jeans with X-back style braces

Where the waistline is small, say a 32 or 34 inch waistline, the Y-back style provides plenty of support at the rear. However, once the waistline is above 38 inches, and especially at 40, having Y-back style to only support the center becomes ineffective. The additional fabric on larger pants requires more support spread along the waistline. As such, it is more appropriate to use X-back design to support the larger waistline. As such, X-back braces are recommended for portly individuals. To illustrate, this gentleman is wearing a large waist size. He should have opted for X-back style rather than the Y-back braces he's wearing to support the rear of his pants over a broader area:

Y-back braces with large pants

 

I'd recommend he wear X-back braces like these shown below to provide better overall support at the rear of his pants.

X-back braces with large pants

I've worn both Y-back and X-back styles and find them both comfortable. Y-back braces with inverse-U tabs have a slight bulge as the leather twists around the U at the top. This extrudes slightly, so when you lean back on a flat surface, the bulge sticks into your back and can become uncomfortable. X-back braces do not have this bulge and so can be more comfortable when sitting in a chair.

Notice the total of 4
brace buttons on the back

Fish-tail back Y-back braces

Some people suggest that Y-back are more stylish than X-back. I disagree. I think they are both stylish. From a functional perspective, there are advantages for each. Y-back attaches to the middle of the pants, and provide adequate support for smaller waistlines. But they can provide the random wedgie. When button-on Y-back braces are used, the space between the buttons is generally about 4 inches, and can cause the pants to ride up. This look is desired when wearing a fish-tail back such as those illustrated to the left.

The junction on X-back braces cross higher on the back and thus can be spaced wider apart when they reach the pants. I've worn pants with buttons placed 6 inches apart. This allows X-back braces to anchor approximately one-third the distance on the back of the pants and provide better support over the larger distance. Thus, when you need to hold up the pants, X-back is preferred. As such, when I wear jeans, I usually wear X-back braces as I need to keep my jeans supported while I work throughout the day.

 

If your braces are made for it, you can add two more connection points to X back to have a total of 4, and ensure your pants are secure. Notice how level the pants are to the right.

X-back braces may also have the added benefit of positioning the junction at the correct height, relative to the wearer. This is important for people with sloped shoulders. When the junction is lower on the back, the shoulder straps will have a tendency to slip down the sloped shoulders and even slip off. This is annoying and doesn’t serve the braces purpose. To solve this problem, the junction should be raised higher on the back, closer to the neck, while still being comfortable. X-back braces generally have a movable junction to facilitate this. 

When I see someone wearing suspenders or braces, I’m always curious as to the rear design – are they X-back, Y-back, or something else? When I see someone approaching wearing braces, I always turn around to look at their back side. As they pass I usually smile and complement them on their braces.
 

I also look at where the buttons positioned along the waistband; are they above the main pleat and side steam or randomly positioned? These telling signs indicate if the wearer knows how to wear braces or not.

Braces can also slip off your shoulders if the junction is too low, as illustrated below. As the junction is movable, she should raise it up to her shoulder blades:

The junction on these braces is not movable, but is at the correct height. Notice also the fish-tail back of this lady's style:

If the back junction cannot move, you can effectively raise the junction by adding tabs from excess materials of the pants, like this:

Pants with tabs to raise the junction

Placement of braces without tabs

X-back braces can also use a D-ring, illustrated below. These are common among Albert Thurston braces and very comfortable.

D-ring rear junction braces by Albert Thurston

Swivel Back Braces

One variety of X-back braces that is very comfortable is the swivel-back braces, as illustrated to the left. These are also known as Paris Free-Swing braces. These have a joint loop that swivels with the bodies movement. I have tried these out and can verify that they are very comfortable and keep the suspender straps in place on the shoulders – no slipping!

Here's the complete look, complements of this link - very stylish.

There's also ads for President Suspenders. I have yet to see these in use. They look comfortable and very flexible, with all the pulleys and strings, but that could also be annoying.

You may think that we have exhausted all the possible styles for braces. On the contrary, there have been at least 12 different versions over the history of braces, as shown here:

And a page from the "Suspender Department" from an old catalogue.

I have both Y-back and X-back styles in my collection, but predominantly more Y-back as they are more common. I find that the X-back style provides better overall support of my pants, as the straps have a larger spread across the rear. I love wearing both styles!
 

Discussion time:

• What do you think of the different styles?
• Do you find the Y-back or X-back style more comfortable?

Note: all photos are used solely for non-commercial use and to illustrate braces in fashion. No plagiarism is intended.