Do you hide your braces under a jacket, vest, cardigan, or other layer of clothing? Are you embarrassed to be seen wearing your braces? Why is that? Let's address these questions and primarily the historical aspect today.
Braces provide a valuable function in supporting your pants at a constant height all day long. They lengthen your appearance. As 2 vertical lines, braces can compliment your tie and provide other stylish benefits. So why hide them underneath a jacket or vest?
Pants were originally made to be worn with braces. That's where pants sit and hang best - from your natural waist or at a higher-waist. I understand that braces historically were considered part of men’s undergarments. But braces didn't stay there. They gradually and suddenly lost their secret status when men stopped wearing vests.
A suit jacket is an outer layer for travelling - it's not meant to be worn indoors. When men work indoors, they remove their suit jackets and without a vest, their braces are on display. No one, least of all women, would think anything strange or unsightly about this.
I've had discussions with people who believe that historically braces were always hidden. On the contrary, I can illustrate that prior to the 1950s, men displayed there braces all the time. I perused the site Alamy for men wearing braces in the presence of ladies. Here's a sample of my results:
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| 1937: Photo of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy recording a duet for Maytime |
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| 1940s: Two actors rehearsing a romantic theatre play with their director, both men are wearing braces |
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| September 1, 1944: Swing bandleader Sammy Kaye (wearing hat and suspenders) and his orchestra at a recording session for Columbia Recording Company. |
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| 1944: still from the movie Broadway Rhythm |
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| 1941: still from the movie Confirm or Deny |
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| 1941: still from the movie Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring |
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| 1945: still from the movie The Lost Weekend |
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| 1948: still from the movie The Walls of Jericho |
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| 1946: still from the movie The Best Years of our Lives |
And finally to nail my point home, ladies even took off a man's braces:
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| 1937: still from the movie The Great Hospital Mystery |
All the men are wearing braces alongside women who are dressed impeccably. I'd challenge anyone to try to explain why displaying braces was so common in the 1930s and 40s from these photos.
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On a personal note, I displayed my braces today. It was a beautiful, summer day, and so I wore a pair of light grey pants with Trafalgar braces and a green, blue, and white plaid dress shirt. These Trafalgar braces were one of my first purchases of braces, and I’m glad I invested in a quality pair that I’m still using today. The brace straps are stripped, with grey strip in the middle surrounded by a thin white line and a navy border strip. The Y-back braces also have a dash of burgundy color in the rear, to keep it exciting! Here’s the look:
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| Trafalgar braces | Rear burgundy strap |
While I was at the bank, the clerk commented on my outfit saying, “I like your look; very traditional with the suspenders”, by which she meant braces (I’ll excuse her for not knowing the difference). But this the point - as people wear braces the general population learns that they are called braces, not suspenders. It's not embarrassing to be seen showing your braces. The bank clerk sees hundreds of people a day, and appreciated seeing me wear braces. The comment was an appreciation of style!
So don’t feel embarrassed to display your braces in public. Wear them with class and people will appreciate the time and effort you put in to your outfit for the day.
Discussion time:
- Have you been embarrassed to show your braces or suspenders in public?
- How do you feel when you take off your jacket, vest, or cardigan and display your braces or suspenders?
- What outfits have you worn recently with braces?
