Specifications for brace buttons

You may not put much thought into the type of buttons you use to attach your braces to your waistband. While it is true that any button can be used, there are better types of buttons and worse types. 

Brace buttons have the important duty to secure your brace tabs to your waistband. So it’s important to know what will work best. Let me explain two key features of brace buttons:

1. Four holes on the button, not two: 4 holes provide better security to the waistband than 2. Each pair of holes be sewn to have independent thread securing the button. That way, if 1 side tears, there is another side of threads to hold the button to the waistband.

2. Cone-shaped surface: The leather of the brace tab pulls on the button throughout the day. As such, when the button is cone-shaped (concave to be specific) towards the brace tab, the tab is pulling more on the button rather than on the threads attaching the button. This has a significant impact on the life of the button. A securely sewn button will rarely come detached. However, a leather brace tab that constantly rubs against the button thread will eventually dig in, wear down and tear open. I’ve experienced that, and it's usually at the worse possible moment. I bend down, or twist, I feel my braces shift and I look down to see a torn brace tab, with a button still attached to the waistband. That’s a terrible thing to happen to a pair of braces, as it’s almost impossible to repair the leather on the brace tab. To minimize this from happening, brace buttons should be concave to apply pressure away from the thread and to the button itself.

Moving to the color of brace buttons, generally aim to match the waistband of the pants. If the waistband is white, it’s traditional to have a white button for example. However, you can be creative, especially if the buttons are on the outside. This is an area I in particular, like to push the boundary; I use decorative buttons onto the outside of the waistband. The buttons coordinate the fabric pattern, but do not match exactly. When the brace tab is attached to the button, it circles around the complimentary color button and makes a visually appealing waistband. I’ve received many compliments about my exterior brace buttons and braces.

Lovely accent of brown color on these standard black pants and braces

 

Beautiful pair of patterned burgundy and grey pants with burgundy braces. 
Note the buttons have 2 holes, 4 holes would be better 

 

Tia Mowry wearing tweed pants with brown braces

 

Here's a young man wearing traditional fish-tail back pants with braces. The brace buttons are on the outside of the waistband.

The exterior brace buttons accent against the brace tabs nicely on this man's fish-tail pants

A light tug of his braces is her way of showing her affection and love of his braces

The same thinking applies if you are sewing your brace buttons on the inside of your waistband. That is, you can use any, or every color, of button as no one will see it but you. I’ve used mismatched buttons for work jeans and pants, and on thrifted pairs of pants that may have a button missing. The buttons are out of sight on the inside of the waistband, but are doing their duty. This is also helpful if you happen to lose a button while working – you can simply use a different button. But make sure it has four holes and is concave!

What brace buttons do you use to attach your braces?