A Father’s Day Gift

I received this from a reader today and thought I'd share it with you:

My husband has mentioned a few times to me (his wife) that his pants kept slipping down. He was more annoyed about it than grumbling to me. While he’s not obese, he is a large man. I decided to help his pants from falling down, once and for all.

I turned to the internet and found suspenders as the solution. At first I opposed them. They are not a current trend. But over the next few days I couldn’t help but think how handsome he would be wearing suspenders. I asked a few of my girlfriends, and they agreed that suspenders has this vintage, classic look, and it would solve his pants problem. 

I went back online and looked at old photographs of men wearing suspenders. I decided that he would wear vintage suspenders that had buttons on the pants, not clips. I would get him a new pair of pants that would be at his waist and have the suspenders hold the pants up. 

It took some time to find a suitable pair of pants, as most waistlines for men’s pants are below the waist. I eventually found a pair of brown pants and sewed buttons into the outside of the waistband. I removed the belt loops so he would not be tempted to use both a belt and suspenders!

My next challenge was to find a nice pair of suspenders. I looked at thrift shops and online.  Most online ones were on the higher range of what I wanted to spend. I eventually found a pair of “Y-back” suspenders with button attachments. I liked the colors that I also got 2 children’s pairs for our 2 boys. I bought new brown pants for our boys as well, and sewed buttons into their pants to go with their new button suspenders. I was now ready for Father’s Day!

The kids and I wrapped my husband’s pants and suspenders. On the morning of Father’s Day our family had made plans to go for lunch at a restaurant with our relatives. Before we left, the boys and I presented him with the gift. He opened it and was somewhat surprised. But our boys encouraged him to wear them. He went into the other room, put on a button-down shirt and the pants. He came out with the suspenders loose on his shoulders. I helped him adjust the suspenders, so the pants sat comfortably at his waist. 

He was unsure at first of the high position of the pants waist, but he was willing to try it. He breathed in and out and his pants didn’t fall. He smiled and thanked me for the gift. He put his hands in his pockets and felt the suspenders react by pulling back on his waistline.

They are very stylish, I said, as I slipped my fingers underneath his front strap and looked at them as he stood there. I like how they attach with buttons.

He agreed and sat down on the couch. He instantly felt relief as his stomach did not have a belt restricting his midsection. He stood up as his hands instinctively reached down to his suspender buttons, and the braces pulled up his pants and did the work for him.

He quickly came around (faster than I did) and was excited to wear the pants to the restaurant. That’s when I surprised our boys with their gifts. I pulled out 2 boxes and presented them. They tore open the wrapping to find their own pair of pants with button suspenders attached. They were thrilled, as they would be just like dad!

They ran to their room to get dress shirts. I came into the room as they were putting their shirts on. They stepped into the pants and pulled up the suspender straps. I helped them adjust the straps. As I did, the younger boy pulled back his older brother’s rear suspender strap, letting it snap back into place with a thump. His brother cringed and immediately pulled his brother’s front suspender strap and released it. They laughed and quickly learned that it’s better not to snap each other’s suspenders.

The boys slid their fingers along the front of their own suspenders, inspecting them as they did. They loved them and I did too! I asked them to stand up straight along with their dad, and I captured a picture.

We went to the restaurant and the 3 of them received many compliments from family members and bystanders on their button suspenders and brown pants. They looked sharp and so dapper. 

I’m so happy I found this blog with all of its helpful tips and suggestions. Button suspenders have now become a regular style in our home!

 

Thank you for sharing, I’m so glad to help.

Black High-Waisted Jeans with Braces

I recently went shopping for a new pair of jeans. One particular store had a wide selection of jeans in different colors and styles. I came across a pair of black jeans with the waist at or above my natural waist. I tried them on and they fit well, so I decided to buy them.

At the till, the store owner asked if I found what I was looking for.

Yes, I said, I've been looking for jeans with a high waist. 

She smiled and said it is a classic look.

Exactly, I said. 

She continued by suggesting I could "go vintage" by wearing suspenders with them.

Yes, I said, that’s exactly what I will do! These jeans will need suspenders to hold them up at the high waist.

That would look great, she said. She added that she would love to see me wear them the next time I'm around.

I agreed and walked out of the store with a smile on my face. It's nice to meet other people that also appreciate suspenders!

I was thinking of my pair of braces that are brown with black and white stripes (see this post). The black stripes would go well with the black jeans. The braces are very rugged and fit the lumberjack style. Some of my other braces could also go well.

As I travelled home I had to decide where to place the buttons – on the outside or inside of the waistband. After much thought over the next few days I concluded that as these are rugged jeans, I would put the buttons on the outside of the waistband. They would accentuate the brace tabs and point back to when men wore braces while working on the railroad. I removed the belt loops and sewed on the brace buttons. Here's the style that I wore that day:

Stripped inverse-V tab braces

Rear shot of stripped Y-back braces

I remembered the James Jeans with braces from CourtShop that were popular a few years ago. These jeans are also high-waisted and have buttons on the outside for Y-back braces. The fish-tail back is a nice touch.

Courtshop James Jeans with braces

A few days after I had sewn on the buttons, a couple came over for dinner. I was wearing the black jeans, blue stripped braces, and a green t-shirt. The husband immediately commented, "cool suspenders!"

"Thanks!" I replied, smiling.

His wife saw me a few minutes later and said, "I like your suspenders. We should get you a pair of suspenders babe," looking at her husband. He had a slim build and his pants sagged, so it was a good suggestion.

I smiled, "they are very comfortable and look great," I said.

"Where did you get your jeans?" she asked.

I mentioned the store and she continued, "and you got the suspenders there too?" she asked.

"No," I replied, "I got them from a thrift store." I continued, "these jeans didn't originally have suspender buttons - I sewed them on myself."

"Oh, I see," she replied. "I really like them! I love your lumberjack, worker look."

"Thanks, that's the look I was going for," I said beaming.

"Well, you nailed it with the button suspenders," she said.

"Yes, they do make the look," I replied.

We carried on with our dinner and had a pleasant evening.

***

A week later we were visiting other friends and as we came in I took off my cardigan. I was wearing my black jeans with stripped braces, and they were displayed proudly.

The lady of the house commented, "I love your suspenders. Look," she motioned to her husband, "he has the proper attachments with buttons. You look fantastic!"

"Thank you," I replied.

***

A few months later I was back in the clothing store, searching for something, and I was wearing my black pants with stripped braces. The lady came up to compliment me on my braces. She said she liked how my suspenders fit with my jeans. I told her I bought them here a few months ago, and on her recommendation, to have buttons installed for braces. She remembered and smiled. She said she liked the look. 

 

Every time I wear these jeans I receive compliments. It's great!

 

Discussion time:

Have you been wearing braces recently?

Swing dancing tales

A female friend discovered that I loved braces and shared this with me: 

~~~

I love swing dancing. I’ve been dancing for many years and going to a certain hall for some time. As a lady I love dressing up in vintage styles, particularly from the 1940s. I dream of dancing with a male partner that also wears vintage clothes – a tweed suit jacket, high-waisted trousers with suspenders, and classy, vintage shoes!

Well, my dream came true one night. I went to the dance hall wearing a floral, pleated skirt and a light pink blouse with puffy sleeves, along with a knitted sweater.

I had come alone, so I was dancing with another single dancer at the time. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed another couple. I had not seen them come in, but they were both dressed in classic swing style: the lady was wearing a beautiful, vintage dress hemmed just below the knee. The man was wearing an earth-brown suit with a beige, stripped dress shirt, and a vintage, wide tie.

After a few dances, I thanked my dance partner and headed off to take a break on the side. This allowed me to observe this couple. They were decent dancers, but it was their choice of clothing that I admired most. The male dancer had his jacket button undone - his suit pants were high waisted, but didn't have a belt, and looked fantastic.

This couple also took a break and moved off the dance floor, close to where I was sitting. I decided to meet them. I walk up and introduce myself, “Hi, I’m Jillian,” I said.

“Hello,” they reply in unison returning the introduction and their names.

“This is a nice place to dance,” the lady says, still catching her breath. “Sorry, I haven’t danced in a long time, I forgot how much exercise is involved in swing dancing; I’m out of breath!”

“That’s alright, catch your breath,” I respond. “I like this place too. They play classic swing music and there’s lots of dance partners. I love that you came dressed in vintage styles - it makes swing dancing so much more enjoyable! Your skirt and blouse are lovely and fit the era,” I say.

“Thank you,” she replies. “I love that era too. The clothes were so cute!”

I turn to the man, “And I love your brown suit too. Your tie is especially vintage!” I exclaim.

“Thank you,” says the man proudly, running his thumb down his tie. “I like the 1940s decade as well.”
The man removes his suit jacket, feeling the warmth in the room. This reveals his high-waist pants are held up by suspenders. They are stripped brown, with thin navy and white strips that pair with his tie.

“Would you mind if I have the next dance?” I ask the lady, wanting to talk to him about his style and his suspenders.

“Sure, go for it. You can teach him a step or two!” says the lady as she receives his suit jacket.

We walk onto the dance floor. “I love your vintage style,” I say with a big smile, “and you are wearing suspenders! They are perfect for swing dancing! So dapper and classic.”

“Yes, they are,” says the man, smiling. “I call them braces as they attach to my pants with buttons,” he says, moving his fingers to his waist and flipping over the waistband to show where the buttons are attached to the braces.

“Alright,” I say, reaching out and resting my hands on his chest. “Suspenders, braces, whatever you call them; they go perfect with your high-waisted pants!” 

“Thank you,” replies the man. “They do a great job of keeping my pants securely in place. The alternative would be clips and those would snap off with all the movement of swing dancing.” While he’s talking, I tuck my fingers beneath his straps and lightly pull them towards me. With a smile I release my fingers and his straps lightly snap back to his chest. 

He blushes and responds, “That’s the downside of wearing braces - everyone likes to snap them.”

“It is fun,” I say. “But I’ll restrain myself.”

“Thank you,” says the man.

“I don’t see men wearing braces every day, so forgive me for being fascinated with them. It’s so rare to see people wearing vintage clothing these days. I love your look. Your stripped braces go perfectly with your brown pants and tie – it’s all so stylish!”

“Thank you,” beams the man.

I place my right hand on his back as the next dance song starts. I feel his brace buttons on the outside of his pants, and tap the buttons with my fingers. These buttons are on the outside of his waistband.

“Your pants are floating on air, suspended by your braces,” I say looking at his waistline.

“That’s right,” replies the man. “Braces are designed to be worn with a looser waistline and that makes the pants comfortable to wear, especially when swing dancing.”

We join in to the music and begin swing dancing in slow step.

“Do you wear braces often?” I continue.

“Almost every day.”

“Wow, that’s uncommon! You must really love them.”

“Yes, I do. They’ve become part of my personal style. I couldn’t go a day wearing dress pants without braces. I love the classic men’s styles.”

“I agree. That era was so stylish. If you wear dress pants every day you must work in an office,” I say as we pick up the pace of our dance moves.

“Yes. I work in an office, spending my day sitting at a desk so my pants need to be comfortable when I’m sitting,” replies the man. “But when I stand up and walk, my pants need to stay in place as well.”

“And that’s where your suspenders, I mean, braces come in,” I say.

“Exactly,” smiles the man.

“Well, you look fantastic. Braces are much more distinguished than a belt.”

“I totally agree,” replies the man.

My hand intentionally nudges his rear brace strap as I spin behind him. He smiles. I love his braces.

We continue dancing for several more songs and then decide to take a break. We start to head off the dance floor from the centre, but it’s quite crowded and finding a path is challenging. He heads in one direct while holding my hand. About halfway along I’m losing my grip on his hand. In desperation I reach out and grab on to his rear brace strap. He stops and looks behind to inquire. I motion to continue but remain holding his rear brace strap. I maneuver off the dance floor holding his hand but also hanging onto his rear brace strap.

“Thank you for helping me out of there,” I say when we are off the dance floor, “I thought I was going to lose your lead and not get out!”

“No worries,” replies the man. “Would you like to wipe your brow?” he asks, reaching into his pocket and offering his clean handkerchief.

“Wow, yes, thank you,” I stammer. “Your vintage style keeps getting better! Vintage tie, braces, handkerchief!”

“Thank you,” replies the man. 

“You know, women can wear suspenders too,” I declare.

“You’re right,” says the man as we head towards his dance partner.

“You’ve inspired me to get some braces for my high-waisted pencil skirt for next week’s dance,” I say. “I’ll need to buy a pair of button suspenders and sew buttons on the waistband, like you have,” pointing to his waistline.

“That would be lovely,” says the man.

“What’s that?” asks his lady friend joining the conversation.

“We were just talking about how women can also wear suspenders,” says the man.

“Yes,” said the lady, “I’m wearing suspenders right now,” she says with a smile.

“What?” we both say in unison as we stare at her. She’s wearing a knee-length dress, nothing requiring shoulder straps. She laughs as she lifts her dress hem to reveal her stockings attached to garters.

“Those are nice garter suspenders,” I say.

The man agrees, “yes, women also need to hold up their stockings just as much as men need suspenders to hold up their pants!”

“Yes, we all need suspenders!” I say as I reach out and pull on one of the man’s straps.

“Hey, that’s enough!” remarks the man.

“You’re just so snappy,” I say sheepishly.

“Just you wait until I snap one of your suspenders next week,” says the man to me.

“You wouldn’t dare!” I exclaim.

We all laugh. “Are you ready to dance again?” asks the lady as the man grabs a drink of water.

“Absolutely,” says the man. And that is what they did.

At the end of the night we say good bye and confirm to meet again next week.

~~~

The next following week the three of us return. We arrive at opening, eager to dance. The weather is warm and the man has left his suit jacket at home this time. He is wearing a grey suit with high-rise pants and stripped burgundy and white stripped braces over a blue dress shirt and dark tie. His female friend is wearing a floral dress. I’m wear my high-waisted brown skirt with stripped braces over a pastel blouse.

“You look great,” I say as we wait outside for the doors to open.

“As do you,” the man says. “I love your braces!”

“Thanks,” I say, putting my thumbs underneath the straps and sliding them down. “They take some getting used to. I’m not sure where the straps should lie – over my breasts or around them?”

“I think around,” says the lady, “similar to how the straps curve around a man’s chest.”

“I agree,” smiles the man, puffing out his chest.

“I'll try that,” I say shifting my straps to the side. “You two dance first; I’ll wait.”

After several songs, I feel a slight tug on my rear brace strap at my shoulder. 

“Would you like to dance?” the man asks.

“Hey,” I reply jumping up. “Yes! Let’s dance.” I return the nod by flicking my finger across his brace strap as I rush past him onto the dance floor.

Off we go, dancing the night away wearing braces. The man dances with his friend and me throughout the evening, getting very little downtime, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He has learned some new dance steps and is full committing himself.

As the announcement for the final song comes on, the lady graciously lets me have the last dance with him. We get into starting position and I put my hand on his back. I feel a dangling piece of leather. I move my hand up and realize that it’s part of his braces, which have partially come detached.

“You’ve had a vigorous dancing session tonight. How are you holding up?” I ask.

“I’m doing great,” he responds.

“I’m glad to hear. Just like your braces are hanging in there?”

“Exactly,” he replies.

“Sorry to tell you though, but one of your brace attachments at the back has, um, come detached,” I say pulling and releasing the dangling brace tab. It twangs back into place with a snap. “I think you popped a button,” I say.

“Oh, I didn’t notice it with all the dancing tonight. Let’s finish this last song before inspecting,” he quickly replies as the song has already started.

We dance the last song and the dangling leather piece flutters around his back during our movements. At the end of the song we walk off the dance floor and rejoin the other lady.

“We had a vigorous dance session tonight,” I say pointing to the man’s rear brace tab.

“That’s right, it was intense,” says the man. He reaches around to feel the dangling rear brace tab and the lack of a corresponding button on his waistline.

“What happened?” asks the lady noticing the man’s arms behind his back.

“I popped a brace button,” he says.

“Was she snapping your braces again?” smirks the lady. “It must have just happened,” she continues, as she inspects his waistline, “as I didn’t notice anything during our last dance. And I had my hand on your back while dancing so I would have felt a loose leather piece flapping around.”

“Yeah, I didn’t notice it either until Julian pointed it out. That’s ok, these things happen, it’s only a button,” says the man.

“And buttons can be easily replaced,” I say. “I could sew on a replacement for you?” I ask.

“That would be appreciated,” replies the man sliding his fingers along his front brace straps to adjust them.

“Alright, having learned how to sew brace buttons to my skirt, I’m happy to sew on a button for you,” I say, tapping my buttons. “Let’s meet up this week. We can also practice our dance steps.” I say as we walk out of the hall into the cool evening air. 

We breathe in and take a moment to relax before heading our separate ways.

“Help, I’m fit but my pants don’t stay up!”

This was the statement a new friend made recently to me. He was in his late 30s and reasonably fit – he exercised regularly and ate well, and he didn’t have a pot belly. He has an office job that requires him to wear dress pants, and sometimes a suit jacket or blazer. He said he had spent his whole life wearing a belt with his dress pants. But the belt cut into his abdomen all day when he sat. His belt had to be tight around his waist to keep his pants at the right height. When he stood up or walked around, he was constantly adjusting and pulling up his pants. There must be a better way, he gripped.

There is, I said! I recommended he buy a pair of dress pants that were snug at the waistline when he was sitting, and then loose when standing. The waistband should be snug, not tight, I emphasized. Also, the waistline must go up to his natural waist – where his belly button was. He said he’d give it a try, but asked how the pants would stay at that height. 

I gave a big smile; that’s where braces come in! He was hesitant, but I persisted. 

Pants were originally designed to be supported with braces, not a belt. Brace tabs attach at specific places along the waistline to support your pants perfectly. And I said, he’ll solve the constant adjusting and pulling of his waistline throughout the day. In fact, the braces do the pulling to keep your pants in place. I recommended he visit a tailor or seamstress to get the buttons sewn onto the waistline, and directed him to my blog post on the topic. I stressed that he must wear braces with buttons instead of clip-on suspenders. This is very important as braces with buttons will give him the needed support, clips will not.

He agreed to give the larger-waisted pants with braces a try. I could tell he was hesitant, but he was fed up with his belt and ready to solve his problem of his pants slipping down all day. 

A few weeks later we met for lunch. He was blown away by the results. He said he followed my recommendations exactly. With the help of his wife, they searched vintage stores and found a vintage pair of navy dress pants with a looser, and higher waistline. The pants came up to his belly button. He said the pants only stayed up if he inhaled and didn’t move; he was keen on getting braces attached. He made sure to check the tightness around the waist when sitting down. He took the pants to a seamstress, who followed the directions for placement of the buttons along the waistband. She even removed the belt loops on the waistband, he said.

While he waited for the seamstress, his wife bought him a nice pair of stripped navy, grey and white button braces. His wife was eager to see how the braces fit with the high-waisted pants. 

He picked up the pants from the seamstress a few days later. When he got home he attached the braces to the pants and wore them around home that evening. His wife loved the look and he felt very good wearing the pants. This gave him confidence to wear them to the office the following day.

In the morning, he put on the high waisted dress pants with braces and a blazer. It was a warm spring day. When he arrived at the office his colleagues noticed that he was more at ease and complimented him on his style. His pants were flattering as they were high waisted and didn't bunch around his ankles. Eventually his colleagues asked for his secret, and he took off his blazer midway through the morning to reveal his braces. His peers loved the vintage style. He said the ladies especially commented on his braces. They said he looked taller, more confident, and more at ease. 

He kept his blazer off for the rest of the day. His braces were very comfortable, whether he was sitting at his desk or standing and walking around. He could breathe normally, without having a constrained belt around his waist. A few times he caught himself reaching to adjust his pants when he stood up, but then thumbed his brace buttons and was thankful they were doing their function.

At lunch, he received more praise from bystanders as he walked outside the office without a jacket. He recalled one lady stopping him on the sidewalk to say that she loved his braces and pants. She turned to the man walking with her and asked him to start wearing suspenders!

At the end of his work day he went home and gave his wife a hug and kiss. She smiled as she lightly tugged on his straps. She asked how he felt wearing the braces all day. He said he loved them. The suspenders were so comfortable and he didn't have to adjust his pants once. It was the first time in years.

She smiled and said she liked seeing him comfortable. She was excited, as she was thinking of buying him a few more pairs in different colors. 

He’s now a firm believer and plans to wear braces with high waisted pants on all his dress pants.

Discussion time:

Have you seen anyone wearing braces around your office or workplace?

Tales of Brace-wearing (Part 3)

Remember the man working in a corporate office from Tales of Brace-wearing Part 1 and Part 2? We rejoin him about a week later.

Mid-morning the man was working in the office when two female colleagues knock on his door. They are excited and ask to show off their outfits.

“Sure,” says the man, “I have some time.”

“We love your braces so we did some shopping and put together these styles,” says the first lady. “As you can see, I’m wearing high-waisted, grey pants with burgundy braces and this white blouse.”

A similar style by Lena Horschek's collection

“Fantastic,” says the man. “That’s a classy outfit.”

“And I’m wearing a high-waisted pencil navy skirt with brown braces and this red blouse,” says the second lady.

“Equally fantastic,” says the man. “The browns go well with the pastels.”

“Thank you,” reply the ladies.

“And I’m wearing high-rise grey pants with green braces with this white dress shirt,” says the man.”

“So dapper,” says the first lady.

“Each of us have different colors and our different personalities displayed here, but we are all wearing braces,” says the man.

“That’s right,” says the second lady.

“I can’t get over how comfortable the braces are,” says the first lady. “Whether I’m sitting or standing, they comfortably rest there.”

The man smiled and said, “you’ve been converted to brace-wearing! You’ll wear braces for the rest of your life!”

“Yes!” says both ladies.

“Do you mind if we take a picture?” asks the second lady.

“Not at all, that would be great,” says the man.

And that’s how it came that a photo of the three co-workers wearing braces was taken.

National Suspenders Day 2021

Today we celebrate National Suspenders Day. Not that I don’t celebrate suspenders every day, but it’s nice to be recognized as a national day, whatever nation that is! 

It’s time to reflect on braces over the past year. The pandemic has seen many people shift their style to more casual, as they work from home. The term “Zoom fashion” has appeared – business casual from the waist up, and sweatpants or leggings from the waist down. Clothes are to be comfortable.

Over the past few months I’ve also taken to wearing more casual clothes. Currently, my go-to jeans are a pair of rich denim, high-waisted, regular fit jeans. My wife's first reaction was, “grandpa pants”, as they are baggy. The waist rises to my natural waistline, and does not stay up without the help of braces. Keeping with the farmer look, I have a pair of wide, stripped, X-back braces that coordinate well with the ruggedness of the jeans. The brace straps are wide with 3 stripes in the middle: black, red, and black. I have not worn wide brace straps before - these are 2 inches wide. I can see why lumberjacks and farmers wear thicker straps as they are more comfortable with lots of bending and twisting.

Lumber-jack stripped braces with jeans

Jeans without the cardigan

And the back is X-back style which provides excellent support above each pant leg. The wide spacing of the rear buttons is very helpful in keeping my jeans in place.

X-back style on my lumber-jack braces

I’ve worn this style around town and seen similar men wear high waisted jeans with suspenders. The styles of the 1980s are coming back: loose fitting jeans, bell bottoms, and over-sized sweaters and jackets, and this fits into that style. 

I was at the grocery store yesterday wearing these clothes. My cardigan was unbuttoned and open, allowing my stripped braces to be displayed. A nice lady stopped me and said, “Hi sir, it’s nice to see you are wearing suspenders to hold up your pants. I wish more young men would wear suspenders to keep their pants from looking scruffy. You look great!”

“Thank you,” I replied, “Suspenders do a great job of holding up my pants,” as I slid my fingers along the straps. "I need suspenders to support these baggy pants."

“Enjoy them,” she said with a smile, and we continued on our way.

Happy National Suspender Day!

Brace Buttons on the Outside or Inside of the Waistband?

Once you’ve decided to wear braces with buttons, the next step is to determine whether the buttons should go on the inside of the waistband or on the outside. It's a significant decision with pros and cons.But first, how did we get here?

Gary Cooper has brace buttons on the outside of his waistband

Buttons were historically sewn on the outside as it was easier to sew completely through the fabric, and the buttons were generally kept behind a vest, at least at the front. At the rear, the vest would rise slightly and you generally saw the rear brace tabs peaking out and attached to buttons on the outside of the waistband.

After World War II men turned to belts over braces. As men stopped wearing vests, the buttons migrated to the inside, for reasons no one completely knows. Some say it was to hide the buttons as they were thought of to be part of your undergarments. I don't buy that as buttons are on display on suit jackets, pants, and many other garments. There's nothing wrong with seeing buttons on clothing, so why hide brace buttons? On the contrary, Iike it when brace buttons are on the outside of the waistband. The buttons catch your attention and highlight the attachment to the braces.

My theory from looking at countless historical photos of people wearing braces - men and women, and young and old - is that when belts started to be worn with pants or skirts and belt loops appeared on the waistband, the brace buttons were relegated to the inside of the waistband. When the pants or skirt had no belt loops, the brace buttons generally went on the outside of the waistband.

The problem with moving the buttons to the inside is that they lost some of the functionality: enter the dreaded rollover.

The terrible waistband roll-over

When sewing buttons on the inside, if the button thread does not go all the way through the waistline the braces will pull up the inside of the waistline, separating from the outside of the waistline. The inside lining of the waistline rises, but not the outside lining of the waistline. This looks terrible and is what's called the roll-over:

Roll-over of the waistline

The braces still hold up the pants, but this looks very sloppy. It shows poor workmanship for whoever sewed the buttons on.

To avoid the rollover, make sure the button threads are sewn almost completely through the waistline - make sure the lining is secured to the button. It may also help to put the button on the upper portion of the waistline to minimize the separation. Pants from the first part of last century have brace buttons lined at the top of the waistline to also avoid this problem.

Or you may consider sewing completely through the pants using the same color thread as the pant material, but this can appear as poor workmanship and should be avoided where possible.

Alternatively, get acquainted with where buttons were put when braces were first invented: on the outside of the waistband.

 

Buttons on the outside of the waistband of this man in this vintage photograph

Advantages of wearing buttons on the outside

The advantages of wearing buttons on the outside are the additional style and design choices from having buttons on display. While it may not be appropriate for a traditional business suit, you can wear colored buttons to accent the waistline and braces on different outfits. Women tended to do this in the past.

Clara Bows wears braces with accented, exterior buttons on her high waist shorts

 

Another advantage of having exterior buttons is at the rear. As you bend forward, buttons on the outside allow your brace tabs to follow your spine and support your pants at the rear. Buttons sewn on the inside would pull on the waistline, as it creates a tangent from your spine.

In addition, when wearing a vest, buttons sewn on the outside allow the vest to slide down the brace tab and onto the pants, whereas the vest can get stopped up when it slides down on buttons sewn on the inside.

I’ve read that buttons on the inside add pressure to the waist and can hurt. I think the waistband is too tight in these cases, and braces are not necessary. In fact, pants worn with braces should be about 1 inch looser then your standard waist measurement to allow them to actually suspend your pants!

As a final advantage to having exterior buttons, in the unlikely event that a button starts to come apart and pop off, it's easier to notice and bystanders can point it out before the button pops off and is lost. This is especially helpful for rear buttons. I was wearing a pair of high-waisted cotton chinos with exterior brace buttons. I had a number of errands to run that day. When I was in line at the grocery store, a nice lady tapped me on the arm and mentioned that my rear button was coming off. I reached around to feel the loose button. I thanked her as I fiddled with the button before it came off.

 

Disadvantages of wearing buttons on the outside

There are disadvantages: buttons can catch on things, such as the backs of chairs. If a button were to pop off, it would catapult outward and could hurt bystanders. They also look more vintage, which may be exactly the look you are going for!

Kirsten Bell wearing vintage braces (with buttons on the outside)

Furthermore, if you want to wear pants with both Y-back and X-back braces, it is best to have different button placement for each to accommodate the Y and X anchors. This means that you need four buttons on the rear waistline. When these four buttons are on the outside, two buttons will be unused. This looks unpolished; like having empty belt loops when wearing braces. Therefore, if you plan to wear both Y-back and X-back braces at different button placements, it's recommended to put the buttons on the inside.

The other disadvantage to having buttons on the outside is that they should all be the same type of button. If by chance, you lose a button or two and can't find exact replicas, it would be best to remove the remaining buttons on the outside and sew them all on the inside to not show off your miss-matched buttons - unless you don't mind that look. A pair of my work jeans has a whole collection of random, miss-matched buttons sewn on the inside, and nobody knows except for me! 

Another pair of my light blue chino's came with buttons on the inside. However, they gradually popped off and I lost a few buttons. But no worries, I could use any button to replace it.

Buttons on the inside and outside?

In case you are thinking about it, it's totally acceptable to have your front buttons different from your rear buttons – or vice versa. I’ve even seen the front inner buttons be on the inside and the front side buttons be on the outside! Now that’s changing it up.

It's quite common to have the front buttons sewn into the inside of the waistband, and the rear buttons sewn onto the outside of the waistband. This is stylish, but also has a functional aspect from simple physics. When a person is standing up, their back is straight, like a vertical, straight line. When they bend their torso forward, this creates a curvature along the spin. The further the bend, the more curved the spin.

When buttons on sewn on the inside of the waistband, the waistband tends to stay straight and drift apart from where the brace tabs are - that is, the waistband does not remain flush. It's a slight separation between the shirt and waistband. In physics, this is a tangent that follows the curvature but remains a straight line.

When buttons are sewn on the outside of the waistband, the brace tabs maintain the flush effect with the shirt. The brace tabs overlay the waistband and keep it along your spine.

This man's rear braces are attached on the outside of the
waistband and pull the pant fabric when he bends forward

My personal preference

When I started wearing braces I hid the buttons on the inside of the waistband. This was partly due to what I saw and I had not learned the history of braces at that point. I then came across the “Hollywood waist” where there’s no waistband on the pants – the fabric goes all the way up to the waist. I immediately fell in love with this style as it implied that the vertical line go from head to toe with minimal breaks. I saw a lot of these pants with the buttons on the outside of the waistband. The more I wore pants with braces, the more I came to enjoy the style of exterior buttons. I also enjoy that it's a conversation starter and throwback to when every man wore braces with buttons on the outside. 

Over time and the more I learned about the history of braces, I have grown to appreciate having my rear buttons on the outside of my waistband. Buttons used to be sewn on the outside and that's more of a vintage vibe. This gives an accent of color and shows off how the braces attach to my pants. When people see that I'm wearing braces, one of their first questions is how the braces attach to the waistline. I state it's with buttons and then turn around to show them!

My current preference is to highlight the rear brace buttons
on the outside of the waistband

I very much like seeing buttons on the outside of the waistline, even if I can't see mine at the rear when wearing braces. It's an opportunity to use buttons that are more decorative and unique. The details of the brace tabs next to the waistline, with a button showing is quite spectacular.

I'll leave the decision up to you whether to put your buttons on the outside or inside of the waistline.

My current preference is for both! The buttons at the front are sewn on the inside to keep a polished look, and then the rear buttons are on the outside to allow the brace tabs to be flush with the back, better support the waistband, and to highlight the rear buttons! That said, I do have quite a few pairs of pants with front and rear buttons on the outside, or pants with front and rear buttons on the inside of the waistband..

In conclusion, where you put your brace buttons is up to you and your style. If you have many pants, do a combination of both!