When did women start wearing suspenders? That is a fair question, considering that more and more women are wearing suspenders and braces nowadays.
You may be surprised to find out that women have been wearing braces for as long as they have been wearing pants - dating back to the early 1900s. A November 3, 1913 article from the New York Times states...
This trend has come and gone through the generations. During the 1940s and 1950s, braces were very popular.
 |
| College Fall Fashion, 1941 |
 |
| College Fall fashion, 1950 |
 |
| Ginger Rogers |
Women generally wear braces for two reasons:
- The pants/skirt comes with braces already attached and so they are worn them with the outfit.
- Suspenders are attached by them to be fashionable.
Therefore, do not think that braces are only for men. Women enjoy wearing braces just as much as men.
Discussion time:
- As a women, do you wear braces? Have you worn braces in the past?
- What do you wear with braces? Do you stay within menswear or branch out?
Note: all photos are used solely for non-commercial use and to illustrate braces in fashion. No plagiarism is intended.
Thank you for taking up this topic. Nice to know that braces also in women´s fashion have such a long tradition. As far as I know, many women in the eighties and early nineties have worn braces/suspenders, among them many celebrities from Farrah Fawcett and Bo Derek to Courteney Cox and Christie Brinkley. Certainly that would be a very interesting and fruitful topic for a sequel.
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I have the impression that slowly suspenders return into ladies fashion and become more and more popular!
Bianca
@Bianca: Yes, braces have been around for a while. Its great to see celebrities like Boyence, Drew Barymore, and Kirsten Stewart wear them. Check out the earlier postings for some photos.
ReplyDeleteDo you wear braces? What do you wear them with?
I enjoy the wonderful feeling of wearing suspenders. So you can see me in braces regularly. I prefer wearing clip-on suspenders over a blouse with loose, high-waisted classic pants. Also I own two suspender pants with attached buttoned suspenders. Especially in the office braces are incredibly comfortable and also look really good. It is surprising how many compliments I get when I wear suspenders. Sometimes I even pull braces over a T-shirt with jeans.
ReplyDeleteBraces are just great - I love them!
Bianca
Bianca it sounds like we have the same taste in what to wear braces with and how to do so also. It is very rare to see me without a pair on and if you do then im probably in a jumpsuit. Are you the only female at your work that wears them? Or do others also after seeing you in yours? There is probably 12 to 15 female's at my work and we all wear braces 90% of the time.
Deleteyou should send in some photos of yourself in the button braces/suspender pants to the blog, if you don't mind. I think more women should wear them, there's nothing that looks better!
ReplyDelete@Bianca: Yes, the feeling of wearing braces is great; not only do your pants stay at a comfortable high on your waist, but moving is flexible. They cannot compare to a belt!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the high-waisted pants with braces over a white blouse in the office is flattering. Enjoy wearing your braces!
Biased feminists will use any illogical statement to " justify female's covetous cross-dressing " to down play their transvestism ! Fashion is always a females " gain " at the expense of the docile male victim; wake-up males !
ReplyDeletethe most fashion braces ' or suspenders in the us",for women are those I found in Paris,,a matter of fact I bought 2 pairs of them ,completly in leather,one pair behine represents "the eiffel tower with clips and in front they are straight and you can regulate them by buckles and in very thick black leather too (marvelous!),the other pair are in thick red flushy leather ( clip on one's with again big metalic buckles ans holes to regulate them too,,once you've got theese leather suspenders on you "you feel great",and it passes with any thing,skirts,trousers,shorts,I really dig them,so does my husband!
ReplyDeleteTalking about braces (or suspenders in the us),since a couple of years for us the ladies,you have lederhosen shops selling "ladies very short lederhosen with the matching leather suspenders,with the leather cross piece wich fall on your breasts,and in various colours too,I bought a red shinny leather type one along with the matching suspenders ,what a great feeling once you've got it on you,I wear it everytime I go out,and at such reasonable prices too,(under 100euros),a lot of the lady shop owners wear them all day,and the sizes go from 38 to 56 (european),very sexy !,the thick leather suspenders slack a bit ,but as soon as you bend down you feel the suspenders in your back pulling and holding you firmly,wow what a great feeling,no wonder more and more women are wearing lederhosen in germany,austria,and sud-tyrol,those who have experienced this please respond!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: Glad to hear that women are wearing lederhosen. Suspenders do provide excellent comfort. Keep on wearing suspenders!
DeleteI agree with the two previous comments posted before,concerning " suspenders and ladies lederhosen.We are scandinavian,but we like a lot "the german-cultur"!.And since 10 years ,more and more women,of all ages,wear ,either very short lederhosen with the leather suspenders,( with lovely flowers on the flap,and on the suspenders,or you see a lot of the long lederhosen ( bundhosen),coming just below the knees and of course with the matching suspenders too.The Dirndl too has a very large succes too,especialy the long one's with the long silk apron.,girls and women wear them practicly everday, 'in Germany,Austria,south-tyrol-slovenia-switzerland !,I personaly think thats in this "crazy world" we live in it's wonderful that all theese countries !!.The ladies have an absolute advantage on men,because they can wear both," dirndl" and", lederhosen",and you can put them on " anyday" " anyday" they are so practical,and allways " in",.I was a little surprised by comments made on other blogs concerning " lederhosen" some saying ( a minority),well it's stupid to wear lederhosen ,are they "complexed" or what,,that means that millions and millions of locals and tourists are all stupid ?!!,Anyway I say "long live lederhosen"
ReplyDeleteI've just came back from Berlin the federal capital of Germany and even here you see lot of people in Dirndls and Lederhosen,there's a lot of shops selling theese items,and being a woman and over 40,I wonderd if I could wear one too, well it was a pleasent surprise to see that women much older than I do.In fact they are very short compared with men's Lederhosen and with beautiful flowers on the matching suspenders and on the cross-piece in front.the prices are reasonable too 59 euros for a complete short one and 79 euros for a longer one allways complete.Another thing that I liked is that Berlin being a capital,has very big lakes and even forests,so it was very nice cycling or walking around theese lakes in my Lederhosen and seeing other people of both sexes wearing them.I really recomend people to buy one ,on Internet you get them at the same price,you feel so great when you're in them.Anyway I bought myself a blue one with the flap and the matching suspenders size 48 .I asked to other german women why was lederhosen and dirndls so much worn in all Germany they answerd me explaining that as thet say a la mode ,wich is a <french term,anyway do like me treat yourself in buying a Lederhose ,men & women , I do agree too that once you're in one it's really such a very good feeling and wear them when you want,plus your boyfreind or husband will appreciate it too
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see both male and female wearing lederhosen.As a boy I would always wear lederhosen with long socks to formal occasions and found them very comfortable and stylish.As time went on I noticed more girls choosing to wear lederhosen rather than the more traditional dirndl.Eventually my 4 sisters also started to wear the lederhosen over their stockings.The 5 of us in our lederhosen always attracted plenty of attention and compliments,particulerly myself as the only male.I always loved the attention,and continued to wear lederhosen until I was about 16.
DeleteActualy since a couple of years you can buy very easily Lederhosen with the matching suspenders on Internet,at low prices too,around 39 euros,the short one's ( complete) and around 79 euros for longer one's,just go on :AMAZON.DE-or AMAZON.FR- or AMAZON.CO.UK- or AMAZON.COM,and put in LEDERHOSEN FUR HERRN UND DAMEN.?Luckily thet speak English and normaly there's no postage fees either
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tip of buying a lederhosen,I took a look on the sites you recommended,and I did find a great range of lederhosen for men and women with the matching suspenders at the prices you inicated,I showed them to my boyfreind and he thinks it's great!,and encouraged me in buying one,so i'll order one.In the meantime,I like to wear large baggy pants with large leather clip on suspenders and a leather cap too on my head I dig ' les miserables " type of clothing,seeming kind of scruffy wearing a cardigan but allways leaving it opended so everybody can see my large clip on suspenders with their huge metal clips,evrybody loves me dressed up this way!!
ReplyDeleteI love wearing braces and either buy clothing that comes with them; like slacks or jeans but also have suspender buttons sewn in pants. They are far more comfortable than belts and feel really nice against my back. On top of the comfort, they are so sexy. My husband thinks I look very sexy in them.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: Thanks for your comments. I agree that braces are by far the most comfortable way to wear pants or jeans. They look and feel great.
DeleteI imagine you wear braces almost every day. What outfits do you wear with them with? How do you coordinate braces with your style?
I do like to wear braces every day. I wear them with jeans, chinos, or work slacks.
DeleteAfter you get used to how comfy and stylish they are you really dont like to go without.
I have braces that are more monotone ; blacks and beiges and ones that have more colorful designs. Depends on the day!
Dear Sirs, keep up the good work. Am surprised how many women dont realize how fantastic braces are; except the people on tbis blog.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started wearing braces, I used to hide or cover them.
Now I wear them with pride.
Please keep us posted if you come across ad suspender pants/jeans you think we shoukd buy.thanks!
Thanks Anonymous! It's my pleasure to write this blog and highlight braces and suspenders to people. Braces can be worn every day - weather you are going to work, in the evenings going out, or on the weekends relaxing around your home. Braces are under appreciated, but over deliver!
DeleteAs for suspender jean ads, there are a number of them right now. I'd recommend Court James Suspender Skinny Jeans or CourtShop James Suspender Skinny Jeans. You can also check out Pinterest for many, many more photos and ads.
Have other readers come across ads they can share with us?
Your site is great bc wome know there are other women loving braces . They are not alone.
ReplyDeleteI feel naked without them and wear yhem 6 Times a week
comfort and elegance.
I have 20 pairs and love love them. Thet make me feel so sexy
Thanks! I'm glad that people can learn that its fashionable and stylish to wear braces.
DeleteI think women are more willing to be adventurous in what they wear. Rather than simply wear what is the current fashion, women are more willing to break through the standard outfits and provide variety and color. Braces are a nice signature piece that can set your outfit apart from others.
You mentioned you wear braces 6 times a week. You must have experimented with many different outfits and coordinating the braces. Could you share your tips on what you have found works well for wearing braces everyday, without wearing a similar outfit every day?
I love wearing braces!! I'm female , I don't wear them as much as I'd like. Why should they be relegated to men? One dinosaur man in an article says we don't need them but they make trouser wearing more comfortable. I'd like to know if other women enjoy wearing them as much as I do and if there are men who like women wearing pair of braces?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you love wearing braces, I do too!
DeleteI agree with you that braces should not only be for men, but also for women. Everyone should wear braces for comfort and to support their pants or skirt. It worked when pants were originally invented, and it still works today.
I think women wearing braces is fantastic. What outfits do you wear braces with?
Hi I have mentioned in another post dress pants and jacket. I'd love a morning suit , looking out for one. Gonna mix it up with a long vest top, black tutu and denim jacket and I'm gonna try with a pencil skirt. I have lots of black ones but would love pinstripe , I will be on the hunt for one in the shops!! I think we need female T V stars that wear braces and ones in novels and plays too!! I't is funny but I reckon I could wear them on stage but I'm not quite ready to flash them at work!!
ReplyDeleteAndie :-)
Dress trousers and jacket. Denim skirt, jeans and denim or bike jacket. I have two dresses with mini suspenders and I'm thinking of teaming. My new suspenders with a black lycra vest and tutu and black spandex. I'm gonna get some new dress trousers and a waistcoat to. Wear my new blue and white braces with!!!
ReplyDeleteI love braces! They are my favorite. Feel so sexy and comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could wear every day.
just wearing them arouses me. A man in braces makes me melt
@BBC Corp: Thanks for sharing! Braces are amazing and comfortable. What do you wear your braces with? What styles of braces do you own?
DeleteThanks for the tips posted on january,29,,26,and 23,concerning ladies suspenders and concerning ladies lederhosen ,(german thick leather shorts with the matching suspenders,.I orderd one on amazon-site,and have just received it,wow! since i've received it and now wear it,I feel so great and they are so "feminine too,Mine is in a pink leather with the matching suspenders with lovely buckles and a breastpiece in the front,I like alqo the way you close it,with the buttoned flap in front,there's a range of 7horn buttons in front and 2 in the back But the thing I like the most is the feeling of being well maintained and strapped in it ,it's so sexy !!,Since then I have other women freinds who have orderd one too because they really want to wear this outfit,Yes allthough i'm over 40 I just love wearing them!,And as sais quite rightly too once you've tookthe habit of wearing them you feel "naked" if you don't put it on,Anyway My husband just loves me in them ,and I think That i'm going to get him to order onr aswell,so we"ll be both in Lederhosen shorts!As for the price it was 79 euros ,( but sent post free)!So go n ahead ladies do like me It's a guaranteed succes!!
ReplyDeleteIt's true that wearing suspenders with pants or skirts does give an extra touch for us the Ladies!.Last summet having rented a location in southern Italy,and walking with my husband along the seaside,there were shops selling women's suits with short pants and the jacket,in a dark blue tergal textile!,But underneath it was even better,because along with the jacket and short pants you had a white blouse with blue buttons on the short pants and the buttons for suspenders with leather ends to attach on the buttons sown on the outside!My husband said ,hey! look at this ,this would suit you,,and I did notice a couple of women walking about in this outfit,but told my husband what ? you want to dress me up as a little girl 'I'm 30 you know,and we continued strolling along ,but we saw other women wearing again this short pant suit and jacket!And having second thoughts,I decided to go back to the shops selling theese Items!.I started to dream myself in it,and asked what sizes they had and they replied from 38 to 48 ( european sizes).I took a 46 size and tried it on and coming out my husband thought I was great in it !Then taking off the jacket and looking in the big mirror,the white blouse with it's blue buttons +the big blue buttons too on the outside of the short pants and with the large and thick "grandpa's suspenders ,I started to think that this thing was sexy,so I bought it ( at a very reasonable price too!.In the begining when I went out or driving my car I did'nt dare taking my jacket off ,because of the suspenders,but sweating too much I did take it off,and walking around or driving I took the taste of "showing" my neat white buttoned blouse and the large suspenders buttoned on those big blue buttons,a matter of fact I even got complimented ,so now I'm not at all complexed of wearing my short pant suit along with my suspenders,!.And i agree now that us the women don't hesistate and step forward and wear suspenders at any time ,men love it!!
ReplyDeleteI love wearing braces. I'm female and I'm afraid to show mine off but I'm so pleased other women like to wear them also. Andie.
ReplyDeleteI'm a guy, and I have a strange attraction to women in menswear. And I definitely believe that menswear ≠ masculinity. I love the high waisted pants/shorts look on women and am a firm believer that high waisted pants with suspenders (or "braces" as the brits call them) look great on any girl, with any body type. I myself have never worn braces, since I always wear a vest with my suit, but I see a lot of people looking great with braces and I'm glad they're fashionable again (especially for women)
ReplyDelete-Raphael
Thanks Raphael for the comments. Women in menswear has definitely taken off the last few years. More and more designers are incorporating menswear into their outfits, and that results in women wearing it. This includes braces, suspenders, bowties, vests, hats, suits, dress shirts... women's tuxedo pants! The list is endless!
DeletePlease if you alow me to say so ,I'm a man who loves to wear belt and suspenders with his pants ,but women look even greater when wearing belt and suspenders ,either clip on one's or button on one's with leather ends,so don't worry about your entourage do as you feel ,anyhow women look great wearing belt with suspenders ,I admit they carry them much better than we do,!.So ladies do as you wish but please don't have any complex about wearing suspenders carry on !.
ReplyDeletewomen look great in braces,whether it is with pants or shorts.High waisted clothing looks particularly good when they are worn with a pair of braces.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: couldn't agree more! High waisted clothing, be it pant, skirt or shorts, are made for braces.
DeleteMe too I agree ,that sure suspenders were inutially made for men ,but the Ladies do really carry them well too !Hane you seen lately on Internet " the KOOPLES SHORT LEATHER PANTS HIGH WAISTED WITH A LARGE BELT AND THE LEATHER END SUSPENDERS FOR WOMEN wow thet really do look sexy and attractive in them ,but the only thing is the Price ,yes they cot a good 200 euros !
ReplyDeletethe last picture is of ginger rogers not clara bows
ReplyDeleteThanks for the revision!
DeleteI have always loved the look of braces on women. I believe they suit us more than they do on men. I have experimented with so many different outfits to partner with the many pair of braces I have. I find when I wear them I have a bigger spring in my step. I find they give me confidence. And I have noticed this with alot of women. I work in a very busy business district and I see women everyday wearing braces and it makes me smile. There are so many ways you can wear them such as skirts, pants, jeans and shorts. As I'm a pants girl I always wear them with a wide leg as I find them most flattering. There are so many stores that cater for women these days and offer a Hugh range of braces that are designed with a woman in mind by offering great colours and patterns. So come on girls show your braces with pride.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Rachel. That's great to hear that women are wearing braces in your area! There are so many stores that now offer excellent pants and skirts with braces, so women have lots of opportunitiies to buy them.
DeleteHi Rachael. I to am a braces lover and am happy to see over women with the same love for them. I live in Australia and at the moment braces are so popular as the stores are stocking pallazzo bangs with braces attached witch suits me because that's my style
DeleteThat's great to hear Kelly. Maybe the style will spread around the world
DeleteMy wife randomly said to me she wanted to start wearing braces because people at her work do. I was very surprised when she said this. So she went out and bought several pairs. When she got dressed for work the next day she was wearing a pair of black satin braces. I was pleasantly surprised on how good they looked on her. And I applaud her confidence to wear them
ReplyDeleteIt's true that before I did'nt wear all that much elastic braces ,although I could have done with them to keep my jeans and other trousers perfectjy held up correctly! But since then Elastic Braces have made a great come back all over the world,and when you go out you notice that more and more people are wearing them!And what's more especially women too are wearing them too more and more ,and I have to admit that they really look great too wearing them!Like i've noticed that girls and women wearing large bell bottom trousers wear large elastic braces with 4 huge clips wich makes them look even more sexy ,there's no doubt about that ,and what's more is that we have come into a new era where elastic braces suit just aswell men or women!What's more is that medicalwise I've have been told by a lot of people that to maintain your back I'ts much better to wear large braces than a belt!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, braces look great on girls and women.
DeleteWhen I first knew my husband he was already wearing large clip on braces with his jeans to go to work in his factory with 4 huge metalic clips ,wich I liked straight away,!+ he wore above a lovely white nylon overall buttoned in the back too ,really he was impecable and sexy too !Me of course too I was wearing the same nylon buttoned overall with big buttons in the back too ,but I was'nt wearing braces wich I would have liked to wear aswell!Then after getting married after a while my husband bought me a pair like his with those very large metal clips I liked so much !He put them on me and straight away I liked the feeling of wearing my large braces with my trousers and he had pulled them up so I was really well maintained too !What I liked the most is when I bended down they were pulling on my shoulders wich I liked very much to ,+all of my other girl freinds told me how good and sexy I looked to !A matter of fact some other freinds too asked me where they came from and I told them, and son there were other girls or women who were wearing them just like me and even saying we should have thought of it a long time ag and now we are going to keep them on !A matter of fact even my husbands and a lot of other men in our factory told us how impecable we all looked with our nice and very large trouser braces ,wich I admit suits women just as much as men ! What's more is that we all put them on wich is to please ourslves ,and certainly not to please others ,that's for sure !
ReplyDeleteI could'nt agree better with you,anonymous penfreind I am a married woman but quite small in height ,1,56 m high so as you can see i'm not too big ,and that is why I still like to wear my school pleated suspender skirts with those large buttoned suspenders crossed in the back and straight in front,!Of course at my work I do put a white nylon buttoned overall ,so you can easily see through my nylon white overall my suspenders on my skirt !But everyone finds me pretty and especialy my husband encourage's me too keep on wearing my attire too so I'm quite satisfied !So as you can see with my white nylon thin overall;my skirt with suspenders + my navy blus beret I still imagine that I'm a schoolgirl and speaking alone of the felling of the nylon overall,my pleated suspender skirt and my beret I still feel tha I'm a schoolgirl and as I said before my husbnad who like's to see me dressed up like this he encourages me on keeping on wearing all of this !
ReplyDeleteIn our work and small business ,as we have a small garden maintainance business and as we work together me and my wife maintaining the gardens of rather rich people!We find very handy and appropriate to wear both of us large Corduroy high waisted trousers ,with butons on the outside to attach our large leather end braces ,because they maintain especially our backs ,plus we both wear aswell large caps on our heads too ,and since 15 years we've been wearing the same outfit ,and to to be honest as soon as we're up every morning we put on the same outfit,and both of us like wearing it to ,Plus when when have new customers they tell us that they appreciate the clothes we're wearing ,because that prooves that we are serious in our job too ,and to be honest too especially my wife too apreciates wearing her large leather end braces too just like me !They really maintain our backs a lot and our large caps too protect us too from the weather!Plus my wife and I we both shave our heads completely too and we like the feeling of our shaved heads under our caps too! A matter of fact we have a son and as soon as he was old enough we put leather end braces and a cap on him too ,Now he's allready about 13 years old and he's starting to help us in our work and he too could'nt do without those thick corduroy working trousers along withhis leather end braces anc cap ,justlike us and he ask's his mother too to shave his head just like us !Plusw e have been told bu our family doctor that large leather end braces maintain the backk very well too ,so We can't ask for more!
ReplyDeleteI saw a picture of blake lively wearing a pair of really wide leg pants with button on braces and a shirt and tie. She looked amazing and then I said that is the style I want to wear.i was a bit unsure about the time on me but I was definitely going to wear the rest. I already has multiple pairs of extremely wide leg pants also known as palazzo pants so I purchased several pairs of braces. So I started wearing them and wow I have never received so much positive feedback on any other outfit I had ever worn. I loved it and knew that I would be wearing braces for a very long time. Since I've been wearing them my sixteen year old daughter has started wearing them. They are the perfect accessory for anyone especially women
ReplyDeleteI agrree just like the other women who stated that they too liked very much the feeling wearing everyday Braces either with their trousers or their skirts!As for me since years now I have been wearing very large and thick leather end buttoned braces ,either with my long and high waisted skirts or my large and high waisted trousers too,wich I really do appreciate! So does my sister,she wears them too just like me ,a matter a fact we work in an office and everybody likes us in them ,men and women!A matter of fact since then other women have been wearing them too ;just like me and my sister and they really d appreciate them now just like us !What's more medicalewise we have been told too that large braces maintain your back much more better too ,so less backache !
ReplyDeleteI'm a young woman who has always grown up wear suspenders and braces. My mother worked for a very large menswear store which recently closed its doors. My mother was given all of the pairs of suspenders and braces. As she knows I love wearing both she gave me all of them 22 pairs to be exact. The ranged from X back, y back button on braces, clip on suspenders, elastic, satin , leather,silk, white, black, red, grey beige striped spots etc. I already had a great collection which now has tripled. The hardest thing is there are too many Choi now. But as I think they have become that go to accessory for both men and women I will find my favourite ones and wear them daily. I just need more pants. Tim is a new day at work so I'm going to copy an outfit worn by the beautiful Jenifer Lopez. I'm going to wear my white high waisted extremely wide leg pants with a light blue long sleeve shirt and also my brand new white satin button on braces thanks to my mother. This outf is so glamorous to wear. Then the dilemma is what to wear the following days. I promise I will wear a pair of suspenders/braces every single day and I will wear them proud
ReplyDelete