The importance of the position of the rear junction

Brace straps cross over (X-style) or come together (Y-style) on the wearer's back. The place that they come together is referred to as the rear junction and it's one of the most important components of wearing braces, but not often considered. This post highlights different positioning and provides recommendations for you to enjoy brace wearing all the more.

The rear junction

The rear junction can either be fixed or movable. A fixed junction is more secure and is common on higher-end, luxury braces. A movable junction allows the wearer to shift the junction higher or lower on the torso to adapt the straps to the person's body.

Why is the rear junction placement important? Because straps slip off shoulders when the junction is too low. The higher the junction, the closer together the straps are as they run over the shoulders, and the less frequent they slip off. But you don't want the junction to be too high, that it's at your neck (see photo below). This causes the straps to curve around your neck rather than the shoulder blades.

Rear junction is too high

The optimal positioning of the rear junction is such that the straps curve along your shoulder blades as they run down your shoulders. This allows your shoulders to move freely while minimizing the possibility of the straps slipping of your shoulders.

The placement of the rear junction is a tad low

 

The placement of the rear junction is too low

Perfect positioning of the rear junction

Perfect positioning of the rear junction

The alternative is no rear junction. That is, two straps that simply run from the front of your pants to the back, never connecting at the rear to each other, such as this pair of braces:

While this may be possible, it is not recommended. The straps can easily slip off the shoulders and the shoulder blades have to contend with the strap when the shoulder moves forward.

 
I came across some video clips of Jennifer Lopez talling on the "The Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show" and “HOT 97” on April 9, 2019 in New York City. 

Jennifer is wearing a simple white tank top with high-rise black pants. The pants have button-on black braces attached, giving a classic and stylish look. The high-rise pants sit above her waistline, allowing the braces to support them. 

I think this is a great outfit and don’t want to critique it. I couldn’t help notice as I watched the videos that Jennifer adjusted her brace straps twice during the 15 minute session. In the second clip, she adjusts her straps once (potentially more when not on camera). This tells me that either the rear junction of the braces is too low relative to her shoulders, or the straps simply run up and down her shoulders, not crossing in the back. We don’t see the rear view of the braces, so we will never know. 

 

 

 

 

 

If the straps cross at the back and the rear junction is fixed, her seamstress could sew excess fabric from the pants onto her waistband, thereby extending the rear brace tabs higher. This was a common solution in decades ago. Here's a photo for illustration:

Pant fabric can be used to extend the brace tabs higher

Looking at how close the placement of the buttons is on the waistline (basically next to each other and not spread apart), I think the braces simply run parallel over the shoulders - identical to the brown pants shown above. As stylish as it may be, the straps have a tendency to slip off the shoulders. And this is what was occurring to Jennifer’s straps during the interviews. 

On another interview with the Breakfast Club, we notice that her left suspender strap is twisted. This helps keep it in place, but as someone comments “Her left suspender is bugging my OCD”, “Me too! She fiddled with it at one point, but then it was still twisted.” It's not natural to have a twisted suspender strap or for the straps to slip off.

Jennifer’s stylist has some options: cross the straps in the back, or otherwise connect them potentially as an H-style, or tighten the straps. By making these adjustments Jennifer would  comfortably wear the braces without having to tinker and adjust them throughout the day.

Discussion:
1. Have you worn braces that slipped off your shoulders during the day?
2. Have you worn parallel braces?
3. Where do you prefer to have the rear junction?

Position of Back Junction

Nowadays braces (and suspenders) cross over in the back. Originally, braces were simply straps of material that were made of leather attached to pants, similar to this...

These straps will slip off
the shoulders

Case in point - the strap slip off
the shoulder

Because of the normal body movement, the straps were prone to slip off the shoulders and not serve their purpose. Therefore, to rectify this problem the straps were crossed over in the back. Additionally, the invention of elastic and application to suspenders greatly improved the flexibility of braces to remain on the shoulders.

The straps on X-back braces and Y-back braces come together in a junction. The position of this junction relative to the wearer is important for comfort and style. If the junction is too low, the straps will be more prone to slip off the shoulders and will be uncomfortable on the shoulder blades.

If the junction is too high, the straps will be nestled around your neck and feel uncomfortable, as illustrated below.

Not all junctions are movable (see above). In these cases, you will have to live with the style, or get new suspenders. However, if the junction is adjustable, you can move it to the correct location, as described above.


Take note of this vintage photo of 2 men strolling down the street, wearing high-waisted pants, reminiscent of the zoot suit era in the early 20th century:

Here's a close-up with emphasis added to show the 2 different styles and the detail of the back junction. The man on the left is wearing X-back braces with the junction rather high and the rear buttons spread apart, in line with the back of his legs. His partner on the right is wearing Y-back braces with the junction very close to the neck.

These appear to be identical pairs of pants, with brace buttons in the same place on both pants. However, there worn with two different styles of back junctions. The spacing matters: X-back braces have more distance between the junction and the waistline, while Y-back braces are shorter. The pants of the man on the right are being pulled together at the middle seam from the brace tabs of the Y-back braces, while the pants of the man on the left are neatly in line.

Where should the junction be located? 
So where should the junction go? The junction should be located just below the shoulder-blades, to allow the straps to run over the shoulders and above the shoulder blades. This results in the junction being just above the centre of the back and provides the greatest comfort. Here are photos illustrating correct position of the junction:

Notice that the junction is mid-back – so the straps cross above and around the shoulder blades.

Discussion time:

• Where do you position your back junction?
• Where do you find it most comfortable?

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