When I was a boy my parents bought me a pair of light blue dress pants. This was unlike any pair of pants I'd worn before, as the pants came with suspenders in the same color. The pants were high-rise, which was the trend at the time, and these pants came up just above my belly button. The pants had no waistband, rather the fabric came up all the way and just stopped. I’ve since learned this style is called ‘Hollywood Waist’. As a thin boy, the pants required the use of suspenders to hold them up, which is likely why they were included. The suspenders were Y-back and clipped-on to the hollywood waist. It made sense why there was no waistband - the pants were intended to be worn only with suspenders.
I remember wearing this outfit often - to holiday dinners, church, and weddings, especially in the summer time. I’d wear a checkered shirt or for more formal occasions, a white dress shirt. There was no suit jacket – just the pants and suspenders. I felt stylish in my pants and suspenders.
I remember other boys wore pants and suspenders as well. It was quite common back then.
Jump ahead 20 years, while hunting through a thrift store I came across a strikingly similar pair of light blue dress pants. This time in an adult size and without suspenders. When I saw them, my childhood memories of wearing the blue pants immediately came rushing to mind.
I was so surprised! I must have been staring at the pants too long, as the lady working in that department came by to ask how I was doing. I told her I used to wear a pair of pants similar to this when I was young and it was bringing back memories. She smiled and suggested I purchase them to relive my childhood.
I agreed and shared my memories of wearing high-rise pants as a child with suspenders. She replied that she loved the look and that I should do the same with this pair. But, I said, this time I would wear the pants with button-on braces, instead of clip-on suspenders.
A few days later I removed the belt loops and sewed suspender buttons on the waistline. I sewed the buttons on the outside of the waistband to fit the vintage style of the pants. Buttons on the outside is very traditional, and I wanted to show the details of the suspender buttons against the brace tabs. Here’s a close-up of the brace tabs and exterior suspender buttons.
Here's another close-up with a different shirt:
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| Exterior suspender buttons against the brown brace tabs |
The diamond pattern in the shirt complement the diamond braces.
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| Rear shot of braces |
I love the look and feel of the pants; they are vintage and make a statement! It's the closest thing I can get to reliving my childhood!
Later this year I found another pair of light blue, high-waisted denim pants at a thrift store. They had a vintage design at the waist - no belt loops. Rather the pant fabric came up to top of the pants. These were again the Hollywood waist. They again reminded me of my childhood and wearing suspenders. These pants required suspenders to hold them up, but did not come with buttons, so I sewed them on, this time on the inside of the waistband.
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| High-waisted, light blue denim pants with braces |
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| Rear shot of high-waisted pants |
I bought these stripped Y-back braces long before I had light blue pants. They pair so well and I like the colors - the blue on the braces with the blue in the pants, and the red on the braces with the red in the dress shirt, the white on the braces and the white on the dress shirt.
A few years later, after enough people had wanted to see the buttons attach at the waist, I decided that these pants would be better with the buttons on the outside of the pants. So I clipped them off and resewed the buttons onto the exterior of the waistline.
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| Buttons on the outside |
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| Rear shot of buttons on the outside |
I like that people can see my buttons and braces. It's a vintage look that I enjoy and know others do as well.
These pants are larger at the waist, as you can see with the slight fish-tail back feature. Just like the pair of pants I had when I was young, these pants need braces to hold them up.
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| Evidence that my braces are suspending my loose waistline |
Now when I wear either of these blue pants I'm reminded of my childhood, and where my love of high-waisted pants and suspenders all started.
Discussion time:
- Did you wear suspenders growing up?
- Do you continue to wear suspenders, or stopped after childhood?
