Time to bring back the classics

Do you look at old photographs and magically insert yourself into the scene, such as this one...

Men strolling down the sidewalk in Paris, 1928

I'd love to join in with these men as they stroll down the sidewalk in 1928, all wearing high-waisted pants with braces. The photo's description says it was during a heatwave in 1928 - I'd be walking around without a suit jacket as well.

Do you imagine a time when people put thought into how they dressed, even on the weekend? Back when men wore suits, and women wore dresses regularly. Some people refer to this as the Golden age of mens style.

While I’d love to be transported into that bygone era. I realize that life was challenging back then and things we take for granted today were unheard of back then. I’d like to focus on the fashion aspect of the bygone era, rather than the troubles.

Here's a photo I could see myself in:

Photo of a new family

Even at home the man is wearing a suit. He's conveniently pulled back his suit jacket to reveal his braces supporting his high-rise pants. Notice the proper placement of the buttons - above the center pleat and then to the side above the pocket. The inverse-U tab appears a bit stretched, but works well to support his pants over the front waistline.


Women wore dresses or high-waisted skirts. Stockings were worn over their legs and held in place with suspenders (also called garters) which sometimes needed adjusting.

Adjusting the suspenders

Men always wore suits, even at home. When the man came home, he would take off his hat (another stylish accessory now forgotten), remove his suit jacket, and carry on with his day. No one would think twice about seeing his high-waisted pants held up with braces. It was totally acceptable to have the braces visible. In fact, it was appreciated, as the pants lengthened his appearance, did not drag on the ground, or get torn at the hem.

A father reading with his son. His suit jacket is off and he looks very comfortable

Both men and women understood that suspenders were an essential accessory - for holding up pants and for holding up stockings. High-waisted pants, skirts, and stockings were secured by braces. No decent individual would expect anything less; they were effective and comfortable. Braces proliferated the everyday scene in the home and at the office.

At home: the man's suit jacket is off, sleeves rolled-up, and his braces are totally acceptable

 

 

At the office: every man's suit jacket is off and it's acceptable to show their braces

If you walked into any office building, you would not be surprised to see the majority of men wearing braces. Braces would be quietly doing their part, keeping mens pants looking respectable and dapper. Women wore pinafores and skirts with fabric straps, or skirts with button-on braces. Pants and skirts were meant to be kept high, and braces met that need.

This was before the days of throw-away fashion. People bought quality clothing and reused them over and over – or handed them down repeatedly. As such, some clothes could be loose, requiring braces to keep the lower-half of the outfit in place. People expected braces to be worn to fill this need.



Besides looking at old photographs, there are certain communities and events that celebrate fashion from the past. There are annual tweed rides in major cities. Or take Goodwood Revival festival in England. In addition to racing cars and planes, there’s also the style aspect. People dress in vintage styles, with plenty of braces and high-waisted skirts around. At 2019's festival, the winner of the Best Dressed Competition in the men's category wore a 1940's civilian style of grey, high-rise pants with stripped braces on a blue shirt and a vintage, red tie and grey hat:

Of course he won - he looks like he stepped out of the 1940's!

For those who appreciate an era when men wore braces, and hats were commonplace, these events are a welcomed reprieve from modern life.

Discussion

• Have you attended events with vintage themes?
• Do you wear clothes that are styled from a bygone era?

History of Braces

Where did braces come from? According to Alan Flusser’s, “From the time man first chose to wear trousers, either leather belts, rope, or cloth sashes were used to hold them up. It wasn't until the time of the French Revolution, however, when short vests and trousers reaching to the armpits were worn, that the suspender first appeared. These early examples were merely straps of leather that fell directly over the shoulders and were fastened to the waistband of the trousers by means of a hook.

Within a short time, suspenders, which were originally quite heavy and rather uncomfortable, became the favored choice of nobility and were eventually considered the mark of any well- dressed gentleman. In fact, no properly attired Victorian man would have dared consider himself affianced to any young woman of breeding until she had presented him with a pair of suspenders embroidered by her own dainty hands.

In this country, suspenders were also considered the only choice of the well-dressed man, but by the end of the nineteenth century, this thinking began to undergo a slow yet inexorable change. This change was due, at least in part, to the uniforms men wore during the various wars that flared up during the late nineteenth century. Belts became more popular as shoulders were emphasized and waists pulled in, simply in an effort to appear more threatening and imposing.

By the early 1900s, folded belts were all the rage. They were fashioned by joining two-inch strips of cowhide, then stitching the edges to produce a rounded, pliable belt one inch in width. Also popular during this period was the Sam Browne officer's belt, which appealed not only to veterans but to other men as well.

But it was probably S. Rae Hickock, a successful dealer in leather goods, who did more than anyone to ensure the success of the belt industry when he began to manufacture belt buckles with etched monograms around 1910.

By the time American men returned home from world War I, they were wearing coarse yarn belts, which quickly caught the fancy of the general male populace. However, during the summer, when vests and jackets came off, belts went on as men chose not to expose their suspenders. Also during this period knickers became popular, further limiting the use of suspenders. And although suspenders maintained their popularity well into the decade of the 1920s, by the time the stock market fell, most men's trousers were being held up by belts.

Though they have recently experienced a renaissance of sorts, today suspenders are but a small part of the haberdashery industry. Belts, on the other hand, come in many colors, widths, and all sorts of materials, ranging from leather to fabric to plastic.” (“Dressing the Man”, 2002).

Women have been wearing braces for as long as men have, because they work and are stylish!

As you can see, belts have taken over for suspenders, not because they are functionally superior, but because it was considered a source of embarrassment to display suspenders. Considering that we now live in the 21st Century, this embarrassment has slowly dissipated, and now, in 2010, suspenders are not being hidden underneath vests and suit jackets, but being proudly displayed. The range of colors, fabrics, and designs has increased significantly.

Discussion time:

• How long have you been wearing braces for?
• Do you wear braces proudly or with embarrassment?

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