Tales of a Brace-wearer (Part I)

A man was in his first week at a new corporate office. The corporate dress code was primarily suits but also blazers and dress pants.
One day the man was stopped by a couple of female colleagues. “Can we ask you a question?” one asked, “We’ve been talking about your style; your suits look so well put together.”
“Thank you,” said the man.
The lady continued, “Your clothes fit well, and you look comfortable in them: your shirt stays tucked in, your pants don’t drag on the ground, your pants stay at your waistline, you’re not constantly adjusting your pants like other guys around here. Your pants stay in place, but I don’t see you wearing a belt. If you don’t wear a belt, then you must be wearing … suspenders?”

Box-cloth braces

With a smile, the man flipped open his jacket to reveal a pair of royal blue braces.
“I knew it had to be suspenders!” exclaimed the second lady.
“Yes, these are the answer to why everything fits together. They are very comfortable and practical, and I don’t need to be concerned about my pants all day,” said the man.
 “What kind of suspenders are those? I have not seen suspenders with leather attachments at the waist before. How do they attach to the pants?”
“There are small buttons sewn onto the waistband of my pants. The straps are connected by these brace tabs that are either in an inverted-V or inverted-U – these are inverted-U. When suspenders attach to the pants with buttons they are generally called ‘braces’, and when they attach with alligator clips they are called ‘suspenders’. Some pants have the buttons on the outside of the waistband, some on the inside, depending on your preference.”
“I see,” said the second lady. “That’s so classy. I love the look. Buttons are more sophisticated than clips.”
“I prefer the buttons over the clips as well. In addition to being classy, when you have buttons there are more anchor points to keep my pants aligned all day long, regardless of my movements. But there’s more to it than just brace tabs attached to buttons. The buttons are positioned in specific locations along the waistline to anchor the pants, both at the front and back.” The man motioned with his hand, “let me explain: see how the buttons are aligned directly with the pleats, and on the side of the pants with the pockets?”
“Yes” agreed the women.
“The brace buttons secure the pants at the right locations – at the pleat line, to keep the line perfectly straight, and at the pockets. Think of it as an anchor here at the pleat line,” pointing to the location, “and an anchor here at the pockets. A single anchor - whether attached by a single brace tab or alligator clip - would be insufficient, regardless of where it is placed. That’s why clips simply don’t provide the same level of comfort and support for pants.”

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. I’ve never thought about that. It’s no surprise that you look so put together – the pleats are kept straight with the brace buttons anchoring them at just the right places on the waistline,” said the first women.
 “Exactly; and the other side of the brace tabs anchor the side of the pants,” motioned the man.
“Yes, I can see how it works now,” said the lady. “How about on the back of the pants? How do the buttons anchor the pants?”
The man removed his jacket to show the rear, fish-tail back detailing.
The women breathed in, “Oh wow, these pants are designed for braces!”
“Exactly, the fabric over each leg comes to a climax at the anchoring brace buttons, which are held in line with the brace loop, which in turn is held perfectly in line with the rear brace strap. It all aligns perfectly to give a clean look at the back,” stated the man.
“Yes, I can see why your pants look so coordinated and fit so well,” said the women. “The pants are held up at all the right points to keep the pleats and pocket aligned, and at the rear over each leg.”
“That’s fantastic,” said the other lady. “The design of the pants fabric to come up to meet the braces is truly unique. It completes the look of the braces. I have never seen this before. It’s so stunning and sophisticated!”
“Thank you,” beamed the man.

 

“You don’t find pants like that off the rack in stores.”
“Agreed,” said the man.
“So where did you get them?”
“This pair I had custom-made. It’s called a ‘fish tail back’,” said the man.
“Going back to how braces attach to the pants – with buttons…” said the women.
“Yes, the buttons allow you to exchange one pair of braces with another for different looks. Sewing on buttons is an easy skill to learn,” said the man. “And it would be helpful to know, as buttons can sometimes pop off.”
The women smiled, “Ah yes, now that you mention it, I recall a black and white photo of working men with the brace tabs on one side connecting to only one point on the waistline, a button must have come off. Is that common?”
“It’s very rare for buttons to come off if they have been sewn on securely. Buttons don’t come off unless they’re under significant, prolonged pressure or the threads are worn down. I’ve been wearing braces for over 15 years and only had a few buttons pop off in that time. As the buttons are anchoring at the right locations, when one pops off you notice the change in tension and drooping pants right away. Men have been wearing braces with buttons for over 150 years, and if they didn’t withstand the daily demands of life back then, they couldn’t today.”

The man continued. “I find buttons grip far better over the long term than clips can. Aside from your buttons being anchoring points, clips snap off all the time as they only clinch the fabric, not firmly attach to it. Clips also damage the fabric, so for formal dress fabrics, clips should never be used. Braces stay firmly anchored with buttons. I like the vintage look of braces. Having been worn for over 150 years, they are timeless and classy.”
“Yes they are. I recall old photographs of men wearing braces and wondering why men don’t wear them anymore. Why aren’t more men wearing braces?”
“The height of the waistline on men’s pants is the primary reason,” the man responded. “Waistlines have inched lower and lower over time. Historically, waistlines were at or above the belly-button. This elongated the legs and made the man look taller. There is also a slight budge at the waist, so higher waisted pants pass smoothly over this budge. But in order to keep pants at this higher waist, braces must be used to support them.”
“I think another reason is that people associate suspenders with the clip-on variety and that’s a major turn off,” says the man. “Clips snap off, don’t anchor the pleat and side of the pants at the same time, and because you can easily take suspenders from one pair of pants to another, they look cheap. Braces are practical, stylish, and classy. I think more men should try braces and discover the comfort and confidence that comes with wear braces.”
“I agree,” chimed the women.

The man turned to go, but the first lady wasn’t finished. “As a stylish man, why do you leave your jacket on? Why not show off your braces and the stylish pants. I’m sure people would appreciate your style, as much as we have!”

“Thank you for the compliments on my style. Historically braces were considered an undergarment and not to be displayed. They were considered underwear and only your immediate family saw them. This thinking has changed and it’s now acceptable to display braces. But as braces are a vintage accessory, some of this traditional thinking carries on.”

“I see; but there are lots of old photographs of men showing their braces, without a jacket. I actually like seeing braces and the different styles and designs – it adds to the outfit. I love your pant style at the back, what did you call it? Fish-tail back? You don’t need to hide this special tailoring. I think you would agree with me,” turning to the other lady, “that braces can be proudly displayed.”
“Absolutely”, nodded the women.

“Thanks for the encouragement. And thanks again for the complements on my pants and braces.”

“You’re welcome.” 

The next day, the women gathered at the man’s office, eager to see his outfit for the day. He had taken off his blazer and was wearing a classy dress shirt with a pair of grey pants held in place by braces. The braces were stripped grey and navy.
“Love the braces; they complement your grey pants well,” admired the lady. “Are they fish-tail back pants today?”
The man stood up and smiled, turning around to reveal the fish-tail back details.

Return of the Light Blue Pants

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:

Exterior suspender buttons against the brown brace tabs

The diamond pattern in the shirt complement the diamond braces.

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.

High-waisted, light blue denim pants with braces

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. 

Buttons on the outside

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.

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?

Hiding Braces

Do you hide your braces under a jacket, vest, cardigan, or other layer of clothing? Are you embarrassed to be seen wearing your braces? Why is that? Let's address these questions and primarily the historical aspect today. 

Braces provide a valuable function in supporting your pants at a constant height all day long. They lengthen your appearance. As 2 vertical lines, braces can compliment your tie and provide other stylish benefits. So why hide them underneath a jacket or vest?

Pants were originally made to be worn with braces. That's where pants sit and hang best - from your natural waist or at a higher-waist. I understand that braces historically were considered part of men’s undergarments. But braces didn't stay there. They gradually and suddenly lost their secret status when men stopped wearing vests.

A suit jacket is an outer layer for travelling - it's not meant to be worn indoors. When men work indoors, they remove their suit jackets and without a vest, their braces are on display. No one, least of all women, would think anything strange or unsightly about this.

I've had discussions with people who believe that historically braces were always hidden. On the contrary, I can illustrate that prior to the 1950s, men displayed there braces all the time. I perused the site Alamy for men wearing braces in the presence of ladies. Here's a sample of my results:

1937: Photo of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy recording a duet for Maytime

1940s: Two actors rehearsing a romantic theatre play with their director, both men are wearing braces

September 1, 1944: Swing bandleader Sammy Kaye (wearing hat and suspenders) and his orchestra at a recording session for Columbia Recording Company.

1944: still from the movie Broadway Rhythm

1941: still from the movie Confirm or Deny

1941: still from the movie Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring

1945: still from the movie The Lost Weekend

1948: still from the movie The Walls of Jericho

1946: still from the movie The Best Years of our Lives

And finally to nail my point home, ladies even took off a man's braces:

1937: still from the movie The Great Hospital Mystery

All the men are wearing braces alongside women who are dressed impeccably. I'd challenge anyone to try to explain why displaying braces was so common in the 1930s and 40s from these photos.

***

On a personal note, I displayed my braces today. It was a beautiful, summer day, and so I wore a pair of light grey pants with Trafalgar braces and a green, blue, and white plaid dress shirt. These Trafalgar braces were one of my first purchases of braces, and I’m glad I invested in a quality pair that I’m still using today. The brace straps are stripped, with grey strip in the middle surrounded by a thin white line and a navy border strip.  The Y-back braces also have a dash of burgundy color in the rear, to keep it exciting! Here’s the look:

Trafalgar braces

Rear burgundy strap

While I was at the bank, the clerk commented on my outfit saying, “I like your look; very traditional with the suspenders”, by which she meant braces (I’ll excuse her for not knowing the difference). But this the point - as people wear braces the general population learns that they are called braces, not suspenders. It's not embarrassing to be seen showing your braces. The bank clerk sees hundreds of people a day, and appreciated seeing me wear braces. The comment was an appreciation of style!

So don’t feel embarrassed to display your braces in public. Wear them with class and people will appreciate the time and effort you put in to your outfit for the day.

Discussion time:

• Have you been embarrassed to show your braces or suspenders in public?
• How do you feel when you take off your jacket, vest, or cardigan and display your braces or suspenders?
• What outfits have you worn recently with braces?

What to wear with braces?

Braces are more formal than belts, and so generally go with more formal wear, such as suits and dress skirts. However, that doesn’t exclude them from wearing braces with jeans, shorts, or khaki pants – they all need support!

Instead of describing the different looks, I think it’s better to just show photos of people who know how to wear their braces correctly.

Based on these looks, you can notice the trend of high-waisted pants or skirt, and a fitted shirt. You can also check out this helpful guide.

Discussion time:

• How about you? What do you wear braces with?
• Have any photos or links to share?

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