Sock Garters

[Rhabryn]

Ive been considering a pair of these Sock Garters for awhile now.

I currently use over-the-calf socks which I enjoy. However, they, unfortunately, do cause my wool trousers to bunch and cling at times. (Modern light wools)

 

[Nick D]

I have a pair of Boston garters which I wear most days of the week.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

i wear mine almost every day. the one thing i did find out about them is that it takes a couple of days to get them adjusted properly to where they will hold up your socks but not cause unnessarry tightness on your calves.

 

[jamespowers]

Sock Garters are a necessity if you want socks to stay up. I don't care what kind of newfangled elstic they use---it stops working after three washes and you need sock garters. Support hose are the only ones that would likely hold up but they are for people with water retention problems.

 

[Bugsy]

Nice to know there are others!!

 

[Anthony Jordan]

I also favour them, although it has been some time since I wore a pair. Having experimented with the various versions available in the UK I would recommend buying Thurston's garters from Bromley's (the white edged ones for preference.) They are by far the most comfortable that I have found. I have found that vintage garters, whilst well made, tend to lose their snap quite soon.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

i personally think that newer garters, rather than vintage seen to do a better job at holding up my socks. after sitting for 40+ years, plus newer, better synthetics make me think that new(er) are the way to go.

 

[Widebrim]

I just got my first pair -- Majestic brand, sold back in the day through J.C. Penney (I can't make out the price, as the tag is mostly scratched off).

I remember, in high school, watching the reissue of the Marx Bros.' ANIMAL CRACKERS, and wondering what in the world Groucho was talking about when his Capt. Spaulding asked Roscoe W. Chandler, art expert and former fish monger, if he was wearing garters.

Now, just 35 years later, I own my own pair. Little by little, step by step...

Any other garter owners in the group? (I feel certain there are.)

Great find, skyvue! And by one of my favorite chain stores, J.C. Penney (along with Sears, Roebuck, both of which I worked for). I have never seen a pair of men's garters for sale anywhere, believe it or not. (But, then again, I haven't really looked for them.) Ever since my sister told me that she recalled seeing our father use them in the '50s, I've been toying with the idea of finding some. As other posters have remarked, the elasticity of most socks loosens up after three or so washes (I just pulled up my left sock...). Yes, I would also like to know who else wears garters.

 

[skyvue]

At the recent vintage clothing show here in Manhattan, one vendor had probably ten or twelve pairs of vintage garters, still in the boxes like mine, but they were thirty dollars a pair.

I paid six for mine.

 

[chanteuseCarey]

will have to keep a lookout for these...

We've got the Vintage Expo and Sale coming up to SF in early June...

 

[Forgotten Man]

I have a few pairs hangin' around here... I wear them often, love them! I find the vintage ones work well and can be often found in NOS condition... wonder how long that will last?

 

[Bugsy]

We've got the Vintage Expo and Sale coming up to SF in early June...

Do you know the dates of the Expo? I hope I'm back on town by then.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I have never seen a pair of men's garters for sale anywhere, believe it or not.

At least until the 1990s, Brooks Brothers sold them at its downtown Los Angeles store. Perhaps it still does.

.

 

[Bugsy]

At least until the 1990s, Brooks Brothers sold them at its downtown Los Angeles store. Perhaps they still do.

.

I believe you can also get them from Brooks Brothers on line.

 

[Nick D]

Went to a production of The Producers today. In the first act when Max and Leo have to roll up their trousers, Max was wearing sock garters. There was a good deal of laughter (it's a funny scene, after all), but I heard the girl behind me say to her mom, 'What is he wearing?!'.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

i was thinking about something today when i was getting ready to go home from work this evening. i dont want vintage sock garters. why? becasue ther is no way to know for sure that they are unworn. i know, it doesnt seem like that big of a deal but would you feel the same way about vintage boxers? or a vintage undershirt? all three fall into the same catagorey of undergarments, dont they?

also, i have been keeping my eyes open the the kind of garters that clip to your socks & then clip to you shirt tails.

 

[Nick D]

i was thinking about something today when i was getting ready to go home from work this evening. i dont want vintage sock garters. why? becasue ther is no way to know for sure that they are unworn. i know, it doesnt seem like that big of a deal but would you feel the same way about vintage boxers? or a vintage undershirt? all three fall into the same catagorey of undergarments, dont they?

also, i have been keeping my eyes open the the kind of garters that clip to your socks & then clip to you shirt tails.

I wouldn't put garters in the same category as boxers. They touched the man's legs, obviously, but so did the legs of his trousers. The bigger issue to me is that the elastic and the clip will probably give out in short order, which is why I go for new ones.

 

[Lokar]

I bought a pair of vintage sock garters recently (unused, which amazed me). The elastic is in perfect condition, but the material holding the sock clips onto the leather which the elastic is attached to was ready to fall apart. I've had that material replaced, and they're now in perfect condition. I can't stand not having garters, droopy socks are awful.

 

[DallasTrad]

I have worn garters since I was 13 with silky sheer nylon thick 'n thin dress socks. I wear them every day and can't imagine not wearing them as I would feel almost naked and would hate having to tug at my socks all day long to keep them up and in place. I am glad there are several others who find these gems a necessity for their wardrobe just like I do.

I have typically bought my garters at Brooks Bros. but they only have them in black. You can also buy them in other colors and at a cheaper price at Muldoon's online. I have purchased them there several times and they hold up well and again are a lot less costly.

 

[Matt Deckard]

I absolutely hate them. I go with the modern technology when it comes to holding up your socks. Higher socks and that little bit of elastic.