Wearing Braces / Suspenders

[Marc Chevalier]

[Clip-on braces] were invented in the US, and over there were first on sale in the late Forties, ...

Ads for clip-on braces first appear in Apparel Arts and Esquire in the mid 1930s, and were targeted at men. Clip-on braces quickly became popular for little boys.

 

[Dennis Young]

Well, you guys look terrific in your pics. Me though??? I'm built like Sidney Greenstreet. Lol! And I dont plan on buying a Fez anytime soon.

The suspenders I have are the 'X' back type. But now I'm wanting the 'Y' backs more and more. They look cool to me. Also I'm thinking of getting button types next time too.

 

[Shangas]

Sidney Greenstreet is an awesome actor. Don't knock the fat man

The braces I have are Y-backed. Very comfortable.

 

[avedwards]

And Sidney Greenstreet new how to dress appropriately for his weight. Whilst he is very fat he dresses in such a way that he still looks elegant. I can't place the film but I think I recall him wearing a DB suit in one and looking very elegant, despite modern fashion guides claiming that DB suits don't flatter fat men. He almost definitely wore braces though, which are almost a must for a heavier man who wants to look elegant in a suit.

 

[Shangas]

Found another pair of my trousers that could benefit from some...um...'retrofitting'. Took another old shirt, removed the buttons and will sew them onto these and see what the results are like. Perhaps sew them on a little further apart this time and see what the end result looks like.

 

[Dennis Young]

Greenstreet was indeed elegantly dressed. I may have to change my avatar. What happens with me (a larger fella) is that my waistband tends to roll down and it look shabby or slovenly. The suspenders correct this completely and I dont feel like a belt is cutting me in half.

I met up with some old Navy buddies for dinner last night and wore my suspenders. Got some really nice compliments from people sitting around us. Wish I'd had a fedora to go along with it. I just ordered a cheaper straw one (its hot in Alabama) and hope to get it Saturday. But I'm feeling a little less conspicuous wearing this stuff now. Its fun and functional.

 

[Edward]

Ads for clip-on braces first appear in Apparel Arts and Esquire in the mid 1930s, and were targeted at men. Clip-on braces quickly became popular for little boys.

There we are, I must have picked that up wrong.... I can imagine them being good for little boys of an age where buttons were easily and regularly lost from waistbands while climbing trees and whatever....

I think I've reached that step. I've got to the stage where I feel completely normal in vintage clothes and just imagine that I'm the normal one and everyone else is wearing strange clothing. It helps me ignore the silly comments I receive as I just imagine that they're coming from strangely dressed people .

Heh. Yeah, I forget all the time until someone points it out - usually it's either the hat or the shoes that strike them as unusual.

And Sidney Greenstreet new how to dress appropriately for his weight. Whilst he is very fat he dresses in such a way that he still looks elegant. I can't place the film but I think I recall him wearing a DB suit in one and looking very elegant, despite modern fashion guides claiming that DB suits don't flatter fat men. He almost definitely wore braces though, which are almost a must for a heavier man who wants to look elegant in a suit.

 

[dnjan]

In my experience, the pattern for vintage-wearing in such circumstances runs along these lines:

Step One: Concerned about being seen wearing vintage. Limit wear of this style. No, or rarely, hats.

Step Two: Begin to enjoy wearing vintage, take a few more risks, such as wearing it to work.

Step Three: Prepared to wear anything - enjoy sticking out.

Step Four: totally oblivious to sticking out at all, forget why people are looking at you funny in the first place.

lol

The nice thing about being a little older is that eccentricity is more easily accepted, and therefore it is much easier to slip into Step Four stage.

Back to the topic of wearing braces - definitely my preference. However, I do not like wearing braces without having them covered by a waistcoat. So I am really looking forward to the weather cooling off so I can switch back from belt to braces and waistcoat.

 

[Shangas]

I think I'm somewhere between stages 3 and 4.

 

[Dennis Young]

Ok, I wore them again yesterday in town. People did look at me a bit odd and I was wondering if my zipper was down or something. But I got home and realized that one side of my suspenders had slipped off and come undone. So I was walking around like that for hours and didnt realize it.

I'm gonna have to buy another pair that button onto my pants. But I will wear these to church tomorrow morning. They'll be covered by a blazer.

 

[3PieceSuitGuy]

There's a solution, Peter. Buy a pair of braces (but button-on, not clip-on) that have this back: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Black-...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item8bb3da6f25


See the metal 'triangle' clip on the back? It can be adjusted up or down. The higher up you put it, the more it draws the brace straps inward toward your collarbone and neck, and away from your waistcoat's armholes.


The difficulty is in finding braces with an adjustable metal triangle clip and button-on fasteners. Vintage ones exist, but I don't think there's a modern version.

Hello Mark - and all you other Gents,

Thanks for the reply. I haven't been on the lounge for a while and just saw all the replies to my question

Mark I thought x shapes braces my be the key, or adding a piece of elastic to the bottom of the y shape so that the junction sits higher up my back!

Thanks for the info!!

Cheers,

Peter.