What Braces does Backtobraces Wear?

Readers have requested I post photos showing evidence that I wear braces. I am only too happy to oblige! It goes without saying that if I’m giving advice on wearing braces, I should also wear them. So this post is all about me wearing braces and suspenders.

I started wearing suspenders at a young age. My first suit, a black suit, came with clip-on suspenders attached to the pants. The suspenders were striped, narrow X-back suspenders, and the clips had small time-clocks printed on them. The suspenders were stripped with red and blue in the middle, surrounded by white and navy stripes. I can remember how comfortable they were to wear, and I wanted to wear them all the time. Eventually, due to the excessive use, the rear clips started to snap off occasionally. But I didn't care, I was wearing suspenders! Here’s a photo with my suit jacket off:

After wearing suspenders during my pre-teen years, I didn’t wear them again until university. I started wearing a suit again for networking events and began researching accessories to add that would give some personality. I came across button-on braces and have been wearing them ever since. (I also enjoy wearing bowties, cufflinks, and top hats. Its these small details that add personality to a standard suit and set men apart from the standard dark suit with white shirt outfit).

Back to braces… my first pair of button-on braces was a pair of black and white Ascot Satin Braces by Trafalgar. I thrifted them and they were in excellent condition, showing no sign of age.

I generally prefer vintage braces – older, unique and rare braces that are in great shape. These are unavailable at department stores, so I hunt for them in vintage shops and second-hand thrift stores. For anyone wanting to start wearing braces, I’d recommend looking at second-hand stores first before paying $100-200 for a pair of high-end, quality braces.

I prefer to wear braces, as compared to suspenders, as I find the placement of buttons is superior to only clips. Braces fully support the pants and adjust with your body movement. Additionally, I find them more classy and traditional than suspenders that trend-seekers can snap-on and snap-off at will. The feeling of snapping on a pair of braces is priceless, as it gives you a peace of mind that your pants will stay in place and be comfortable all day.

I currently have about 20 button-on braces and 6 clip-on suspenders, and looking to increase. I am very selective and specific in the braces and suspenders that I buy. I'm currently looking for a historic pair of braces that are not made anymore. They were called President Suspenders and had a "give-and-take" feature in the back to accommodate every body movement.
 

President Suspenders were not just for men, they also made a line for women:

I have yet to see these braces being worn in person. Let me know if you have a pair and have photos!


In the meantime, I will wear braces. My favorite outfit is black braces with black dress pants on a white dress shirt. Some frequent outfits I wear are a dark suit with black or navy braces and a tie, and a grey suit with light blue suspenders. Here’s a photo with my one and only:

I did a photo shoot in the vintage part of town last year, and I wore simple black, Y-backed braces, over a white dress shirt, with a stripped tie and fedora:

A more recent outfit I wore was a white dress shirt with a polka-dotted bow-tie and black X-back braces. I received many complements and will do it again.

As I mentioned, I wear braces with business-wear and formal wear. I sometimes wear braces with casual wear, if the braces are casual and the pants fitted with buttons. I generally wear suspenders with jeans and a t-shirt and have a number of suspenders, including a solid navy pair, and stripped pair of light brown and green.


Discussion:
I encourage you to join in by posting your photos online – upload them to an online site like flickr or photobucket and then provide the link in the comments below - please keep the photos appropriate.
Lets share ideas and spread the message that its stylish to wear braces and more comfortable than a belt!

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