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?

Braces were originally part of a man’s undergarments, similar to sock garters. However, braces have come of age and now hold up their own (pun intended!). If you wear braces, and like to wear braces, display them proudly to bystanders – just be tasteful and classy.
 
That is what I did today. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and so I opted to wear 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 a clerk commented on the look 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, and its not embarrassing to be seen wearing them.
 
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 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.