Children Wearing Suspenders

Children have a natural need to wear suspenders – their hips have not fully developed and so wearing anything at the waist will simply cause the pants to fall to their feet. This is exactly where suspenders are needed. All children can and should wear suspenders to hold up their pants. They are comfortable and stylish. Furthermore, as the child grows, the suspenders can be adjusted to accommodate the growth, and the child can enjoy learning and playing all day without the nuisance of constantly pulling up their pants. As long as children have been wearing pants, they have been wearing braces.







Some modern outfits:

And braces for formal occasions:

At a younger age, Prince William wore braces:

Braces are not only for boys, girls also look sharp in them with a skirt:

Button-on braces or clip-on suspenders?
Should a child wear button-on braces or clip-on suspenders? You may think that buttons will pop-off faster than suspenders, given the high level of movement and activity that children do  during the day. However, clips are only effective in gripping pant material and cannot accurately hold onto the pants over time - they will eventually snap off. Buttons, on the other hand, will remain in tack even when there is significant movement and activity. Furthermore, even with 1 button popped off, the pants will still stay up, as the braces have 6 connection points compared to only 4 with suspenders (refer to my previous posting on connection points). 

For example, refer to the photo below. The boy's side brace buttons have both popped-off, but his pants remain up and comfortable - he simply needs to get new buttons sewn on the sides.

Buttons are more secure than clips, and for this reason children should wear button-on braces.  Historically, when braces were predominantly worn in society during the first quarter of the 20th century, children wore braces:

As the century progressed clip-on suspenders became more common and boys started wearing them to keep their pants up.

Nevertheless, children should wear braces to hold up their pants. Children's pants rarely come with buttons, so unless you are prepared to sew buttons on to their pants (which is not that difficult), they are relegated to wearing clip-on suspenders.

What to look for when selecting children braces
The first thing to remember is that children are smaller in size than adults. As such, the braces should have smaller straps to ensure the braces fit comfortably on the child. This means that the straps are narrow, the brace loops not too large at the front of the chest, and the straps are not too long to fit comfortably.This photo displays a proper fit:

Secondly, the straps should be adjustable in both the front and back, to allow for adjustments when the child grows, as well as adjust the back junction, if possible. This is primarily for Y-back suspenders. The back strap should adjust to fit the child. 

Thirdly, if you are going to use clip-on suspenders, I highly recommend X-back style. This provides 2 connection points at the rear to hold up the pants - right where the child needs it the most as they will be bending over, stretching and reaching, which will put a lot of strain on 1 clip at the back. The rear junction should be adjustable to accommodate the child's growth.

Get X-back suspenders for children

In summary, if you have children, give them some relief from constantly pulling up their pants and get them a pair of braces. They will thank you for the comfort!

Discussion:

• If you have children, do they wear suspenders or braces?
• Did you wear braces or suspenders as a child? What did you wear clips or buttons?
• Did you enjoy wearing braces or suspenders as a child?

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

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.

Update!

My apologies for lack of posts over the past 2 months - I've been busy moving and changing jobs. I'm working on some new posts, including one with photos of me wearing braces. I hope to be able to post in the next few weeks.

Don't interpret the lack of posts as a sign that braces and suspenders are fading away. On the contrary! In fact, I saw a lady yesterday at the bank, wearing a white, open-sleeve blouse, tucked in to fitted, black dress pants. To complete the look, she wore narrow, black, Y-backed suspenders. She looked very clic. It was menswear but very feminine at the same time. My only comment would be that braces would have suited the outfit better than suspenders, but I give her full compliments.

The look is reminiscent of Jean Arthur's outfit in The Talk of the Town (1942) with Cary Grant and Ronald Colman. The blouse has been updated with cut sleeves, but the black pants and black suspenders are the same. Welcome back 1940s!

Jean Arther in The Talk of the Town

Additionally, Hush Puppies has an ad right now with stylish white braces attached to blue pants. Its vintage, but still modern.

Discussion time:

• How about you? What have you seen recently?
• What have you worn with braces recently? 

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

Women and Suspenders

When did women start wearing suspenders? That is a fair question, considering that more and more women are wearing suspenders and braces nowadays.

You may be surprised to find out that women have been wearing braces for as long as they have been wearing  pants - dating back to the early 1900s. A November 3, 1913 article from the New York Times states...

This trend has come and gone through the generations. During the 1940s and 1950s, braces were very popular.

College Fall Fashion, 1941

College Fall fashion, 1950

 

 

Women generally wear braces for two reasons:

1. The pants/skirt comes with braces already attached and so they are worn them with the outfit.
2. Suspenders are attached by them to be fashionable.

Therefore, do not think that braces are only for men. Women enjoy wearing braces just as much as men.

Discussion time:

• As a women, do you wear braces? Have you worn braces in the past?
• What do you wear with braces? Do you stay within menswear or branch out?

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

Braces in advertising

Have you noticed braces and suspenders popping up in ads more recently? They are definitely a trend for 2011 and advertisers are using them in various products - from fragrance to boots to clothing. Here's some examples:

Kiera Knightly for Chanel Mademoiselle

Kodak Boots

Here's some ads from a few years ago...

Braces have also been the center of advertising for many years. Shirley President Suspenders, Paris Suspenders, Hickok Suspenders, and Bulldog Suspenders were prominent companies that advertised back in the day. Here's a samples of historical suspender ads. Note that the advertisements even show women wearing braces and suspenders.

And a number of international ads:

This is not a complete list of ads with braces in them, but this should give you a good picture - keep an eye out for them!

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

Origin of Clip-on Suspenders

Suspender straps were originally designed to be attached to trousers with buttons. The 1897 Sears Roebuck & Co. Catalogue displays 2 pages of button-on braces. Button-on braces support the trousers evenly in the front and the rear. 

Nowadays, people also wear clip-on suspenders rather than button-on braces. One may ask the question: When were clip-on suspenders invented?

I decided to do some research on this topic - you may be surprised to find the answer. I perused vintage department store catalogues and searched vintage photographs from the late 1800s, during 1900s up to the current era. You may be surprised to learn that clip-on suspenders have been around since the early 1940’s. In fact, the 1943 Sears and Wards Catalog clearly displays 4 styles for clip-on suspenders. They came in a elastic plastic weave, and rayon webbing, as displayed below along side the button-on braces:

Therefore, clip-on suspenders have been around for more than 70 years. Buttons have held their place (pun intended) among clip-ons, and remain the preferred choice of brace wearers. Refer to previous blog post on this topic. However, there is a place for clip-on suspenders.

Clip-on suspenders work well when you are wanting to achieve a minimal, clean-cut look or to add a little extra dash of fun to an outfit.

Today, clip-on suspenders are everywhere in magazines and online. Many stores carry a wide variety of colors, styles, and designs. So go out there and wear some suspenders!

Discussion time:

• Did you imagine that clip-on suspenders were invented in the 1940s?
• When was the first time you wore clip-on suspenders?
• Do you prefer to wear clip-on suspenders or button-on suspenders? Why? 

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