Wearing Braces / Suspenders

[Shangas]

Surely, wearing braces makes the belt redundant? Isn't that the whole point?

And yes as Edward says, it's very easy to sew the buttons onto your trousers yourself. I did!

 

[Rick Blaine]

All I can tell you is that my 82 yr. old FIL was/is (AS HE THINKS OF HIMSELF AS 35 YRS. OLD) a real, honest to G-D Alberta cowboy on the high plains (The the roughest, toughest, rootinest, shootinest, drinkinnest, fightinest!). He always wears both suspenders & a belt with a vest worn with a watch w/ fob & gold watch chain... and a Stetson. FWIW. [huh]

 

[sproily]

Actually, the belt can be useful with braces.

I have a pair of trousers which has on the sides small belts to tighten the waist. When I tighten them appropriately the waist flares, which I hide by using a belt.

The trousers look far better with a belt and suspenders. These also had both buttons and loops sewn on (they were a NOS pair.)

 

[Yeps]

How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants.

.

 

[avedwards]

Is it possible or advisable to sew the necessary buttons for braces onto a pair of trousers that normally uses a belt?

It's just that I'm getting a bit tired of wearing belts. I find they don't so much hold up my trousers as they just tighten them up to stop them falling down. And that frustrates me becuse when my shirt comes untucked I have to fight to shove it back in. Somehow I figure that won't be a problem with suspenders.

The suspenders are red with some garish pattern on the front. Fortunately with a waistcoat, nobody will see it. It's a Y-backed set and requires six buttons to be sewn onto a pair of trousers (inside the waistband, presumably).

I've got an old shirt which I haven't worn in years (and which I can't give to charity anyway). I'm gonna salvage the buttons off of that (which are of an appropriate size) and sew them onto a set of trousers.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Well, I went ahead with my experiment.

I sewed up the buttonholes and the rip on the suspenders. I cut the buttons off the old shirt and sewed them thusly on my trousers along the waistband:

Two in the middle of the back.

Four at the front, about an inch or two either side of the fly.

Put the trousers & suspenders together and adjusted the clasps.

Fits PERFECTLY!

The shoulders and front of my waistcoat perfectly cover the suspenders. If I didn't tell you about them, you'd never see them! See?

Without waistcoat:

Firstly, to answer your question, it is quite possible to sew buttons onto trousers with belt loops providing the trousers are sufficiently high waisted (rise of 11" or more I find). I do so quite often on 90s trousers as I find they're usually high waisted, pleated and wide-legged as well as made of quite nice cloths making for a good vintage look.

As Edward said there is no practical reason for wearing braces and a belt but there may be stylistic/aesthetic reasons for doing so.

I would say that the buttons on your trousers are far too close together though. I believe the proper way for braces to be is 3" apart at the front (either side of the pleats if the trousers are pleated) and 4" apart at the back. The buttons can be on the inside or outside the waist band but I prefer them on the inside unless the trousers have a proper fishtail back.

 

[Shangas]

In retrospect the buttons could have been spread out a bit more, but I'm not unhappy with the results. They're symmetrical and even and end result is very comfortable.

 

[avedwards]

In retrospect the buttons could have been spread out a bit more, but I'm not unhappy with the results. They're symmetrical and even and end result is very comfortable.

I understand, and at you're still wearing button braces which are a lot better than clip ons. I would still advise you to consider moving them as you'll find the braces will probably do a better job at holding the trousers up (plus the distances I mentioned are more period accurate).

 

[Shangas]

I'm still experimenting with my other trousers. Once I find another pair which could benefit from braces (and which are sized suitably for them), I'll sew on more buttons and adjust them accordingly. This is kinda like my 'prototype'.

...I wonder where I can buy reasonably-priced button-braces in Melbourne. The only shop that I found was listing them for some absurd figure like $150. Surely they can't be that expensive. Do they have gold clasps or something??

 

[avedwards]

$150 seems far too overpriced. I bought my first pair for £20 from a menswear shop which I found quite expensive. Perhaps you could try ebay or some other online retailer?

If you're interested, I have a pair of 60s button on braces (brown leather and light blue elastic) which I'd let you have for a few £s plus the price of shipping.

 

[Dennis Young]

Regarding period accuracy, here in the UK, clip-on braces first came on the market around 52/53. They were invented in the US, and over there were first on sale in the late Forties, targetted specifically to trouser-wearing ladies, although they were soon adopted by men. These days I will only wear button-on braces (you'll soon find it really isn't hard to sew the buttons on yourself.... and at a push can be quite inexpensive to have done at a local dry-cleaners that also offers repairs and alterations. I learned to do my own through constructing Riff Raff costumes for Rocky Horror), but I started out with clip-ons a long time ago - I'm sure many people do.

As to wearing a belt with braces.... if wearing braces, the belt is entirely superfluous, unless being worn to carry a gun-holster, for instance.

For ladies huh? Just my luck. Lol!

I'm sure at some point I'll buy some suspenders that are for use with buttons.

This is all very new for me as I live in a small southern town and wearing these old style clothing tends to make me stand out a little...well, more than a little. I enjoy the clothes, but I do get stares from time to time.

I havent bought a fedora yet so I can imagine what the reaction will be when I begin sporting one of those.

 

[Shangas]

I can see clip-on braces being terrible for trousers. Wouldn't they just bite and rip into the fabric instead of just holding onto the buttons? That sounds terrible...

 

[avedwards]

I can see clip-on braces being terrible for trousers. Wouldn't they just bite and rip into the fabric instead of just holding onto the buttons? That sounds terrible...

I believe so. Plus they could easily slide off (destroying some of the fabric as they do so).

 

[Edward]

That probably depends on the quality and design of the braces, I should imagine.

Here's another alternative if your trews don't have buttons on them - Albert Thurston clip-on buttons!

...I wonder where I can buy reasonably-priced button-braces in Melbourne. The only shop that I found was listing them for some absurd figure like $150. Surely they can't be that expensive. Do they have gold clasps or something??

The best, IMO, are Albert Thurston. They're widely available on the web for around sixty Aus dollars (plus postage). As a cheaper alternative, I've been pleased with those I got from Darcy Clothing www.darcyclothing.com.

For ladies huh? Just my luck. Lol!

I'm sure at some point I'll buy some suspenders that are for use with buttons.

This is all very new for me as I live in a small southern town and wearing these old style clothing tends to make me stand out a little...well, more than a little. I enjoy the clothes, but I do get stares from time to time.

I havent bought a fedora yet so I can imagine what the reaction will be when I begin sporting one of those.

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

 

[Dennis Young]

I can see clip-on braces being terrible for trousers. Wouldn't they just bite and rip into the fabric instead of just holding onto the buttons? That sounds terrible...

Possibly. Mine have metal clips, but the part that bites into the fabric is plastic or nylon or something like that. So it doesnt harm the fabric...or hasnt so far.

I do want to buy some button on ones though because they secure a bit better.

 

[Dennis Young]

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

Thats great! =)

I'm wore my suspenders to town today and got a few stares, but it was fun anyway. (Plus with my body type, they are more functional that a belt. I'm a big guy with a gut and my waste band tends to roll over if I only wear a belt. The suspenders eliminates this).

I'm currently looking for a straw fedora. Its so hot (100F yesterday) where I live that I'd rather have a decent looking straw one...at least until the fall or winter. Also I'm on a budget, so I have to find one that doesnt cost $250.

 

[Yeps]

I'm currently looking for a straw fedora. Its so hot (100F yesterday) where I live that I'd rather have a decent looking straw one...at least until the fall or winter. Also I'm on a budget, so I have to find one that doesnt cost $250.

OT response: Panamabob has some great deals, both on his website and on his ebay page. They are generally the best you can get for the money, and he does run the whole gamut of quality, from the inexpensive brisas I have, to the super-fino-amazing-whatever monticristis.

 

[avedwards]

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

lol

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 .

 

[Widebrim]

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 .

I like that, Alan... And I would daresay that you are the normal one.

 

[Widebrim]

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

I would place myself solidly in Step Three...Don't know if I'll ever get to Step Four, but my hat is off to those of you are there...

 

[avedwards]

I like that, Alan... And I would daresay that you are the normal one.

Thanks . Very occasionally I find myself lapsing back into step three, but fortunately those occasions are rare.