Why the humble suspender evolved from hidden underwear to a bold fashion statement
In short: Once considered an intimate undergarment that required a waistcoat for decency, suspenders have traveled a long road from nineteenth-century utility to modern style. While they were nearly rendered obsolete by the rise of the belt, these shoulder-strapped accessories remain a persistent symbol of professional authority and subcultural identity.
Modern suspenders, or braces as they are known in Britain, were popularized in 1822 by London haberdasher Albert Thurston. For much of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, they were nearly universal, necessitated by the high-cut trousers and skirts of the era that made belts impractical. During this period, they were occasionally referred to as galluses, and in 1871, Mark Twain even secured a United States patent for his own version of adjustable garment straps.
The decline of the suspender began after World War I, as men grew accustomed to the convenience of military-style belts. By the 1930s, as waistcoats became less common, the suspender’s status as 'underwear' meant they were increasingly hidden or replaced. A 1938 Life magazine report noted that 60% of American men had already switched to belts. This shift also changed tailoring, moving button attachments from the outside of the waistband to the inside to accommodate belt loops.
Despite these shifts, suspenders never truly vanished. They maintained a foothold in professional circles, favored by stockbrokers, bankers, and public figures like Larry King. Furthermore, they found a second life in subcultures; narrow, clip-on styles became a staple of skinhead and punk fashion. By the 2000s, the look crossed gender lines, famously adopted by performers like Annie Lennox to evoke a sharp, masculine aesthetic. Today, while wearing both a belt and suspenders is generally considered a faux pas, the suspender remains a versatile, if occasionally controversial, element of modern dress.
Properly wearing suspenders requires more than just clipping them on. Traditionalists insist on button-on attachments, which require specific trouser tailoring. Buttons should be spaced 3 to 3.5 inches apart to ensure the garment hangs correctly. While the strict social codes that once demanded waistcoats to hide these straps have largely eroded, the suspender remains a distinct choice, bridging the gap between historical formality and contemporary individual expression.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Suspenders
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