Brace yourselves to suspend[er] disbelief... (2)

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Part Two of "Braces with Bruce" (the first of which can be found here) starts on the slightly less contentious notes of colours and style.  Colours are still a point of discussion but again are largely a personal preference and while I wouldn't touch gaudy or heavily novelty-patterned braces with a barge pole if you've got the nerve and personality to pull it off then more power to your elbow (although be warned that wearing matching braces and [bow] tie is generally considered "naff").  Remember, of course, that braces were originally designed to be worn under waistcoats, pullovers and the like - i.e. never to be seen in public.  That's less of a factor these days, it must be admitted, but there's still something inherently "right" about a well-tailored three-piece suit with the trousers suspended by braces.  That's another thing in favour of braces by the way, in that trousers supported in this fashion always hang better than with a belt.  Again as something of a traditionalist I prefer muted colours like browns and greens, usually striped, or occasionally solid colours like red, blue or gold.  Once again Darcy Clothing and Tom Sawyer I find best for such hues, in both clip- and button-on styles.

Be aware that if you do plump for brightly-coloured or novelty braces you will almost certainly be labelled "eccentric".  In fact, let's face it, if you choose to wear braces at all you're likely to be called "eccentric" - or worse.  Even plain colours are not immune from notice by others - any shade of red in particular will tend to draw comparison with bankers (and yes, in both senses of the word).  But I say this - Gordon Gekko may have eventually been caught with his metaphorical trousers down but I bet he never once had to adjust his actual trousers.  Anyway, to judge a chap by the colour of his braces is just ridiculous and should be ignored along with all the other negativity we have to put up with from time to time.  I myself have a pair of wine red jobs and I'm about as far removed from a city financier as it's possible to get.

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A final word on fixings - it is also possible
to get braces that have/accept both types

On the subject of style there are two aspects - size (width) and layout.  Although I wrote yesterday that "skinny" braces - that is, ones no more than 2½cm wide - are usually the preserve of the hipster or the younger generations who have adopted them as the fashion (and what's with wearing them off the shoulders, just hanging by the sides of the trousers?!), they should not be discounted.  You may prefer them for comfort, or other reasons.  They do the job as well as their wider counterpart, although they tend to come in fewer colours and almost always as clip-ons only.  The more traditional 3½cm width is better suited to the vintage look, however, spreads the load a little more and is available in a whole host of patterns, most with leather ends.  In my experience they also tend to be a little harder-wearing than the narrower variety.

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Braces can also come in two main designs - the X-back and the Y-back.  These refer to the rear fixing strap(s).  As the names imply X-back braces have two rear straps, thereby giving the braces an X shape at the back.  This style seems to be more commonly found in the narrower clip-ons (right) - two fastenings giving a securer purchase, should one fail.  The Y-back, again considered the more traditional, is usually reserved for the wider, button-on braces.  It is better at ensuring the straps remain in place on your shoulders and, especially with high-waisted trews, gives a better holding effect.  That's not to say you can't get 3½cm X-backs or skinny Y-backs, but such variations are rarer.

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It can only end in tears...

Attitudes that one encounters as a braces wearer are largely as follows.  Some people - children mainly although sometimes even fully-grown, otherwise respectable adults - will want to twang your braces as if you're a walking double bass.  This is more of a risk with clip-ons, although still annoying regardless of the type of braces you're wearing.  Best to just grin and bear it (it quickly loses its appeal, it seems); if they get a face-full of clasp/button it's their own fault.

We've touched upon the "eccentric" moniker already but I have also heard opinions ranging from "clownish" and "unnatural"(!) to "I didn't know you could still buy them".  (I knew my last job was doomed when a female co-worker made the "clownish" remark and another, when I tried to point out how preferable braced trousers are to a belt with rolls of fat spilling out over the top, was heard to say "yes, but that [the latter] is more natural, isn't it?".  By that logic, surely we should do away with clothes altogether?!  The muffin top/beer belly "more natural"?!  Has the world finally gone mad, I ask?)

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Thanks to the success of a certain Time Lord we also have to put up with comparisons to [the outgoing] Doctor Who.  This is a small price to pay, however, for the successful reintroduction into the public consciousness of braces (albeit clip-ons), not to mention bow ties, tweed jackets and the fez!  If the best/worst comment people can think to throw at me is "Oi, Doctor Who!" then I consider I've got off lightly.

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Some final words now on a couple of different forms of braces.  One I like the idea of, the other I don't; neither of them have I had any experience of, however.  The first is the sock suspender, an almost extinct form of brace these days and subject to even more ridicule than normal braces but still with a very real, useful purpose.  Many's the time I've pulled my socks up while yearning for a pair of these.  Like trouser braces they should really never be seen (and much of the comedy surrounding them is from their sudden appearance) but just go about doing their job of holding your socks up quietly and without fuss.  I've earmarked a pair of these to try one day; again not as difficult to get hold of as one might think with most of the online shops mentioned on the left stocking examples.

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The other type I'm less sure about - the shirt stay.  Seemingly becoming more talked-about in recent years, I just don't get them.  What happens if you need to sit/crouch/bend down?  Won't it produce an odd angular effect at the knees?  God forbid the lower clasps should snap off, eh chaps?  Unlike with trouser braces or sock suspenders, I've never thought to myself "blasted shirt keeps getting untucked, I wish there was something I could do to stop it".  On the rare occasions my shirt tails make a bid for freedom it is the work of a moment to tuck them back in again.  Shirt stays?  Not for me.

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Ladies need not feel left out, either.  Girls can  look just as good, if not better, in braces as the chaps.  Much, much better in the other type of suspender too, ahem!  With high-waisted trousers, particularly in the 1930s style so often beloved of the vintage gal, braces are a jolly nice addition especially if you want to channel some Marlene Dietrich/Katherine Hepburn style.  You ladies also have another alternative not open to us gentlemen - suspender skirts, almost a sine qua non for that Forties/Fifties look.  Some lovely suspender skirts are out there that I've seen and a splendid look it is too.

There we have it then.  Practically everything you wanted to know (or didn't want to know, perhaps) about braces, suspenders etc.  I do hope you've enjoyed my whimsical (windy!) take on those accessories. 

Brace yourselves to suspend[er] disbelief... (1)

It occurred to me this morning, as I was knotting my tie in the mirror, that a blog post could easily be made out of my experiences with that most noble form of trouser suspension - braces (or suspenders, as our North American cousins call them).

Like most young lads I grew up knowing only of the common belt (or, sartorial gods forgive me, the elasticated waistband) in its standard leather or occasionally cloth form.  Until my vintage conversion braces were something my grandfather's generation wore, or were seen used to comedic effect in the Laurel & Hardy films that eventually helped to steer me on to my current path.

Although I'd long held the desire to try a pair of braces for myself - subsequent to my interest in vintage - it wasn't until my declining health in 2007 and the abdominal surgery which resulted that I took the plunge and invested in a pair.  By that time I was motivated as much by the need for the comfort that belts no longer afforded me as I was by sartorial considerations.  Still, I imagine I would have ended up gravitating to them even without medical intervention so I can't really quibble too much about the way I came to embrace them.  So with braces now a staple part of my wardrobe, it strikes me as the time to be writing a bit about them and the various forms they can come in.

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The most commonly-found braces tend to be of the "clip-on" variety - that is, ones with metal clips on the end that attach to the trouser waistband.  Clip-ons tend to be largely vilified in the vintage world and not without reason.  Their biggest flaw is also their major aspect - the clips themselves.  Over time they will end up damaging the cloth around the waistband.  Some better quality examples may have inner plastic grips to try and lessen this problem but it can never be entirely eradicated.  If the clips do not have a firm grip on the fabric they will also have the unfortunate tendency to come adrift from the trouser.  While this doesn't result in the trouser-dropping embarrassment so beloved of comedy films, nor cause you to lose an eye, it is blimmin' frustrating as one side of your pantaloons begins to list and you struggle to readjust them, tuck in your shirt and reattach the errant clip all at the same time.  Equally the action of the clip coming away from the cloth and the need to re-establish a secure fastening simply exacerbate the first fault mentioned.

The top two factors in favour of clip-ons are their ubiquity and low prices.  Although they can be found in most high street clothing emporia they are still a rare breed there, usually consisting of the standard evening wear black, white or (occasionally) gold, the somewhat lamentable novelty patterns and the "skinny" varieties favoured by hipsters and the like.  More on those points later.

Practically every online [vintage or vintage-inspired] clothes retailer will have a decent selection of clip-on braces, however.  I tend to use Tom Sawyer Waistcoats or Darcy Clothing but you may have your own preferred source and indeed any of the shops in the Classic & Vintage Clothing & Accessories list to the left should offer something for all tastes and purses.  Yes, that's right - most of my braces are clip-ons, in spite of all I have said against them.  Of course I would ideally like proper leather-ended button-on braces and that is still my goal but if, like me, you have limited funds and several pairs of belt-looped high street trousers then there is still a lot to be said for clip-ons.

They are not the only avenue open to those of you unwilling or unable to stretch(!) to button-on braces, however.  It is possible, for example, to buy clip-on buttons, which work in exactly the same way as clip-on braces but allow for the use of leather-ended braces that are usually the preserve of properly-tailored trousers.  The downside is they still have all the negative qualities of clip-on braces as covered earlier.

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Actual buttons for braces can also be bought separately and sewn on to the waistband of your existing trousers.  Beware, however - the trews must have a fitted waistband (that is, sewn into and properly attached to the trousers) and not just a folded over loose type, which will only result in the braces pulling the buttons/waistband in and up creating an ugly effect.  In my experience the buttons are also hard to come by unless you're willing to spend time rummaging around in the buttons bin at your local second-hand shop.  The only place I've been able to find that sells them separately online is a shop called Kleins.  (Bromleys also sell them with their braces, however)  Although theoretically any old buttons should do the job, proper braces buttons ideally need to be specially shaped to facilitate the holding in place of the leather straps (see above).

There's much discussion about the placing of buttons too.  General consensus seems to be on the inside of the trouser at the front and outside at the back (the former giving a clean appearance, the latter lessening any chance of discomfort from buttons digging into your back), although I've seen many a different variation (my recent Darcy acquisition, for instance, has all the buttons on the outside.  Exactly where to put them for the best fit can depend on your body shape and is usually a case of whatever feels best, although there is advice out there which tells of ideal distances from pleats, seams etc.

The next attachment option I absolutely beg you not to take, as I simply cannot believe anyone could honestly think they are a good idea.  I only mention them for the sake of completeness and, more importantly, as a warning.  Ladies and gentlemen - the Instant Buttons for Braces.  (I know, I apologise!)  I first came across these some months ago and I'm still struggling to come to terms with the idea that anyone could seriously advocate hammering a screw through the waistband of your trousers.  It is so, so wrong on every conceivable level.  I don't need to tell you what that will do to the fabric of your trews.  I daren't ask you to imagine what will happen if they're subjected to lateral forces, the kind of which might be applied by, oh I don't know, a tensioned length of elasticated fabric...  Honestly, if you take only one thing away from this post, it's this - avoid these!

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From the ridiculous to the sublime now; the only true way to attach your braces - with fitted buttons!  No damage to your trousers.  No braces coming away unexpectedly.  Only secure, integrated attachments that allow you to make full use of traditional, proper leather-ended braces.  They may be harder to find, they may cost more than the alternatives but by Jove! they're worth it in the long run.  Teamed with a pair of high-waisted/fishtail back trousers they're nigh on unbeatable.  One day my wardrobe will be full of them only!  Darcy's again are my go to shop for these, although many other online outlets will offer similar at various prices.  Be sure to look out for the name Albert Thurston, which is generally agreed to be the Rolls-Royce of braces - and why not, considering the original Albert Thurston invented the things (as we know them today) in 1820. 

That's more than enough to be going on with for now, I think.  This post is already threatening to become a bit of a monster, so I think I'll split it into two.  I shall return with the second part of Braces with Bruce(!) - hmmn, not a bad alternative title - in a few days' time, when I will focus on the different colours and styles of braces available, plus some of my own daily experiences as a wearer of them.

But for now, Tinkerty-tonk!