I talk about this topic in the last half of the latest podcast episode! Take a listen if you want our round table discussion on the topic before you read my own thoughts.

Suspenders (or braces, I’m going to use the term very interchangeably in this article) are funny little things. In addition to being a practical item for pants-wearing (they hold your trousers in place by suspending them from your shoulders rather than cinching at the waist), they also provide a bit of expression, pointing your outfit toward the past or, at the very least, make you look formal (dressy?) and a bit dandy. 

Those connotations may be why the modern menswear tends to avoid them (outside of that clip-on Liverano suspender phase) in favor of the clean look provided by side tabs. This is no doubt done to emphasize how dialed into the fit their maker was. Of course, there was also a resurgence for belts, as classic menswear started to incorporate rugged adornments (like western belts) 

When I started out in menswear (specifically vintage), I enjoyed wearing suspenders. I even made sure to buy ones that were decidedly vintage looking, first with a true 40s pair (argyle) and then with ones from Darcy clothing, which, through their deco-ish multistripes, simply looked “old”. I also made sure to wear suspenders that featured the “split leather” fastening (which looks like a Y) instead of the double-ended, U-loop thing; the former felt a bit different and older compared to the latter, which felt a bit too basic. By having my suspenders fit my POV, it was easy to pair them with every period outfit (suit or separates), boosting my confidence as I knew that I looked exactly the way I wanted to. It was also a practical thing, as during this time, I did not own any thin belts; a normal belt would have detracted from my expression, so I opted for braces.

Braces did take a seat on the bench once I got into contemporary-classic menswear. At first, I tried wearing them with “modern” outfits, but I soon saw that the lower rise and slimmer leg (compared to 30s/40s pants) weren’t conducive to my braces. Once I started to commission custom pants, I started to enjoy the clean lines that came from side tab adjusters (as well as the reprieve they gave my shoulders), so it was just easier rawdog my pants. When the mood for separates arose, I opted for my newly acquired slim/western belts. They were different, easy to slip on, and still quite vintage, so I was fine with it. It also didn’t help that my pants were a bit shorter back then, so suspenders would have made the pants too short since they hiked up the inseam. 

My braces began to languish in my closet, but I couldn’t bring myself to give them up. It wasn’t just the sunk cost fallacy (also, who the hell would buy them from me? I’m the most “dressed up” person I know); I had a feeling that someday I would wear them again. After all, I still asked for suspender buttons to be included in every custom suit order, just in case. I clearly sensed that I was bound to make a full return to the things I did when I first became enamored with menswear. 

And so, as I started wearing fedoras more regularly, I decided to wear long collars and wide legs at all times, and just Full Send my vintage roots and taste, it was only a matter of time before I started wearing suspenders again. The kicker was I lengthened all my pants; suddenly, suspenders made sense again. They were like an old friend, when it felt like no time had passed. Everything felt natural, nothing had changed. And boy, did it feel good! 

As I’ve come to wear suspenders quite often now, I’ve refamiliarized myself with the “physical” benefits that they provide. [This is probably because I take fitpics every day and am cursed with noticing every single thing about my outfit (as well as posture and physique).] 

My trousers lay cleanly, draping elegantly from my natural waist thanks to their suspension from my shoulders. It’s not that my pants looked bad when I wore a belt or relied on my side tabs, but that they just seem more “affixed” when I wear suspenders, maybe slightly more so. I feel like you guys won’t really notice it in pictures, but I certainly can see (and feel) the difference when I go about my day.  Regardless of whether I move around or sit for long periods (as I mainly hang out at home), my trousers return to their clean appearance (once I stand still, of course). There’s no need to tug or adjust anything to get the drape right or even to get the waist to sit at its proper place– the braces take care of it all!  

This “newfound” (or oldfound?) freedom has taken some getting used to, as my break from braces has made me instinctively regulate my trouser position throughout the day (or around meals). As someone who is obsessed with sharp lines and finds solace in drape, I’m surprised that it took me this long to return to suspenders.

This is likely due to my “return” to wearing full suits, or more accurately, the fact that I wear suits much more often than I have in the past. For a long time, separates were my move, not just because I perceived them to be more casual/slouchy (as well as more Apparel Arts), but because I felt that my modern suits were a bit lacking. The ones from Spier & Mackay, as well as the early Fugue commissions, were a bit slim; the latter was because we were still figuring out my pattern (and he hadn’t really made a wide suit on his system yet). But once I was able to commission some truly great suits that had the proportions that I enjoy, it was easy to all into Full Sending a sartorial attitude by pairing it with suspenders.

A suit is about enveloping yourself in a singular color, whether it’s a slouchy dark brown, an austere grey, a platonically confident navy, or a jaunty white. It’s not that separates are bad with suspenders (I’ve certainly done it recently), but I would prefer to refrain from adding something extra to the mix of patterns that I normally do with separates, seeing that most of my suspenders are patterned themselves. I also think that going with a belt helps focus on the fact that I’m wearing separates. 

That’s why the uninterrupted visual of a suit simply calls for suspenders to ensure that the cohesive aesthetic is maintained, at least if classic-trad/vintage menswear is your POV. And if you’ve got a weightier fabric, like a wool 4-ply in the case of my SuSu suits, suspenders will ensure that your trousers remain taut and sharp. 

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with wearing a belt with a suit (I do love seeing a fun belt with a suit) or simply trusting your side tabs (a move for the ultimate clean look), but suspenders just hit different. 

Not only are they “right” to maintain the unified vibe of a suit, but they also echo the attitude of wearing one. Braces are practical, but they are also a bit dandy, with many people considering them anachronistic. Hell, they can come off as fussy and formal, despite the ease they provide the wearer. But this is all a part of the charm of wearing suspenders. Suspenders resonate what it means to wear a suit as a menswear enthusiast in the modern day: neither of the two is required in the modern day, but they are still fun and elegant to wear when the mood calls. We don’t have to wear either of them, but we get to!  

And so, on the days when I’ve decided to wear a full suit instead of separates, I find myself also wearing suspenders. [Of course, none of my suits have belt loops, so the only other option is to rawdog the side tabs.] It’s all about leaning in and going Full Send…even though no one really sees them until, of course, I take off my jacket. 

Even if suspenders are mainly a practical garment, they still provide an aesthetic expression to an outfit. Historically speaking, braces are considered “underwear” and, like the hint of a white crewneck tee or ribbed tank, provide a casual (but not quite rugged) attitude to a sartorial outfit, or at least to the now-exposed shirt/tie and trousers. I like how the suspenders simultaneously hide and exacerbate the frumpiness of a full-cut shirt, making for an interesting expression. Even more than that, it can make it seem like the wearer is missing something, as this is about exposed “underwear”, and that you’ve somehow caught them in the middle of something– there’s a sense of dynamic character to the outfit. 

But this might be getting too far into the weeds of Cinematic Dressing. If we are to look at the pure aesthetic effect that wearing suspenders has, then it’s simply that suspenders help maintain visual interest in an outfit when the jacket comes off.  

Contrary to popular belief, I do take off my jacket from time to time, either when I’m working/writing or when it’s just too warm. And when I do, I sometimes feel like I lose a bit of visual interest in my outfit. I specifically miss the “enveloping” effect that a jacket provides for my shirt and tie, making me feel like there’s too much negative space in my top block. Wearing suspenders takes care of that problem. It’s not a replacement for enveloping (braces are two strips of vertical elastic), but I do enjoy how suspenders keep the visual aesthetics of the top block dynamic when I shed my jacket. I feel like I’m still doing something even after I’ve removed a major part of my outfit.

It helps that most of my suspenders all feature some sort of pattern. The ones I have from Darcy all have a multistripe, which adds to the complexity already present through my striped shirts and patterned ties. I also have a pair of true vintage ones that have a slim strap and feature an argyle pattern, making for a fun and inherently old-school attitude. Their interest-providing effect not only plays into my desire for pattern mixing but also comes in handy when I make the rare choice to wear solid shirts, which often feel a little too plain (obviously) when I take the jacket off; the patterned braces keep things intriguing. 

I also have a fun pair of silk suspenders that boast a cute little Cuban cigar motif (I do not think these are from Trafalgar). These braces lean more into a dandy vibe and perhaps are more 80s/90s coded than Apparel Arts (though novelty suspenders certainly existed back then). As such, I lean into the vibe accordingly, pairing my cigar suspenders with Niles Crane/yuppie attire or even just to subvert a formal or minimal outfit. I find that the quirky suspenders simply take the piss out of being stuffy, provided that I take my jacket off of course! 

That being said, I do own and employ solid suspenders, just on rare occasions (outside of black tie, where I prefer them). I do it when I want the physical benefits of suspenders but don’t want to complicate the visual mix of my top block. The solids bring back the needed “enveloping” effect, where a pair helps temper stripes and foulards or even emphasize a plain pairing (solid shirt, solid tie). I also find that solid braces help an outfit return, affecting a formal or dress vibe, bringing a soupçon of elegant charm despite its utilitarian purpose. 

Whichever style I go with, plain or patterned, one thing is clear: suspenders make me double down on a vintage/anachronistic POV. You just can’t escape that implication– suspenders are not an agnostic item, much like literally everything else I wear (collar bars, spearpoint collars, fedoras). I wouldn’t necessarily say that I avoided that connotation during my “break” from brace, but it’s quite obvious that my style has moved to embracing them more so now than ever before…outside of when I first got into menswear.  At this point, it just makes sense that a guy with long collars, bold ties, and wide-high pants would wear suspenders.  Plus, I already owned some great ones; it’s a shame not to wear them. Ethan doesn’t let anything go to waste! 

However, I will admit that there is one issue I get when I wear suspenders: they make my pants a little too short! This is because suspenders literally hike up your pants. Even after I went through the trouble of lengthening all of my trousers, I find that when I wear my suspenders, they can sometimes hike them up just a bit too much, going away from the shivering break that I typically have. Thankfully, the “distance” is largely negligible and doesn’t look like an obvious “hover”– it’s probably a quarter of an inch at most. 

It also seems to depend on which trouser I’m wearing; I’ve noticed that my Fugue pants feel a bit shorter than my SuSu ones. However, I don’t think I would lengthen my pants further; it would likely lead to too much of a break for the days I decide to go without any form of belt or brace (aka the days I rawdog by using side tabs). No, I’m perfectly fine with wearing my suspenders when the mood strikes, even if my pants appear a bit shorter as a result.

In any case, I’ve really enjoyed coming back to wearing suspenders regularly. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that this isn’t even really about the drape. It’s certainly not about trying to be formal or upholding an anachronistic ideal for gentlemen’s attire. It’s simply about adding a bit more to my outfit. It’s a little fussy having to fasten and unfasten them each day (compared to slipping off a belt), and it certainly adds a bit more to the visual aesthetics of a shirt and tie combination, but I like that. I like that bit of complexity. It makes sense for me to be a little extra with my outfit and add something just for me…or something that serves as a bit of a treat if you happen to be around me when my jacket comes off. I’m still plenty interesting without the aid of lapels. 😉 

But on a serious note, coming back to suspenders also reaffirms the taste that I’ve always had. As I said before, I used to only wear them when I was in my period clothing. But I knew that i enjoyed them, regardless of whether my garments were period or not. Early on, I did my best to pair them with modern stuff, but they looked odd, either by the old proportions of my pants or, hell, the rest of the proportions I was employing. They just felt out of place. It’s only now, with my steadfast dedication to my desired silhouette as well as my overall styling, that suspenders look and feel natural again. 

I just feel so much more connected to 18-year-old Ethan, just with a more enhanced expression. Connecting with my past has been an important part of the past few years as I approach, and am now firmly in, my 30s. Returning to suspenders has made this transition less scary and perhaps upped my confidence as I age. 

Maybe in some way, these silly little pieces of elastic and leather were the last thing I needed to feel complete and be even more Ethan than I previously thought possible. 

– end of blog (post?) – 

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Always a pleasure,

Ethan M. Wong (follow me on IG)

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