The Way of the Suspender

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I have had a recent surge of gents writing in to ask me about wearing belts with suspenders.

I thought that with Spring just around the corner now is the perfect time to dust off your man-cessory skills and Spring clean away some bad habits.

Here is the bottom line guys,  a belt and suspenders should NEVER be worn at the same time.  What is the purpose of suspenders? To hold up your pants. What is the purpose of a belt? To hold up your pants. So then, what the *$#@ are you thinking wearing them together?

“How can you trust a man that wears both a belt and suspenders?  The man can’t even trust his own pants.” -Henry Ford.

I would hope that you all know how to wear a belt so I’m going to discuss how to wear suspenders.

Suspenders come in a variety of styles.  Thin clip-ons that channel 70s-80s  punk-rock and medium width clip on and button attaching styles that scream Brooks Brothers Prep while wider, button attaching versions- also called braces–deliver more of a classic gentleman message.

The traditional way to wear suspenders is with pants that DO NOT have belt loops. Although recently designers and trend experts have declared that it isn’t a total faux pas to wear them with belt loops.

If you are going for a steampunk or gentlemanly vibe you may want to pay your tailor a visit and have he/she remove the belt loops from your trousers and add some buttons to attach the suspenders.

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Jeans + Suspenders?  Go ahead and rock it!

This ultra versatile accessory paired with jeans can look totally GQ , have a  hipster-esc appeal or even a modern R&B vibe like Swizz Beatz.

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For a more laid back and casual feel wear you suspenders down like these John Varvatos ones:

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Make sure your shirt is tucked in while wearing suspenders. Nothing looks like more of a fashion fail than a sloppy untucked shirt with suspenders.

To get that “indie” look try using  a 1/2 tuck with a t-shirt or button up shirt and let the center of the shirt fall loosely in front.

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They aren’t just for the boys!

Girls can rock suspenders too!  For Spring 2014 designers continue to draw influence from menswear using suspenders in a variety of forms from knits to metallics and even leather studded at Rodarte!

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What do you think?  Will you be adding suspenders to your look this season?

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14 Comments

  1. Awesome! Thanks for clearing up the belt & suspenders no-no. I always thought that was the case, but the Ford quote seals the deal.
    I’m gonna try to rock some suspenders at work. Hope they don’t accentuate my beer gut. :/

  2. My gf recently bought me a pair of suspenders, and I absolutely love them. They are so comfortable, but Like many other guys, I don’t feel at ease when I wear them in public. Why?

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