Suspenders vs. Belts

Pros and Cons of Wearing Suspenders

Suspenders have been used for close to 300 years and were designed to hold up men’s trousers. The actual invention of suspenders is often times accredited to Albert Thurston who was the first one to make suspenders as a trait in 1822. So what are the benefits of suspenders? Why would one choose suspenders when a belt might work just as well.

Comfort
Suspenders are attached to pants using buttons and then worn over the shoulders to hold up the pants. Unlike a belt suspenders allow one to wear the pants slightly looser without having to worry about them sliding down. For this reason heaver men often times prefer suspenders over the more constricting belts.

Formal Attire
Most men only choose suspenders with so called Black Tie Attire. If one chooses to wear suspenders with a tuxedo and bow tie, then no cummerbund or waistcoat should be worn. These three black tie accessories should never be combined, and only one of them should be worn at a time.

By Profession
Suspenders are often times associated with certain professions. College professors dressed in bow tie and suspenders is one of these. Another profession are news anchors (thanks to Larry King), tailors, interior designers, and wall street bankers (think of Gordon Gecko, played by Michael Douglas, in the 1987s classic “Wall Street”).

So weather you choose to wear suspenders or a belt is ultimately your choice. But as general rules: 1. never wear suspenders and belt together, and 2. suspenders should be attached to pants using buttons and not clips (those often times have a tacky reputation).

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