Classy, sturdy, usable suspenders: buy, or make?
September 16, 2012 2:23 AM Subscribe
Need advice on finding or making a practical, yet classy, pair of button suspenders. (Y or X style)
A year or so ago, I started wearing suspenders instead of a belt. I tried it out just for the novelty, but discovered that I found them more comfortable than a belt, so I have transitioned almost entirely to suspenders. The wife and I have both become rather fond of the look (I also enjoy standing out a bit).
Finding pants is easy: I just sew the buttons on. I'm no good with fabric, but you can learn to sew buttons on in about a minute.
Finding suspenders has proven to be the hard part. First of all, most suspenders you find nowadays are clip suspenders (as opposed to button suspenders), which I do not like. Clip suspenders wear out the material of the pants, don't stay clipped, and don't look as nice. Secondly, when you do find some nice suspenders, they are inevitably made of thin elastic. These do not hold very much weight. I appreciate that many people who wear suspenders nowadays do so purely for the aesthetic, but I also literally want them to hold my pants up—including when my pockets are full, or (saints have mercy), I'm outside doing work and have a hammer hooked onto a side pocket.
I did find one pair made of faux-leather, but these proved so stiff that whenever I sat down (which reduces tension on the suspenders), they would simply fall off my shoulders. As you can imagine, this looks pretty stupid.
I have seen a number of websites selling firemen suspenders, which are button-end and look very strong; however, these have a nontraditional shape (four buttons in the back, rather than two), and lean too far towards the trucker look.
The main two pairs I am currently using are this dress pair, which have everything I need except for the strength, and this work pair, which are quite strong, but have clip ends, are not very classy-looking, and have a little bit of the falling-off-the-shoulder problem (due to the fact that they are made primarily out of nonelastic nylon webbing).
What I want is fairly simple, but very specific: a pair of black or brown suspenders with three two-button ends, in either the Y or X style, which look nice enough to wear with a suit, but are strong enough to hold up even tool-laden pants. And, additionally, do not fall off my shoulders when I sit down.
Possibly I am asking for too much. I have long grown used to the idea that I could buy any variation of legal products online; but this has totally stumped me. The market for suspenders is small, to begin with, and all those pairs that are sold now seem to fit squarely in either the "dressy, decorative and fragile" category, or the "trucker-style" category.
However, I am convinced that such a thing is possible. On my Menards pair, for instance, while most of the straps are made of nylon webbing, back section is made of wide and strong elastic—at least twice as strong as my dress pair, while looking basically the same. I suspect that a pair made entirely of this material would fill all of my requirements.
If all else fails, I am going to commit myself to the task of making my own suspenders. As I said, I am no good with fabric, but certain factors are in my favor (mainly suspenders' basic design, and the ready availability of spare button-ends).
Does anyone know of a readily-available brand of suspenders which meets my criteria? If not, does anyone have any wisdom regarding the construction of such an item? Alternatively, does anyone know of someone I could commission a pair from?
A year or so ago, I started wearing suspenders instead of a belt. I tried it out just for the novelty, but discovered that I found them more comfortable than a belt, so I have transitioned almost entirely to suspenders. The wife and I have both become rather fond of the look (I also enjoy standing out a bit).
Finding pants is easy: I just sew the buttons on. I'm no good with fabric, but you can learn to sew buttons on in about a minute.
Finding suspenders has proven to be the hard part. First of all, most suspenders you find nowadays are clip suspenders (as opposed to button suspenders), which I do not like. Clip suspenders wear out the material of the pants, don't stay clipped, and don't look as nice. Secondly, when you do find some nice suspenders, they are inevitably made of thin elastic. These do not hold very much weight. I appreciate that many people who wear suspenders nowadays do so purely for the aesthetic, but I also literally want them to hold my pants up—including when my pockets are full, or (saints have mercy), I'm outside doing work and have a hammer hooked onto a side pocket.
I did find one pair made of faux-leather, but these proved so stiff that whenever I sat down (which reduces tension on the suspenders), they would simply fall off my shoulders. As you can imagine, this looks pretty stupid.
I have seen a number of websites selling firemen suspenders, which are button-end and look very strong; however, these have a nontraditional shape (four buttons in the back, rather than two), and lean too far towards the trucker look.
The main two pairs I am currently using are this dress pair, which have everything I need except for the strength, and this work pair, which are quite strong, but have clip ends, are not very classy-looking, and have a little bit of the falling-off-the-shoulder problem (due to the fact that they are made primarily out of nonelastic nylon webbing).
What I want is fairly simple, but very specific: a pair of black or brown suspenders with three two-button ends, in either the Y or X style, which look nice enough to wear with a suit, but are strong enough to hold up even tool-laden pants. And, additionally, do not fall off my shoulders when I sit down.
Possibly I am asking for too much. I have long grown used to the idea that I could buy any variation of legal products online; but this has totally stumped me. The market for suspenders is small, to begin with, and all those pairs that are sold now seem to fit squarely in either the "dressy, decorative and fragile" category, or the "trucker-style" category.
However, I am convinced that such a thing is possible. On my Menards pair, for instance, while most of the straps are made of nylon webbing, back section is made of wide and strong elastic—at least twice as strong as my dress pair, while looking basically the same. I suspect that a pair made entirely of this material would fill all of my requirements.
If all else fails, I am going to commit myself to the task of making my own suspenders. As I said, I am no good with fabric, but certain factors are in my favor (mainly suspenders' basic design, and the ready availability of spare button-ends).
Does anyone know of a readily-available brand of suspenders which meets my criteria? If not, does anyone have any wisdom regarding the construction of such an item? Alternatively, does anyone know of someone I could commission a pair from?
Best answer: Would anything from the Gentleman's Emporium Suspenders Selection suffice? I've never gotten suspenders from them but I once ordered a frock coat and it was excellent constructed out of great materials. I've only heard good things about them from my scattered reenactment friends.
posted by Mizu at 3:17 AM on September 16, 2012
posted by Mizu at 3:17 AM on September 16, 2012
My dad has always worn suspenders to work, and given that the rest of his suits are from Brooks Brothers, I would assume the suspenders are as well.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:46 AM on September 16, 2012
posted by raccoon409 at 5:46 AM on September 16, 2012
Best answer: I don't know that there are suspenders produced that are going to fall somewhere between "fancy" and "workwear." I feel like this is why overalls were invented. In terms of better-quality dressier suspenders (which shouldn't be made of elastic, that's probably why they're not holding your pants up), I do have some ideas. My dude wears suspenders sometimes -- I think if you want to look nice with a suit you kind of have to go with slightly fancier menswear stores. Cf. Brooks Brothers, J.Press. You could also check out British menswear places, this will obviously be expensive but suspenders are worn more over there, but obviously search for braces. Somewhere like TM Lewin is not particularly fancy, entry-level mens business wear place -- they actually look like they have a bunch of stuff on sale right now.
posted by SoftRain at 10:29 AM on September 16, 2012
posted by SoftRain at 10:29 AM on September 16, 2012
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posted by tim_in_oz at 2:53 AM on September 16, 2012