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Suspenders, braces, garters, and garter belts are clothing accessories. They are all termed "suspenders" in some regional variety of English.

Braces

Braces in most variants of British English (and also sometimes in North America) or suspenders in American English, are elastic fabric straps, run over the shoulders, that hold up trousers or a skirt. The entire strap of braces may be elasticated, or only at attachment ends, with the most of the straps being of woven cloth with either a X-Back or Y-back crosspatch and leather end tabs. Braces typically attach to pants with clips or, less commonly nowadays, with buttons; heavy-duty Perry braces attach to one's belt with plastic hooks.

Braces were once almost universally worn due to the high cut of late 19th and early 20th-century trousers; this cut made a belt impractical inasmuch as one's trousers were not made to rest on the hips. Modern elasticated (and better-fitting) garments may have played a part in braces falling out of vogue. Many business people, newscasters and lawyers, however, still wear braces, whether for image or comfort, and they are regarded as fashionable by most men's fashion experts in America (though not Britain). Such braces are usually considered white collar wear and are of high-quality, which typically means that they are made to be buttoned to trousers designed for them.

Braces are also a part of the skinhead fashion.

Garters

Garters are items of clothing, used to keep stockings up. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons. In the 18th to 20th centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg was skinniest, to keep the stocking from slipping. The advent of elastic has made them unnecessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion.

Order of the Garter

A famous "garter" in English is the Order of the Garter, which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem, Gawain accepts a garter from the wife of his host (while resisting her carnal temptations) to save his life and then wears it as a mark of shame for his moral failure and cowardice. King Arthur and his men proclaim it no shame and begin, themselves, to wear the garter to indicate their shared fate. At that point, however, the garter was a larger garment that was used as a foundation.

The Order, which is the oldest and highest British Order of Chivalry, was founded in 1348 by Edward III. The Order consists of Her Majesty The Queen who is Sovereign of the Order, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and 24 Knights Companions.

The origin of the symbol of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a blue 'garter' with the motto Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense will probably never be known for certain as the earliest records of the order were destroyed by fire, however the story goes that at a ball possibly held at Calais, Joan Countess of Salisbury dropped her garter and King Edward, seeing her embarrassment, picked it up and bound it about his own leg saying in French, "Evil, be he that that thinks evil of it." This story is almost certainly a later fiction. This fable appears to have originated in France and was, perhaps, invented to try and bring discredit on the Order. There is a natural unwillingness to believe that the world's foremost Order of Chivalry had so frivolous a beginning.

It is thought more likely that as the garter was a small strap used as a device to attach pieces of armour, it might have been thought appropriate to use the garter as a symbol of binding together in common brotherhood. Whilst the motto probably refers to the leading political topic of the 1340s, Edward's claim to the throne of France. The patron saint of the Order of the Garter is St. George and as he is the patron saint of soldiers and also of England, the spiritual home of the order has therefore always been St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

Garters in fashion

In Elizabethan fashions, men wore garters with their hose, and colorful garters were an object of display. In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, "cross braced" garters are an object of some derision. In male fashion, a type of garter for holding up socks has continued as a part of male dress up to the present (although its use may be considered somewhat stodgy).

A garter is often worn by newlywed brides. It is the groom's privilege to remove the garter and toss it to the male guests. The symbolism to deflowering is unambiguous. Historically, this tradition also relates to the belief that taking an article of the bride's clothing would bring good luck. As this often resulted in the destruction of the bride's dress, the tradition arose for the bride to toss articles of clothing to the guests, including the garter. Sometimes, if the guests were drunk, they would try to remove the garter ahead of time, and consequently the tradition arose for the groom to remove it himself and toss it to the guests, in order to protect his bride from molestation by the guests. Another superstition that has circulated is the male equivalent of the bride throwing her bouquet to the unmarried ladies, i.e., the unmarried male wedding guest who successfully caught the garter was believed to be the next man to be headed to the altar from the group of single men at that wedding.

At some American high schools, it is traditional for girls to wear garters to their prom. At the end of the evening, her partner removes the garter and keeps it as a souvenir. In some cases, the girls exchange their garters for their partners' bow ties. The tradition of wearing garters to proms is especially prevalent in Chicagoland and surrounding midwestern cities.

In universities and independent schools, many boarding students will use a garter, or alternately a necktie, around their bedroom doorknob to show that the couple inside are engaged in some form of sexual- or foreplay-related activity. Thus, it is the dormitory equivalent to a "do-not-disturb" sign in many ways.

Garter Belts

The garter belt was a common, popular alternative to the girdle in the 1940s through the 1960s, especially among teens and young women.

References

1. Order of the Garter information
2. "The Tale of the Tossing of the Garter and other customs". WedAlert.com. Retrieved 2006-10-14. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)

External links

• US323416 Suspenders - G. C. Hale
• US121992 Improvement in adjustable and detachable straps for garments
• An example of blue collar suspenders

• Belts
• Underwear
• Hosiery
• Accessories