MEMORIES:
Long before belts came around to cinch a pair of pants around the waist, suspenders were doing their job keeping the pants hoisted up. The look became a fashion craze in the late 70s and early 80s, but the suspender started out as just a basic clothing necessity.
Created in the 19th century, suspenders, also called braces, were made of strong fabric like twill, leather or cotton brocade. They attached to the center back of the pants with buttons, came up and over the shoulders, and attached to the front of pants on the left and right sides. In those days, men wore their pants with a high waist, and it wasn’t appropriate for a belt to hold the pants up when they came up that high. When pants started sitting lower on the waist in the 1950s, belts started getting more popular.
Suspenders became fashionable for ladies with the 1977 Woody Allen film Annie Hall. Star Diane Keaton wore masculine styled outfits, including suspenders. The look exploded, and suddenly women were wearing men’s pants held up by thin elastic suspenders that clipped easily onto the waistband. No more buttons – these clips made putting suspenders on a snap.
On the small screen, Mork from Ork on the show Mork & Mindy, made rainbow-striped clip-on suspenders popular combined with t-shirts and crazy outfits. The 80s lent their neon and pastel shades to suspenders as well. Suspenders had changed from being necessary to hold up your pants, to just being a cool fashion statement.
