# Who wears braces?



## mendozar (Dec 13, 2005)

I was having dinner with someone who's spent quite a bit of time in the financial world, and he noticed that I was wearing braces. He said that it's pretty rare on Wall Street, and that only 1 in 100 people wear them. He said that it's far more prevalent at a law firm than, say, at a bank. I would never think that to be the case, with Michael Douglas's Albert Thurstons in "Wall Street," after all.

The point is, have you found a particular occupation to be more conducive to braces? What about a particular region or city?


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## SMARTBYCHOICE (Mar 16, 2007)

I tend to wear braces when on business, I used to work at lloyds in London and just adopted that dress code, I was only there a few months but loved the look.

Im wearing a red pair today that I bought in tie rack about 2 years ago. I wear braces with a two piece suit but since I am unlikely to remove my waistcoat at work would rairly wear them with a three piece suit.

I also wear sock suspenders.


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## tabasco (Jul 17, 2006)

*sometimes*

with some suits; I leave them on and they show up in the rotation. I think I'm the only one in my MN stock broker office.
M


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## mpcsb (Jan 1, 2005)

Only wear them with my dinner jacket.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

Braces are always an appropriate business-wear option, and are always in "style" even if not in "fashion." In my experience investment bankers are a little more taken with fashion than lawyers, who tend to be a bit more conservative and indifferent to fashion whims, though perhaps not so much as commercial bankers. During the mid 1980s through the early or mid 1990s braces were very popular at investment banking houses, and somewhat popular at the major law firms. Now they are no longer hot fashion items, and accordingly not as popular at major investment banking and law firms, but I do agree that lawyers who like braces (and I'm one of them) are probably a bit more immune to caring about current fashion than investment bankers. Conservative commercial bankers were not that big on braces even during their hey day, and I think it is unusual to see such a banker in braces today.

The bottom line is that, currently, braces are probably more commonly worn by lawyers than either investment bankers or commercial bankers, at least in the USA.

All that said, I almost always wear braces with tailored (i.e., dress) trousers, which really do look better hung from firm shoulders rather than from a shifting waist.


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## Benjamin E. (Mar 2, 2007)

SMARTBYCHOICE said:


> I tend to wear braces when on business, I used to work at lloyds in London and just adopted that dress code, I was only there a few months but loved the look.
> 
> Im wearing a red pair today that I bought in tie rack about 2 years ago. I wear braces with a two piece suit but since I am unlikely to remove my waistcoat at work would rairly wear them with a three piece suit.
> 
> I also wear sock suspenders.


Actually,a 3 piece suit should be worn with braces . They remove the bulk of a belt from underneath the vest.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

"Actually, a 3 piece suit should be worn with braces . They remove the bulk of a belt from underneath the vest."

I don't think Benjamin was in any way suggesting that braces are inappropriate for two piece suits, even though I suppose that the first sentence could be mis-read that way. I think the second sentence makes a valid observation and makes the meaning of the preceding sentence clear.


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## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

For investment-banking and sales&trading, I'd say save the braces until you are at least a VP if not a managing director.

same rule applies to contrasting collars and flashy cuff links.


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## KenR (Jun 22, 2005)

I average about once a week in them.


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## tripreed (Dec 8, 2005)

Untilted said:


> For investment-banking and sales&trading, I'd say save the braces until you are at least a VP if not a managing director.


If you don't remove your jacket, how will people know your are wearing them? Besides, they serve a much more functional purpose than just adornment.


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## abc123 (Jun 4, 2006)

I like braces a lot, and do plan on wearing them to work this summer in a fairly conservative environment. However, I will stick to plain black or blue braces, simply because I am of the opinion that flashy ones are a bit of a status symbol in the workplace. Best to wait until later if there is any doubt as to how they will be precieved.


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

abc,

I think you are wise. Braces serve their purpose far more splendidly than belts, but in some quarters fancy braces may be perceived, rightly or wrongly, as displaying unearned confidence. Leather brown or black braces can be a useful option as well. 

And while it is true that braces are not seen when the jacket stays on, the practice of keeping a jacket on while working in the office is moribund to say the least. A young fellow keeping his jacket on all day while working in his office would be considered far more peculiar in most professional environments than a young man wearing fancy braces sans jacket.

Very few people view braces as equivalent to underwear anymore. They are understood as simply alternatives to belts. Personally, I think this is a good thing. There are times when jacket removal is appropriate, even preferred; and it seems rather senseless for this option to be available only to those unfortunate souls who wear belts. I do realize that I am probably in the minority on this point, at least in these fine fora, but I'm ok with that.

Cheers!


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## Benjamin E. (Mar 2, 2007)

Mike Petrik said:


> "Actually, a 3 piece suit should be worn with braces . They remove the bulk of a belt from underneath the vest."
> 
> I don't think Benjamin was in any way suggesting that braces are inappropriate for two piece suits, even though I suppose that the first sentence could be mis-read that way. I think the second sentence makes a valid observation and makes the meaning of the preceding sentence clear.


You are correct about my sentiments. Braces look great in whatever application. The only issue with wearing them under a vest is that no one can see them.


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## rip (Jul 13, 2005)

The only time I don't wear braces (or suspenders, as we call them here in the US) with a suit is when I have just lost a suspender button (a rare occurence, to be sure, but it happened to me just this week) and don't readily have a spare, or lack the time to replace it. Otherwise, I always wear them simply because the trousers hang so much better with suspenders than with a belt. I tend to keep my jacket on, but I don't work in an office so it's rather a moot issue. I spend time, effort and money in fair proportion on my clothing, so why not have them look their absolute best?


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

I'm with you, rip. Suspenders are great.


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## Tom72 (May 8, 2006)

Around here it is mostly lawyers that wear suspenders. Of course, the only classes of folks left wearing suits here are lawyers and bankers. I expect the bankers don't see suspenders as projecting a conservative image - perhaps they view suspenders as a bit too flashy.

I too wear them about once or twice a week, and I find them more comfortable than a belt. I haven't gotten around to having buttons sewn in all my suits, and anyway I like variety.

I may come to regret this comment, but it seems as though fellows with ample waistlines are more frequently suspender wearers than their undernourished brethren...


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

"I may come to regret this comment, but it seems as though fellows with ample waistlines are more frequently suspender wearers than their undernourished brethren..."

I agree with you, Tom, though I honestly don't know why that should be the case. I'm on the tall and slender side (though admittedly not as slender as my youth) and find suspenders far more comfortable.


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## jeansguy (Jul 29, 2003)

Very interesting thread.

I had buttons for braces sewn into my last suit, though I have not yet picked up a pair.

Are there rules for matching/contrasting colors with braces? What looks good/bad and is there a universal like black, or???

At the mens wear stores here there are only clip on braces. The 'high end' braces have a button loop that attaches to the clip. Nothing I'm interested in anyway.


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## Trilby (Aug 11, 2004)

Untilted said:


> For investment-banking and sales&trading, I'd say save the braces until you are at least a VP if not a managing director.
> 
> same rule applies to contrasting collars and flashy cuff links.


Very different dress codes for banking and sales/trading. A small but measurable percentage of bankers (and lawyers doing deal work) wear braces. You'd be lucky to see someone wearing a tie, let alone braces, on a trading floor - maybe the head of trading and a few other management types, but you don't see ties that often.


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## mcarthur (Jul 18, 2005)

*Who wears braces*









I wear with both suits and blazars with tie


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## blastandcast (Nov 29, 2006)

I wear braces every time I put on a suit unless I lose a button. For what it is worth, braces are attached to the buttons in your trousers. Suspenders are clipped to your pants.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

mcarthur said:


> I wear with both suits and blazars with tie


Oh, my! French front! Spread Collar! Nooooooooo......... Not on the Trad Forum!


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## NewYorkBuck (May 6, 2004)

mendozar said:


> I was having dinner with someone who's spent quite a bit of time in the financial world, and he noticed that I was wearing braces. He said that it's pretty rare on Wall Street, and that only 1 in 100 people wear them. He said that it's far more prevalent at a law firm than, say, at a bank. I would never think that to be the case, with Michael Douglas's Albert Thurstons in "Wall Street," after all.
> 
> The point is, have you found a particular occupation to be more conducive to braces? What about a particular region or city?


I agree, but I am the 1 in 100. Not many guys in my firm wear them at all, but I love them. Title may play a role, but Im an SVP so I really dont care. Some may say you must keep your jacket in, but NO ONE in my firm works with a jacket, nor have I ever seen a Wall St firm where people do.


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## NewYorkBuck (May 6, 2004)

Trilby said:


> Very different dress codes for banking and sales/trading. A small but measurable percentage of bankers (and lawyers doing deal work) wear braces. You'd be lucky to see someone wearing a tie, let alone braces, on a trading floor - maybe the head of trading and a few other management types, but you don't see ties that often.


Every single member of our trading floor wears a tie. Every single one.


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## anglophile23 (Jan 25, 2007)

No, but I do have a pair of Albert Thurston sleave braces. Do they count?


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## Gilles (Feb 11, 2007)

*Wearing braces and nomenclature*

I was just directed to this thread by a friend. To the individual who stated that braces had button on paddle attachments and suspenders had clips, who told you that? This patently incorrect. The term brace originated in the UK and France (bretelle) and refers to a strap worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. In the UK suspenders typically refer to sock garters. In N. America the term 'suspender' is used interchangeably with the British term 'brace,' whereas sock suspenders in the US are termed 'garters.' There is no distinction between whether braces have clips or paddle attachments to trouser buttons, though I wouldn't be caught dead with clip-ons. I'm guilty of owning over 300 pr. of braces/suspenders from all lines as early as President "suspenders" as the box calls them from the 1930s, often worn by Roosevelt (these resemble an execution contraption in their complexity), later models by Paris, Pioneer and Hickok, and now, Thurstons, Trafalgars, Cole-Haans, etc.

They of course make the trouser drape properly, and when fitted properly (e.g. shortened so that the buckles ride low on the torso, not near the nipples, with the back strap shortened to about 4", they are extremely comfortable an I wouldn't go a day without them be it with khaki slacks, dress slacks and a jacket, a suit or formal attire. I am hooked.

Gilles


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## blastandcast (Nov 29, 2006)

Gilles: With all due respect, in Cal., you may use the terms interchangeably but in my neck of the woods, i.e. in Alabama, suspenders means clips and braces means buttons. B&C


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## HistoryDoc (Dec 14, 2006)

I need the slimming effects of a belt, myself.


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Gilles said:


> I was just directed to this thread by a friend. To the individual who stated that braces had button on paddle attachments and suspenders had clips, who told you that? This patently incorrect. The term brace originated in the UK and France (bretelle) and refers to a strap worn over the shoulders to hold up trousers. In the UK suspenders typically refer to sock garters. In N. America the term 'suspender' is used interchangeably with the British term 'brace,' whereas sock suspenders in the US are termed 'garters.' There is no distinction between whether braces have clips or paddle attachments to trouser buttons, though I wouldn't be caught dead with clip-ons. I'm guilty of owning over 300 pr. of braces/suspenders from all lines as early as President "suspenders" as the box calls them from the 1930s, often worn by Roosevelt (these resemble an execution contraption in their complexity), later models by Paris, Pioneer and Hickok, and now, Thurstons, Trafalgars, Cole-Haans, etc.
> 
> They of course make the trouser drape properly, and when fitted properly (e.g. shortened so that the buckles ride low on the torso, not near the nipples, with the back strap shortened to about 4", they are extremely comfortable an I wouldn't go a day without them be it with khaki slacks, dress slacks and a jacket, a suit or formal attire. I am hooked.
> 
> Gilles


No gallouses or bretelles?


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## Sir Royston (Nov 10, 2005)

SMARTBYCHOICE said:


> I tend to wear braces when on business, I used to work at lloyds in London and just adopted that dress code, I was only there a few months but loved the look.
> 
> Im wearing a red pair today that I bought in tie rack about 2 years ago. I wear braces with a two piece suit but since I am unlikely to remove my waistcoat at work would rairly wear them with a three piece suit.
> 
> I also wear sock suspenders.


Likewise I wear braces every day of the week, whether its a pair of cords or moleskins, a 2 or 3 piece or 3 piece suit, or Chalkstripe or Tweeds.. you can guarantee that braces are in evidence..

Indeed, sock suspenders follow a similar rule for me..
RBH


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Gilles said:


> They of course make the trouser drape properly, and when fitted properly (e.g. shortened so that the buckles ride low on the torso, not near the nipples, with the back strap shortened to about 4", they are extremely comfortable an I wouldn't go a day without them be it with khaki slacks, dress slacks and a jacket, a suit or formal attire. I am hooked.
> 
> Gilles


In "Dressing the Man" Alan Flusser talks about shortening braces and mentions that a shoe repair place is the best bet. Two questions: why a shoe repair shop, and are they being shortened in the front, back or both?


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## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Patrick06790 said:


> In "Dressing the Man" Alan Flusser talks about shortening braces and mentions that a shoe repair place is the best bet. Two questions: why a shoe repair shop, and are they being shortened in the front, back or both?


If you'll look at where the cloth is attached to the adjustment bar, you'll see that any competent domestic, or neurosurgeon www.neurosurgeon.com, could make a hand-sewn adjustment. For a machine sewer, even easier. Have 'em rip out the old sewn line, scissor the excess and re-sew.

Perhaps Mr. Flusser would have you reconfigure the fork.

Trying to alter the fork is asking for trouble. It would be awkward, time consuming, misaligned and and machine stitched holes would not match the original holes in the leather.










One read the blog.

I've spoken with these folks on your behalf, please call.

Northwest Mental Health Authority
249 Winsted Road
Torrington, CT 06790
(860) 496-3700


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

Maybe the folks at NW Mental Health could shorten my braces while they're at it.


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## Benjamin E. (Mar 2, 2007)

Does anyone here know what to do once the elastic in the back has stretched out of shape? What about if you have a pair of elastic braces (almost oxymoronic) and they've been stretched so much that they tend to twist when relaxed?


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## AsherNM (Apr 3, 2006)

I've yet to wear a pair of suspenders, and so have a question about their fit. I've just bought a suit with the requisite suspender buttons. Should I buy a pair of braces soon to wear them while at the tailor getting my suit adjusted? Or will the braces fit just fine if I get my suit fitted without a pair on?


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## Mike Petrik (Jul 5, 2005)

Asher,
Braces are adjustable. I wear suspenders almost every day and have never worried about coordinating fit with the suit.


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## Sir Royston (Nov 10, 2005)

Mike Petrik said:


> Asher,
> Braces are adjustable. I wear suspenders almost every day and have never worried about coordinating fit with the suit.


I do like to reveal my braces.. as Im this particular image.. although they are quite obvious to the eye and not everyone's particular taste!


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## fenway (May 2, 2006)

NewYorkBuck said:


> Every single member of our trading floor wears a tie. Every single one.


What do the married ones wear?


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## NewYorkBuck (May 6, 2004)

fenway said:


> What do the married ones wear?


A frown....


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## GMC (Nov 8, 2006)

*Only thing is if the waist is coming in ...*



AsherNM said:


> I've yet to wear a pair of suspenders, and so have a question about their fit. I've just bought a suit with the requisite suspender buttons. Should I buy a pair of braces soon to wear them while at the tailor getting my suit adjusted? Or will the braces fit just fine if I get my suit fitted without a pair on?


Just one thing: If you are getting the waist taken in, make sure the tailor moves the brace buttons. Often they don't bother with the buttons anymore, thinking no one wears braces. If the waist comes in, the brace buttons at back should be spaced out a little. The upfronts may be OK -- just depends. You can get away without moving the back buttons, but your tabs back there will be awfully close together. If you need to move the front buttons and don't you could end up with the braces sliding off the shoulder.

Just tell 'em you plan to wear braces and want the buttons ready to go.


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## GMC (Nov 8, 2006)

*To Sir Royston*

Ah, yes, I remember that look. Haven't seen it since living across the Pond. Presume those braces have the white cat-gut tabs? Looks sharp.


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## Sir Royston (Nov 10, 2005)

GMC said:


> Ah, yes, I remember that look. Haven't seen it since living across the Pond. Presume those braces have the white cat-gut tabs? Looks sharp.


Good Day to you

Yes, i love the white cat gut end braces.. my favourite!!!!


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