Suspenders
Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Suspenders has several meanings. In British English, suspenders, called garters in North America, are small straps or bands that hold up socks or stockings. In US English, suspenders, called braces in Great Britain and sometimes in North America, are straps run over the shoulders that hold up trousers or a skirt. The two meanings cross the Atlantic in opposite directions, which makes suspenders one of the classic traps of clothing vocabulary: the same word names a small leg strap in one country and a pair of shoulder straps in the other.
Suspenders has several meanings.
- In British English, suspenders (called garters in North America) are small straps or bands that hold up socks or stockings.
- In US English, suspenders (called braces in Great Britain and sometimes in North America) are straps, run over the shoulders, that hold up trousers or a skirt.
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July 2006
Two Garments, One Word
Few clothing words cause as much transatlantic confusion as suspenders, and the confusion is built into the definition itself: each English-speaking region uses the word for the garment the other region names differently. A British reader shopping in America for suspenders to hold up stockings will be handed shoulder braces; an American reader in London asking for suspenders will be shown small straps for socks. The safe method in either country is to describe the job, straps over the shoulders for trousers, or bands for socks and stockings, rather than trusting the single word.
The shoulder-strap garment has the longer fashion history. Before elastic and before the belt became universal, braces were the standard way to carry trousers, buttoned to the waistband and cut to hold the trousers at the natural waist with a clean, unbroken front. Formal trousers are still made without belt loops for this reason, and braces remain the correct support for a waistcoat worn over them, since a belt's buckle would spoil the line. Elastic webbing, leather ends, button and clip fittings, and Y-back and X-back arrangements are the modern variations.
The Leg-Strap Meaning
The British suspenders, North American garters, solve the older problem of hosiery: before elastic tops, socks and stockings slid down, and a strap or band with a fastening kept them up. The garter family includes the ceremonial garter of orders of chivalry, the wedding garter, the armband garters once used to hold up shirt sleeves, and the suspender belt, a waist band with straps that holds up stockings, which is the direct relative of the small straps in this definition. Both meanings of suspenders, shoulder and leg, are at root the same idea: a strap that suspends a garment against gravity.
Fittings decide how a pair of braces behaves in wear. Button fittings, leather or fabric ends that button to the trouser waistband, are the traditional and most secure form and the only correct form with formal trousers. Clip fittings grip the waistband and fit any trousers, at some risk to the cloth. The back arrangement matters too: a Y-back joins the two front straps into one at the back, while an X-back keeps two separate straps, and the choice affects how the straps sit on different shoulder shapes. Elastic width and quality decide how evenly the load is carried through a long day.
Common Questions
What are suspenders in American English?
In US English, suspenders are straps run over the shoulders that hold up trousers or a skirt. The same garment is called braces in Great Britain, and sometimes in North America as well.
What are suspenders in British English?
In British English, suspenders are small straps or bands that hold up socks or stockings. North America calls those straps garters, the exact reverse of the shoulder-strap naming.
How do trouser suspenders attach?
Shoulder suspenders, or braces, attach to the trouser waistband with buttons or clips at the front and back and pass over the shoulders, carrying the trousers' weight from the shoulders instead of squeezing the waist as a belt does.