Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by JonEdanger on July 31, 2012 at 11:43am

Suspenders are ok, just don't wear them with a belt.

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Permalink Reply by Native Son on July 31, 2012 at 2:07pm

Unless of course, you don't favor shoulder holsters for your concealed carry.

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Permalink Reply by Nathanael on July 31, 2012 at 2:21pm

First, suspenders should rarely be visible, since they are worn under a jacket or vest. Thus, in most situations there should be little comment about them, as people will at most see a brief glimpse of them when your jacket is open.
Second, good suspenders are more comfortable than a belt.
Third, on the general question of wearing things that might be seen as somewhat anachronistic, it depends, but generally if you're good looking and confident you can wear nearly anything you want. If you've got one of those you can wear a lot of what you want, if you've got neither, well, you won't look good regardless of whether you blend in with the crowd, so do what makes you happy.

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Permalink Reply by Rebekah on July 31, 2012 at 2:34pm

Professionally, it's best not to go outside the norms - the norms for your workplace, the norms for your region, the norms for your industry, the norms for your age group. You want your work to be what makes you remarkable, not your clothes.

You have a girlfriend, but if you were looking for one, I'd again advise dressing "normal" if you want to attract a normal girl, or dressing according to your interests. If you're a hipster who wants to date a hipster, by all means, dress like a hipster during your leisure time.

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Permalink Reply by Nick H on July 31, 2012 at 4:20pm

When I hear the word suspenders, I think either fat people, old people, or Wall Street yuppies from the 1980s. But whatever, wear what you want, just as Danger said, don't mix it with a belt.

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Permalink Reply by Jack S on August 4, 2012 at 9:55pm

My waist size tends to fluctuate by an inch or two during the year.  Rather than paying for constant tailoring, I keep some slacks with 32 waists and some with 34s.  Wearing a belt with the larger ones can cause them to bunch up during my skinny periods, and suspenders work better to hold them up comfortably.  

That said, I'll only wear suspenders with a sweater, sweater vest, or jacket.  They attract too much attention over a bare shirt.  You probably don't want suspenders to become your "thing" unless you care to hear regular jokes about TPS reports.

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Permalink Reply by Brian S on August 11, 2012 at 5:48am

I would say braces (as we call suspenders in Britain) can be seen as quite fashionable if worn by "city banker" types. Otherwise they are mainly worn by older, fatter men. I'd go with your own opinion on this and perhaps wear them sometimes and the rest of the time wear a belt.

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Permalink Reply by Will on August 11, 2012 at 7:08am

When I was in my 20's, suspenders were unusual, as they are today.  I still wore them sometimes, because I liked them.

You try to get a feel for these things.  If it feels too odd, it's out of style; if it's a little out of the norm, it's stylish.  If it's right in the middle, it's unremarkable.

May also be affected by how you look.  If suspenders are for fat old fuddy-duddies and you're fat and look older than you're years, you'll look like a fuddy-duddy.  If you're thin, it may make you look hipster instead.  Same for other older-men things.

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