William writes: What are your thoughts on wearing braces/suspenders? Personally, I love the look, but a suit without a belt makes no sense to me. Is it overkill to wear both?
Particularly for relatively high-waisted pants, I love suspenders (or braces, as they’re known in the UK). Particularly for those of us with, let us say, ill-defined waists, they can really help keep pants up and shirts down. I also find them exceedingly comfortable.
A few guidelines:
- Avoid clip-on suspenders, unless you’re a contractor and need help holding up a tool belt. (In which case, you should definitely get the kind that looks like a measuring tape.)
- Suspenders should be under a coat or vest. Wearing them (as Andre Benjamin is above) as an accessory should be reserved for skins and people comfortable with sartorial power moves.
- Don’t wear a belt and suspenders, it’ll make you look like a tool.