Suspenders, Braces

Suspenders, braces, garters, and garter belts are clothing accessories. more...

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Braces

Braces in most variants of world English (and also sometimes in North America) or Suspenders in U.S. English, are elastic fabric straps, run over the shoulders, that hold up trousers or a skirt. The entire strap of suspenders may be elasticated, or only at attachment ends, with the most of the straps being of woven cloth with either a X-Back or Y-back crosspatch and leather end tabs. Suspenders typically attach to pants with clips or, less commonly nowadays, with buttons; heavy-duty Perry suspenders attach to one's belt with plastic hooks.

Suspenders or braces were once almost universally worn due to the high cut of late 19th and early 20th-century trousers; this cut made a belt impractical inasmuch as one's trousers were not made to rest on the hips. Modern elasticated (and better-fitting) garments may played a part in suspenders falling out of vogue. Many business people, newscasters and lawyers, however, still wear suspenders, whether for image or comfort, and they are regarded as fashionable by most men's fashion experts in America (though not Britain). Such suspenders are usually considered white collar wear and are of high-quality, which typically means that they are made to be buttoned to trousers designed for them.

Garters

Garters are items of clothing, used to keep stockings up. Normally just a few inches in width, they are usually made of leather or heavy cloth, and adorned with small bells and/or ribbons. In the 18th to 20th centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg was skinniest, to keep the stocking from slipping. The advent of elastic has made them unnecessary from this functional standpoint, although they are still often worn for fashion.

A famous "garter" in English is the Order of the Garter, which traces its history to the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the poem, Gawain accepts a garter from the wife of his host (while resisting her carnal temptations) to save his life and then wears it as a mark of shame for his moral failure and cowardice. King Arthur and his men proclaim it no shame and begin, themselves, to wear the garter to indicate their shared fate. At that point, however, the garter was a larger garment that was used as a foundation.

The Oldest and Highest British Order of Chivalry was founded in 1348 by Edward III. The Order consists of Her Majesty The Queen who is Sovereign of the Order, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and 24 Knights Companions.

The origin of the symbol of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, a blue 'garter' with the motto Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense will probably never be known for certain as the earliest records of the order were destroyed by fire, however the story goes that at a Ball possibly held at Calais, Joan Countess of Salisbury dropped her garter and King Edward seeing her embarrassment picked it up and bound it about his own leg saying in French, Evil, (or shamed) be he that that thinks evil of it' this is almost certainly a later fiction. This fable appears to have originated in France and was, perhaps, invented to try and bring discredit on the Order. There is a natural unwillingness to believe that the World's foremost Order of Chivalry had so frivolous a beginning.

Read more at Wikipedia.org