My dearest beloved has said he wants some braces to hold his jeans up and hide builders bum. he said you can get work braces like those Tommy Walsh ( and Monty Don?) wear on TV.
My dad used to wear these in the 19 50's/60's but they had buttons in trousers to hold them . Now they don't and I am not sure how good they are.
I have seen them on Amazon and eBay but wondered if they are any good, or if there is a really good brand to get? Also , do men really like those with patterns on - like builders and plumbers tools or should I get plain?
Any men out there wearing these for their DIY to keep their trousers up can give advice as to which they think are best? Thankyou.
Someone bought me a set - wide elastic, with metal clips. I found them particularly good for making use of elasticated waist trousers with knackered elastic etc when doing extensive building work. Good for occasions where you are reaching overhead repeatedly as well or using a tool belt that would otherwise tend to pull your trousers down over time.
Axminster, most big toolshops, most places selling chainsaws.
They're OK. It depends on the trousers you're clipping them too - jeans will hold, thin summer-weight trousers won't.
I wear braces a lot under suits. These still use buttons. Mostly I have my suits made with buttons on the trouser waistband, but it's not hard to add the buttons anyway. If you make trousers to a Victorian pattern with a really high waist and a split in the rear waistband, they need to be held up with braces because they're above where a belt would sit anyway.
Hello I have been wearing these braces with pictures of tools on them. I find them very good and long lasting. One pair I have had for over 20 years and the only problem was that the holes where the adjusting clip pivots became worn but a pair of log nosed pliers fixed that. They have clips to hold the trousers in place. That is possibly because I am obese and a belt is no good.
Having said that, a belt works fine for normal trousers, but the braces are better for stretchy things that have become a bit too stretched (and don't normally have belt loops).
Yes, I do recall, and I have not purchased from e Bay. I have ordered a pair now from an online shop as linked. I got the ones with tools on. If he doesn't like them he will have to wear them under his shirt or something.
They're OK. It depends on the trousers you're clipping them too - jeans will hold, thin summer-weight trousers won't.
This is for jeans . Thanks
I wear braces a lot under suits. These still use buttons. Mostly I have my suits made with buttons on the trouser waistband, but it's not hard to add the buttons anyway.
I have seen some which use button fastening and I know I could sew the buttons on if required but have chosen the clip thngs .
If you make trousers to a Victorian pattern with a really high waist and a split in the rear waistband, they need to be held up with braces because they're above where a belt would sit anyway.
I have also come to the conclusion my OH has an unusually high waist ( Simon Cowel style) and that is why his trousers have fallen down a lot - that and the fact they seem to be making crotch/ waist short these days.
So anyone know any good high waist trouser makes? Yes hubby has got a girth issue but not that much of one. He just seems to have changed shape in old age ( turned 60)
OH wears a tool belt and keeps tons of stuff in his pockets which weighs his trousers down. He used to wear overalls which id the builders bum and kept his trousers in place to an extent. he has stopped wearing overalls and now hitches his trousers every ten minutes - or err..... we have embarrassment. So he said he wanted Tommy Walshes braces ( watching TV and seeing the man on some DIY programme on digital?
I can see they are quite pricey but if they fitted properly that would mean they would last and be worn ( now I throw stuff away quite quickly. ) A pair of wranglers costs me a small fortune from Matalan anyway.
Are you joking? How do you make your own? Trousers are one thing I would draw a line at trying . I can make basic skirts and similar things but trousers are a tailors job. Are you a tailor?
Chums make trousers with raised waistbands, rather than a proper high waist. They're OK if you're simply long in the body, but if you want ones that fit like old trousers used to they're not the same thing. The old style, and the style that needs braces rather than a belt, has the waistband tilted forwards so that they're much higher at the back. These keep your kidneys warm, they also fit better when sitting down. The Chums style look bizarrely high at the front, giving the "Patrick Moore" look. If you're not so slim, this can be a real "Humpty Dumpty".
I do have some experience with Chums' trousers. My Dad, who is now immobile and spends all day sitting down, has several pairs of their "growing room" trousers. Despite trying to find him some with a proper high rear waist, so as to fit better for someone who's sitting all day, Chums' weren't it.
Trousers aren't that hard. Easier than shirts or a good jacket. There are only two really crucial measurements for most patterns on average sizes, one is easy to measure and the other can be adjusted afterwards. The sewing techniques are certainly easier than shirtmaking. Women's trousers, for average shapes and sizes, are easier than men's.
Simplest way is to just buy a pattern and go to it. As always, Simplicity will be easiest but not a good result. McCalls and the like is worth the small extra effort. Vogue often aren't, because if you're working to that level, you should be drafting your own patterns to measure. If you need guidance on sewing in general, browse charity shops for a McCalls or Vogue book on sewing.
Next step is to buy David Page Coffin's book on trousermaking. Like his earlier book on shirtmaking, it assumes that you can sew, and even that you know the basics of how to put the garment together (you've already made one from a pattern). Where it shines is in how to get the details right, and how to make details that approach couture quality (I also know how to sew to couture standards, but I know that I don't have the skills to actually do it).
Mostly I draft my own patterns (the shaped and sized bits of card) by following a ready drafted block (a set of instructions). These come from either a 1930s set of tailor's handbooks (every pattern a working tailor would need, including uniforms, bishop's breeches, golfing outfits and how to hide the bloated bellies of fat capitalists). For re-enactment there are _many_ books with similar blocks for patterns of the 19th, 18th or even further back. If it's before 1600, ask Mary or Kim for advice, not me.
Drafting patterns takes as long as cutting and sewing up a garment. It also requires a lot of knowledge as to just what makes up a set of trousers and where the extra flaps and thicknesses go. I don't recommend it until you've made up at least one similar garment from a worked pattern, but after that, go for it. The improved fit you can get on your first garment is astonishing.
My jodhpurs were made (badly and quickly) because they were in the
1930s handbook and I just couldn't see how anything made from pieces that shape could end up fitting the human leg. They fit perfectly. As I do sometimes wear them, I really ought to make a better pair, with better fabric and a little more care. I wore them just last Saturday, to a Steampunk Ball.
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