Why Did Men Start Wearing Belts?

#belts #accessories #notsponsored

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→ Script: E.J. Daniels
→ Camera: Chris Dummer
→ Editing: Lukas Mooney
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Gentleman's Gazette

00:00 Men Start Wearing Belts Introduction

When it comes to keeping your trousers up, your big three options are belts, suspenders (or braces), and trouser side-adjusters. Nowadays, belts are by far the most popular option. But how did this come about?

01:07 Terminology: Belts & Girdles

A belt is a band or strap used to support clothing or carry instruments while a band or strap worn around the waist and used to keep garments closed or cinched, rather than supported, is technically called a girdle.

A girdle now refers almost exclusively to an undergarment intended to shape and support the midsection and thighs.

02:26 Early History of Belts

Archaeological evidence for both articles is ubiquitous throughout the Bronze Age and it is likely that belts and girdles are almost as old as the clothes themselves. In the epics of the Greek poet Homer, set around 1200 BC, both girdles and belts are described and were also worn by the Ancient Romans.

03:17 Medieval and Early-Modern Belts

During the European Middle Ages, the blending of multiple cultures produced new fashions in which both belts and girdles were worn with trousers, tunics, and robes. Still, as before, belts were most often associated with utilitarian functions and stored tools and instruments.

04:34 Suspenders Become Supreme

In the early 19th century, London haberdasher Albert Thurston is credited with inventing suspenders. Suspenders held the trousers in place by literally suspending them from the shoulders attached by ties or buttons to the trouser waist. They immediately became popular because at this time clothing manufacturing had entered the Industrial Revolution.

For the rest of the 19th century and into the 20th century, suspenders stayed supreme, supplanting belts as the primary means of keeping one’s trousers up. But belts did not disappear. They persisted as a practical accessory.

08:09 20th Century Ascendancy of Belts

By the early days of the 20th century, the mutual wearing of belts and suspenders slowly fell out of favor. Belts, which were easy to take on and off and could help hold tools became regular wear in manual labor settings. While suspenders were worn at most other times.

10:47 Why Men Started: 1. Casualization of Clothing
11:37 2. Manufacturers' Choices
12:19 3. Perceived Convenience
12:47 4. Popular Perception

Having worked our way through over 5000 years of history we can now summarize why belts are so popular today.

14:40 Why Do Men Wear Belts Today?: 1. Utility
16:12 2. Comfort
17:16 3. Displays of Wealth
18:37 4. Style

We hope that today’s episode has explained why men started wearing belts and shed some light on why they remain so popular to this day.

20:53 Outfit Rundown

[piphoto]

I stopped wearing belts, except on rare occasions because I found they had been effecting the shape of my waist. My love handles were at the belt line. Since I stopped wearing belts and opted for overalls and suspenders at work, my love handles have dissapeared. I've also found now that belts are uncomfortable because they put pressure on the hips.

[glennet]

Suspenders were an undergarment. Men wore a hat, a jacket and a tie, you might take your jacket off for work purposes but you weren’t properly dressed and put it back on as soon as you were done. Clerks would take their jackets off and pull their shirt sleeves up using their armbands to prevent smudging the ink and staining their shirts, but a manager would not be seen without their jacket or at most waistcoat.

[KRW]

I stopped wearing belts when I started gaining weight. The belts would slide down my ample belly. Suspenders hold my pants at the correct level all the time. And when someone asks -"why the red suspenders?" I reply - "they hold my pants up."

[Molach]

I really enjoyed the humour in this video. The output from the GG team just gets better and better.

[otm]

6:53 the suspenders while wearing a tool belt look was extraordinarily common for American carpenters through the early 60s. Especially for framers.

[Alberad]

12:27 that picture of Mr. Schneider as a DIY maniac with blazing eyes was just epic!

[truthreigns]

As always, educational and informative. Even comical as always. Thanks Preston

[robo]

I use both. Suspenders with my suits and belts with chinos and jeans.

[Daine]

Your hair looks nice today preston. Great video! I know a lot of people dont like belts but I always liked matching leathers with shoe and belt.

[Egilhelmson]

My problem with my first set of suspenders was putting them and the pants on, but that just took a while to learn. After that, I discovered their utility when my weight started going up and down. Lately, I have lost weight to the point that it becomes hard to cinch the belt enough, after buying them large enough for my old girth.

[johnnie]

I stopped wearing belts about 2 years ago (I'm 61). I bought my first suspenders back then to be fashionable with a suit but I ended up favoring suspenders that that point on. I did wear a belt to work about a week ago for one day and hated it! I'd forgotten how much I dreaded that waist cinching Suspenders are much more comfortable and convenient especially in the men's facilities. Tucking a shirt is easier and the fashion esthetic should be appreciated especially if one is wearing a vest. A great thing about suspenders is that they're inexpensive so it's easy to amass a variety of them to go with anything whether to dress up or to dress down. I'm sold on suspenders.

[terranempire]

One of these days they should let Preston do an episode on classic mens wear in Batman the animated series.

[webz]

I personally much prefer suspenders, but I'm a rather skinny guy and most (store bought) belts are ineffective at actually holding my trousers up (atleast in comparison). So much so that I often have to punch extra holes.

[nsf-]

6:53 A military-style "chest rig" is essentially just a belt and suspenders as a single piece, and functionally identical to a carpenter's toolbelt with suspenders (It just helps support the load, and usually has a padded shoulder area to make it more comfortable to wear)

[TheMangeGrain]

I started wearing exclusively belts as a kid, in the mid 70's, precisely because belts were associated with cowboys and military (as in movies I enjoyed a lot back then). Belts looked cool and active, suspenders looked "old timer". I updated this mindset only recently, when I finally got control back on my weight and wished to have a dapper style. I tried suspenders again and I found out that not only suspenders could be more appropriate, they were also much more comfortable ; applying no pressure on the belly. On my current jeans and chinos, belts have a clear advantage though : they hide that unsightly waistband button. So until I replace my current trousers with better options, I'll have to use waistcoats or cardigans to cover the waistbands when I use them with suspenders.

[toecutterjenkins]

I still wear a belt and suspenders for the same reason stated: I carry a pistol in my waistband. The holster clips to the belt, and suspenders hold the weight.

[kletts]

I wear belts all the time. One, my pants or shorts look incomplete without one and I lost about 20 pounds. Actually, because of that, I had to poke holes in one of my belts and buy some new ones.

[rs]

For me, I still wear belts with my odd trousers even though I have a bit of a gut and they aren't the best when it comes to holding up my pants. They just look right to me and I have tried a pair with buckle side tabs, but they just looked off and still didn't hold the pants up any better. I would however go with side tab adjusters with suits as they're more formal and don't disrupt the waistline.

[jeruelleapigo]

19:54- From Left to Right
Raphael: Dad
Preston: Grandpa
Kyle: Big Bro
Nathan: Little Bro

[laurencepin]

Question - I Have been watching sitcoms from the late 50s and noticed a lot of men when wearing a belt have the Buckle to the side and not directly above the zipper, is there a reason for this