Choosing the Right Suspenders to Wear with a Suit

Wearing suspenders with a suit can be a very gratifying experience when you’re seeking ways to up your fashion style. For decades, men and women have enjoyed wearing this popular accessory with a wide range of suit styles and colors, but pulling the look off does require some careful thought when it comes to choosing the style, color, pattern and width of your suspenders. This mini guide can help you learn the basics of how to pick dress suspenders that flatter your body type, while enhancing your personal style.

What’s a Good Size?

Never assume that you can pick any pair of suspenders and make them fit right. Sure, they can be adjusted, but quality suspenders are not one size fits most. This is a case where size matters a lot, just like it does when you’re choosing a tailored suit. Always look at a size chart to see if the suspenders you desire come in a size the matches your body measurements. Another thing to look at is width size. Suspenders come in thin, standard and wide width sizes, and the wider the width, the more prominent they appear, so be sure to choose widths that achieve the look you desire.

Buttons vs. Clips

Button suspenders and clip suspenders are both versatile and popular with many wearers, so which attachment goes better with a suit? Traditionally, button suspenders with the famous “rabbit ears” end attachments are worn with business and formal suits. Visually, leather comes across as classy and distinctive, and buttoning helps keep the straps firmly in place. Even so, some people do wear clip-on styles with suits, so the best choice for you is a matter of which style you feel most comfortable wearing on any given occasion.

Materials

1)  Elastic or dressy leather suspenders can be worn in both casual and business settings

2) Higher end fabrics such as grosgrain, oxford cloth and silk give added panache and communicate refined taste and success.

Corporate and Formal Suit Pairings

The corporate Wall Street look is one of the most iconic business styles in the world, and achieving it requires a quality pair of bold, solid color suspenders, preferably in colors of red, grey or black. These three choices go with a range of blue, pink or white button-down shirt styles. Alternatively, you can choose distinctive patterns such as stripes, jacquard or polka dots in colors that match your tie. When choosing suspenders for formal suits, look for high-quality button-on styles in a range of colors and fabrics. White is the preferable formal shirt color, with black as an alternative option.