How to Rock a Cool T-Shirt with Casual Suspenders

Suspenders have come a long way since the days when men wore them as a necessity to keep pants securely in place. Now, they’re more of a fashion accessory, with a secondary function of keeping your pants upright. The fact that men and women still enjoy wearing them is a testament to their enduring appeal, but there was a point in modern history when they weren’t considered that cool. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, a lot of young people shied away from suspenders, considering them old-fashioned. But then, something unexpected happened to make them totally cool again—the T-shirt.

A Punk Inspired Look

The punk rock scene came to full power during the late 70s and early 80s, and with it came the popularity of punk fashion and hairstyles. It was during this time that young men began wearing plain white T-shirts with classic suspenders, and boy did it make a unique fashion statement. The mixture of “I don’t care” casualness with a common accessory acceptable to the status quo was a revelation. Since then, the simple outfit of T-shirt, suspenders and jeans has grown to be a popular choice for anyone who wishes to rock an alternative look on the streets or at the clubs.

T-Shirt Types That Work Best

There are a plethora of T-shirt styles and colors you can choose to pair with your suspenders. However, nothing says rocker persona more than a white or black T-shirt with a round collar and a pair of black suspenders in a standard or skinny width. You can stick with a classic short-sleeve tee or go super casual with a cotton sleeveless tank top. Alternative choices are a grey T-shirt or dark striped-pattern suspenders. As for jean color, you can’t go wrong with black or blue jeans that are lived-in or weathered (maybe even torn in a few places). For a less rough-edge look, you can choose standard jeans in those colors, or try alternative jean colors such as grey, or even purple.

Tips to Make it Rock

Keep the T-shirt tucked all the way in your pants or tuck the front all the way in and leave the rest semi-loose. Dark shoes work best with black suspenders, and common choices in footwear are boots or fashionable sneakers. And, if you must wear a hat, go with a fedora in a solid dark color.