Suspender belt guide

Suspender belt is a woman's undergarment consisting of an elastic piece of cloth worn around the waist to which garters are attached to hold up stockings. In the United States they are also known as garter belts

History

20th Century

Suspender belts were a common, popular alternative to the girdle in the 1940s through the 1960s, especially among teens and young women. The garter belt was simpler and more practical than the girdle because it basically was used only to hold up stockings. It was considered more comfortable than a girdle. Some men's magazines featured models in garter belts and stockings, sometimes with slips or petticoats.

Present day use of suspender belts

Suspender  belts continue to be sold through specialty and some department stores, as well as catalogues and websites, because many women find them more comfortable than girdles or pantyhose. There is also a certain element of sex appeal, too, because many men like their wives or girlfriends to wear garter belts and stockings rather than pantyhose. There are also panties with attached garters, similar to those seen in some of the men's magazines in the early 1960s. Garter belts today are available in a variety of colors and materials; red or black satin garter belts are particularly popular. Six-garter and four-garter versions are available; women find the six-garter styles more practical. Many garter belts today are made of a mixture of nylon and spandex.

Functionality

A garter belt normally had two or three garters on each side attached to a stiff, reinforced strip of material (at least two or three inches wide) that fastened around the waist. Three garters worked best in attaching the stocking because the two-garter version did not hold the stocking as tight.